Last week, the full version of Baldur’s Gate 3 was released early on PC (console release a month later), ending a very long early access period. Since I really like Dungeons and Dragons (digital and social), I decided to wait until the full release to play.
Dungeons and dragons are back!
Larian Studios has been mostly known for the two Divinity: Original Sin games in recent years, and given their undeniable quality, I was thrilled to announce that they’ve finally got the green light to make a sequel to the now truly legendary RPG series. Very few in my gaming circle have not played Baldur’s Gate, and it goes without saying that most of them are now fighting to save the Sword Coast. The expectations were huge. I was hoping for the best RPG of the decade, at least in the western style of RPGs, and aside from a few minor issues, I got even more.
BG3 is based on the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons, but with some minor balance changes. It’s an RPG based on the well-known Dragon’s Den, a social RPG set in a fantasy world with a varied storyline, many books, characters and several adaptations (one we’re trying to forget and one we’re hoping to continue). Unfortunately, the fifth edition of DnD is not one of the most balanced, and some character builds are extremely strong in combat. Of course, this does not mean that you should have them in your group. On the contrary, the group can be assembled in any way, and more or less, other than someone who can securely open locked doors and chests, I think it doesn’t really matter who you choose as a group member or your own avatar.
Unique characters and thoughtful game principles
Luckily, the Origin characters mentioned throughout are quite diverse, and the ability to fully rebuild for 100 gold can come in handy. I chose my own avatar, but the rest of the group was filled with Origin characters. These characters basically have a really interesting story, backstory and surprisingly good dubbing. Personally, I was most impressed with the storylines of Shadowheart and Astarion, but with one exception, the rest also hold the bar high. Due to non-combat interactions and their importance – if you decide to solve problems without a fight – it is quite reasonable to have a balanced party even on these fields, otherwise you are unlikely to open a hidden switch in the wall with a sword with two hands, and you will not convince anyone of anything with the charisma of a windswept boulder.
The fights in BG3 are about what I expected, they stick to the DnD system, so I was happy with it. Each character is limited by the number of actions and bonus actions, as well as movement. Otherwise, the classic turn-based principle, familiar to you from many other games. But inventory finally plays a really important role here, and properly built and equipped characters basically turn into efficient and still fun killing machines by the end of the game. The right item or combination of them can drastically change the power of a given character, and items that improve your non-combat abilities, such as lies, threat, and many other character traits, play an important role. All this really contributes to an unprecedented level of immersion in the game world.
Your own adventure in a beautiful world
But what Larian has mastered is undoubtedly the main storyline and an absolutely insane amount of possibilities to weave through it. I have yet to experience any RPG that comes even remotely close to the freedom that BG3 offers you. The number of solutions to any problem is really huge, and what’s even crazier is that, despite this huge branching and variety, the game holds up a bunch and, except for a few glitches (sometimes you just come up with a solution to some problem that the developers really don’t expected), everything fits together smoothly, like separate pieces of a puzzle.
The musical side also deserves a mention, and apart from the traditional epic melodies or dark and nostalgic songs that perfectly emphasize the atmosphere, the game managed to surprise me and leave me staring at the monitor with my mouth open – during one of the best battles. , he launched a song that lit up the entire fight and made it an unforgettable gaming experience. Graphically, the game is really beautiful and I didn’t encounter any technical bugs or issues throughout the game. The world looks alive, and combined with the freedom to interact and make decisions, it’s really easy to feel at home here. As for the cons: it freezes some really extreme choices the game forces you to make towards the end, or maybe the lack of floor switching (orientation in multi-story buildings is sometimes a little problematic), but other than that, I have nothing to complain about the game .
The new king of the genre
In the end, I have to say that for me personally, BG3 is definitely a hot candidate for Game of the Year and probably the best classic (Western) RPG I’ve ever played. There are many memorable moments in the game that I hate to reveal, but I’m pretty sure that they will be talked about years from now. Larian has created a game that will become the benchmark for all RPGs in the coming years and I hope we see another game from them out of this world soon (Icewind Dale 3 please). Before that happens, my less than ninety hours in this part of the world of Forgotten Realms will certainly not be all, and I plan to return to this gem of the game at least one more time.
Source :Indian TV
