Every so often, an RPG comes along that amazes you. That is so close to perfection that any bugs or glitches are forgivable. That captivates you in the story and everything else you can do; that, by the time a couple of hundred hours have passed, you remember you’re supposed to write a review about it. Welcome, then, to Baldur’s Gate 3. Baldur’s Gate 3 builds on classic RPGs of yesteryear while still offering the depth, mechanics, and gameplay that you expect from a modern game. It also does this so incredibly seamlessly. When I say this is a game-of-the-year contender, it’s not hyperbole.
A Whole World to Explore
Like any good D&D campaign, no two people will have the same experience. You can choose whether to be good or bad or operate in that grey middle ground. Not to mention, you can pick a named character and see how their story plays out if you don’t want to forge your own path with a self-made one.
The world feels vast and alive. With monsters, dungeons, towns, and places to go and explore, you will always want to go off the beaten path to see what adventures or misadventures you can have. The world map is huge, and in places, it can be overwhelming. As it’s mostly open world, there is plenty to see, and thankfully, it doesn’t all look the same. These visual differences make the world exciting and more realistic (well, as realistic as a fantasy world can be!). Obviously, there are areas that won’t be accessible; this can be because of insufficient skills or plot-related reasons.
When it comes to reaching particular areas, this can be achieved with dialogue, traditional combat and more… but that’s what this mostly comes down to. Choice. Choice is a really big deal in Baldur’s Gate 3 and extends to pretty much everything. As you expect from a D&D game, dice rolls play an important part here, and they’re implemented well. It even extends to whether you will notice a trap or something interesting to discover.
Travel Can be Slow
One bit of mild annoyance is that Baldur’s Gate 3 only has a couple of ways to travel. Fast travel, which is great, or walking, which can be tedious if you’ve got a long way to go when you factor in the sheer size of the map. The world is far from empty, and I can promise you there are hundreds of hours worth of content to get involved in.
It’s Not All About the Plot
To say there is a lot to do in Baldur’s Gate 3 is an understatement. While, of course, there is the main plot, it won’t be long before you’re deviating off that path and exploring the world around you, picking up sidequests, or romancing your companions.
The variety in these side stories staggered me. I was honestly expecting bland go-here-do-this type activities that felt shallow, and, well, I was wrong. From rescuing gnomes, solving a murder, and stumbling upon some amorous monsters… every single chance encounter, bizarre character, or unique place I wanted to go and talk to or explore led me down a winding path of intrigue, exceptionally crafted storytelling, and some great rewards. At times, it almost made me forget there was a main quest at all, and I forgot about time as more hours than I can recall passed before I’d even gotten to my originally intended destination.
While the rewards can be great, as can the development of your character, the biggest reward is, by far, this world coming alive on the screen in front of you.
Be wary, though; there is so much to do that you can easily miss things, and when you reach a point of no return, there’s no going back to complete them later. To that end – don’t rush. Spend time improving skills and exploring everything to really get the most out of each zone.
That’s Amore
When it comes to romance options, there’s plenty to be found. Baldur’s Gate 3 is definitely not for young people, with the sheer volume of sexual encounters you can experience, but these never really feel gratuitous. They’re well-crafted moments of ‘humanity’. (Inverted commas because, well, a fair few aren’t human at all!). These scenes allow not only further character development but also enables you to build with the characters around you. If you want romance and some intimacy, Baldur’s Gate 3 has you covered, and if you don’t? You aren’t missing out by not going down that path. That’s really the joy of a CRPG. You can build your character and their place in the world however you like.
Combat in Baldur’s Gate 3
When it comes to fighting off hordes of enemies, bosses and more, you will need to get to grips with the combat system of Baldur’s Gate 3. This isn’t typically what you see in a CRPG, but it’s very fitting to D&D. Now, the combat system doesn’t really get explained, but once you get the hang of it and expand your spells and arsenal, it is a very enjoyable and satisfying experience.
Combat starts with a dice roll, and the numbers rolled to determine the order in which each person involved in the fight has their turn. This is displayed at the top of the screen. Each character gets movement and an action per turn. Attacks (including spells) can hit – and this chance can be improved. If it lands, you do damage; if not, then you’ll miss. Once your combat action has occurred, you will have to end your turn.
In this respect, you’re managing your entire party – and not just your character. Magic users, for example, can be fragile and don’t do well in close-quarters combat. You also need to be aware of your terrain in case there’s something that you can use to your advantage. There are a lot more nuances, but that’s the basic mechanic, and once you’ve had a few fights to learn how it all works, you can settle into a good rhythm. It is a steep learning curve and can be especially frustrating starting out.
Graphics and Audio in Baldur’s Gate 3
When it comes to how the game looks, Baldur’s Gate 3 looks fantastic. Everything in the world is well-crafted and
Unfortunately, this visual spectacle also led to a few choppy cutscenes and graphical glitches. Considering I’m running an AMD 5900x chip paired with an RTX 3090 from Nvidia… it was a little disappointing to see.
In terms of voice acting, the game doesn’t disappoint. The cast are all wonderful at delivering the high-fantasy action and drama but do so with an undercurrent of levity, which gives a nice balance between the heavy stuff and the lighter interludes in between.
Final Thoughts on Baldur’s Gate 3
From reading this review, you can probably tell what my thoughts are. I didn’t really encounter too many bugs, and Larian Studios has patched it a couple of times since launch as well. Despite being incredibly complex, ridiculously massive, and unforgiving in the learning curve needed – Baldur’s Gate 3 is virtually perfect. As fantasy RPGs go, this one will be remembered fondly in years to come.
‘Graphics and Audio in Baldur’s Gate 3’ – did you delete a part by mistake, or is it WIP?
Nice review; I mostly agree except I haven’t seen many graphical glitches but way too many distracting bugs (mostly in the UI and turn-based combat). I also think that the story is hard to set aside for too long because many of the side and companion quests are attached to it one way or another, so even if you get distracted, the game will remind you why you’re there. It’s a very well-crafted plot.