Divinity: Original Sin announced, jettisons third-person view

Larian Studios is going back to basics with the latest entry in the Divinity series, with a return to isometric view and traditional gameplay.

PC Gamer reports the newly-announced RPG is inspired by Ultima VII - an interesting switchback from 2009's Divinity II: Eco Draconis and its third-person action feel.

Original Sin sounds much closer to a true sequel to the game which kicked it all off, and its plot begins immediately following events of Divine Divinity.

The game supports two player co-op and boasts two protagonists. The male character is a beefcake on the lam from "a lie of eternal torture" while the female is a resurrected murder victim with no memory of her past life. Between them, they're pretty much Planescape: Torment.

In the best traditions of pen-and-paper RPGs, you'll have a chance to argue with your co-op buddy over in-game decisions; if you can't reach a meeting of minds, the outcome will be stat-driven. This tag-team focus continues into other gameplay aspects; players can split up, with one carrying on turn-based combat while the other wanders town and the field in real time. That's neat, right?

This is probably the announcement Larian was teasing, so expect more details out of E3 2012 as well as through ongoing PC Gamer coverage.