Baldur’s Gate 3
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Baldur’s Gate 3 is a masterfully crafted RPG that improves on every aspect of Larian’s past work, and is a worthy successor to the series.DualShockers was provided with a copy of the game for review purposes.
Well, I canofficiallysay it now:Baldur’s Gate 3is an outstanding game. Every one of the many corners of Larian’s handcrafted world is overflowing with life and creativity. Baldur’s Gate 3 is what you get when you take the fantastic formula thatDivinity: Original Sin 2pioneered and improve on every aspect to create a masterful fantasy RPG.
Yes, it’s more Divinity than it is Baldur’s Gate as we remember it from 25-odd years ago, but Larian have totally justifiedtheir decision not to dwell on the past. I was engaged throughout the entirety of the game, largely thanks to its stellar combat, wonderful characters, expansive world and strong narrative.
As many will probably have seen on social media, the game’s characters are a massive highlight. Unlike party members in Larian’s previous work, your companions in Baldur’s Gate 3 are fully realised, key drivers of the plot. An excellent job has been done to make companions feel like they’re actual people independent of the player, not just passengers in a story. Each companion has a separate goal that is related to but distinct from the player’s goal, which can lead to some compelling party conflicts. Mypersonal favourite companionis often in direct conflict with the player (and everyone else), for example.
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Some of these characters have stories with greater worldly consequences than the player’s own, at first anyway. Gale, once paramour to a goddess, has now been tasked with killing another deity. Shadowheart has had her memory stripped away until she fulfils a task for Shar, the Lady of Darkness. Lae’zel must rebel against her entire way of life to discover the truth. Personally, I made my character a drunk Halfling who would probably be a regular at the Green Dragon if this were Middle-Earth. He didn’t have much else going on at first, but I gradually moulded him into someone with more substantial principles.
Speaking of worldly consequences. Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t pull any punches in providing you with the full wealth of its source material. You’ll meet familiar Dungeons & Dragons characters, and fight enemies you’ll know well if you’ve engaged with the setting before. Also, you aren’t being placed in an inconsequential corner of the world; this is Baldur’s Gate, baby, and you’re at the very centre of the struggle for the future of Faerûn.
The game’s initial hook is that the player character and their companions have been infected with illithid parasites which need to be removed before everyone turns into mind flayers. You’ll have several leads to solve this little conundrum, but you’ll have to pursue these at your own discretion - you’re not going to have explicit guidance. As you can imagine, the objectives of your party soon expand, leading you into all sorts of misadventures.
The visual qualities of Baldur’s Gate 3 are to be lauded. Everything and everyone looks fantastic. The combat effects are also on-point, with all of our favourite DnD spells being brought to life in a triple-A environment. When you fireball a pile of grease on the ground, it’s burning bright, and it’s burning long, though I’d stress that the combat system is definitely less elemental-based than Divinity’s one was.
Combat is based entirely on rolls, which might initially confuse those who aren’t familiar with Dungeons & Dragons. Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t bog you down with too many of the specifics but what’s important to note is that each turn splits your action points into the separate categories of actions, bonus actions and movement. You’ll generally be able to attack, move and do one other smaller action depending on your class per turn, though they do sometimes overlap.
Baldur’s Gate 3 also features a hefty stealth system. I’ve never personally engaged with it, preferring instead to audaciously charge into every conflict, but our ownRobert Zak is a proponent, despite some gripes he has with the system. You’re able to sneak around enemies' line of sight, picking off opponents on the periphery. It’s not a full-fledged stealth experience, but the system is functional enough to allow you to have fun as an assassin or thief.
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There’s something brutally improvisational about the combat too, such as the new ‘shove’ action that’s available to every character and lets you push enemies off cliffs to their deaths. Those familiar with Dungeons & Dragons will recognise the new actions you can take, whether they be dashing, disengaging, or hiding, and all of them diversify your tactical possibilities in combat.
The sheer scale of this game is mind-blowing. According to Larian head Swen Vincke, a completionist playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3 takes about 200 hours. Now, I felt I did the majority of available content and my completed save file clocked in at about 70 hours. That being said, my total playtime was about 100 due to saving and reloading. I’d be surprised if there were another 100 hours in there, but people also play at different paces.
But yes, there is so much to do on every map, every nook contains some sort of mini-quest or combat encounter. One thing I appreciate is how off-rails this game is. Sure, you have a primary objective and your companions are going to urge you to do certain things (in line with their own interests) but how you achieve these objectives is completely up to you.
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I’ve solved political instability in an enclave of druids, I’ve crept through the fungal-infested Underdark, I’ve harnessed the power of an ancient underground forge, I’ve witnessed unimaginable sadism distilled in a cult of undead surgeons, I’ve fought mythical figures. You just can’t predict where you’ll end up in Baldur’s Gate 3. I’ve also yet to encounter an essential NPC. Want to make your life infinitely more difficult by murdering every single person you encounter? Go for it. It’s not a game that dictates how you play it. You can alsobreak locked doors, which people seem to enjoy. The freedom really is nigh-Absolute.
I think that’s the most compelling thing about this game. There’s so much to see, so much to do, but it doesn’t feel bloated. Your map isn’t filled with arbitrary markers or time-consuming radiant objectives. All those annoying features that infect many triple-A games aren’t present here. Baldur’s Gate 3 fosters an actual desire for you to explore, not just to tick a box, but to genuinely see what’s around every corner. It’s a feeling that’s so special, especially in lengthy games where burnout is a worry. I can safely say that even though I grinded for two weeks, I never wanted to put the game down, and I actually jumped straight into a second playthrough the day after finishing.
One of the few minor criticisms I have of the game is the usual choppiness that seems to accompany Larian’s engine, especially in combat. Sometimes a character’s turn fails to resolve, leaving you soft-locked. One time I was unable to fast travel, clicking the button played the sound but didn’t teleport my party. These are all gripes that can be fixed by loading an older save, and I’m sure they’ll be patched in time anyway.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is some of the most fun I’ve had with a game in years. It’s a clear passion project from Larian. It is as good as a game gets, meaning I’ll be giving it my first-ever perfect score.
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