I have spent 219 hours with this game (one solo campaign on PC (24 hours) started in December 2023 and one online campaign on PS5 (27 hours with my brother and sister started somewhere in January 2024; both aborted because of, well, real life), and this campaign, the first I have finished (twice, by the way), which my PS5 marks as being around 168 hours. Of course, this doesn’t imply active playtime by any means. But it gives a somewhat accurate portrayal of how much time I have spent with one campaign, immersed in this world. This is a very particular case with me, since I -for the most part- prefer narrative games with a gametime of 20 to 40 hours, I’d take 70 sometimes; and I don’t play online games that much, so, if we check the game time I’ve spent with the rest of the games in my libraries, it would be safe to assume, this is the game I’ve spent most of my time in. And yet… I could spend 100 hours more, let’s go big and say a 1000 hours more. It could be endless… Nevertheless, I think it's time to let go - at least, for a bit.
This is a game that has come my way a couple of times, as explained before, but I am so glad I got to make it all the way through, in this specific time. I haven’t been doing alright lately, it happens sometimes, it comes with the seasons, that dreadful feeling of personal and spiritual stasis, of what David Bowie expressed in his song ‘Be My Wife’, “Sometimes I feel so lonely, sometimes I get nowhere”. This game came again, once more, my way and made me feel less lonely and led me to somewhere. This 168 hours in the Grove, Shadowlands, Mountain Pass, Moonrise Towers, Rivington, Wyrm’s Crossing and Baldur’s Gate; accompanied by Shadowheart, Gale, Karlach, Astarion, La’ezel, Wyll, Halsin and Ol’ Bone Withers; might have been not only life saving hours, but life affirming. It’s truly a miracle. Never in my life would have I ever thought that I could love videogame characters as I do my merry band of swashbucklers. Not to mention the fellow travelers, like my Guardian, Jaheira, Barcus, Arabella and Mol, Ronan, Elminster, Mizora (even if you were oft a pain in the ass), Isobel, Dame Aylin (the GOAT), Yenna and Grub - and Volo, who gave me a new eye; or the villains, True Soul Gut, Dror Razlin, Minthara, Auntie Ethel (I love you, you creep), Nere, Ketheric Thorm, Lorroakan, Lord Enver Gortash, Cazador Szarr, Viconia DeVir, Sarevock Anchev, Orin the Red (girl, you’re crazy, but you changed me) and the Absolute. Not to mention the rest (!) Kagha, Abdirak (you too are crazy, and changed me), Dammon the Blacksmith, Thulla, Wynn Freshwater, the Strange Ox, Nine Fingers, He Who Was (I am really sorry for being too zealous of my Oath of Vengeance), Naaber, Daniel… I could go on naming more, and I’d have you reading names for a tenday, at least. Such a remarkable experience, one that I have internalized and has become intrinsically a part of me as anything that has happened to me.
So I’d like to give my thanks to (here comes a couple more names): Adam Smith, Adrienne Law, Baudelaire Welch, Chrystal Ding, Ella McConnell, Ine Van Hamme, Jan Van Dosselaer, John Corocran, Kevin VanOrd (kudos, for being one of the actually good game reviewers and now being part of this, so glad), Lawrence Schick, Martin Docherty, Rachel Quirke, Ruari Moore, Sarah Baylus, Stephen Rooney. Swen Vincke (genius) for writing and making this experience. Not long ago I asked for a good romance story in video games: you made it happen; I asked for a good adventure: you made it happen; I asked for companionship: you made it happen; I asked for mystery and suspense: you made it happen; I asked for good memories: you made them happen; I asked for help: you gave it, and as to me, to the millions of players. Thank you. Thank you to the rest of the team at Larian Studios, to the animators, to all the musicians and singers that worked at the score, to the art department team, to the concept artists, to everyone that added their grain of sand to this sandcastle. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I am getting teary eyed just for writing this, as it is putting a definite end to this campaign, and this chapter. But I come out of this with a new desire for life, for companionships, for adventure, for the world. So let’s toast to Baldur's Gate, to our merry band of swashbucklers, to our friends, to our foes, to the Sun, to the Sea, to the Moon, to our sisters, to our brothers, to me and to you -whoever, wherever, whenever you are reading this, to us and everyone. Love you all.
This is a game that has come my way a couple of times, as explained before, but I am so glad I got to make it all the way through, in this specific time. I haven’t been doing alright lately, it happens sometimes, it comes with the seasons, that dreadful feeling of personal and spiritual stasis, of what David Bowie expressed in his song ‘Be My Wife’, “Sometimes I feel so lonely, sometimes I get nowhere”. This game came again, once more, my way and made me feel less lonely and led me to somewhere. This 168 hours in the Grove, Shadowlands, Mountain Pass, Moonrise Towers, Rivington, Wyrm’s Crossing and Baldur’s Gate; accompanied by Shadowheart, Gale, Karlach, Astarion, La’ezel, Wyll, Halsin and Ol’ Bone Withers; might have been not only life saving hours, but life affirming. It’s truly a miracle. Never in my life would have I ever thought that I could love videogame characters as I do my merry band of swashbucklers. Not to mention the fellow travelers, like my Guardian, Jaheira, Barcus, Arabella and Mol, Ronan, Elminster, Mizora (even if you were oft a pain in the ass), Isobel, Dame Aylin (the GOAT), Yenna and Grub - and Volo, who gave me a new eye; or the villains, True Soul Gut, Dror Razlin, Minthara, Auntie Ethel (I love you, you creep), Nere, Ketheric Thorm, Lorroakan, Lord Enver Gortash, Cazador Szarr, Viconia DeVir, Sarevock Anchev, Orin the Red (girl, you’re crazy, but you changed me) and the Absolute. Not to mention the rest (!) Kagha, Abdirak (you too are crazy, and changed me), Dammon the Blacksmith, Thulla, Wynn Freshwater, the Strange Ox, Nine Fingers, He Who Was (I am really sorry for being too zealous of my Oath of Vengeance), Naaber, Daniel… I could go on naming more, and I’d have you reading names for a tenday, at least. Such a remarkable experience, one that I have internalized and has become intrinsically a part of me as anything that has happened to me.
So I’d like to give my thanks to (here comes a couple more names): Adam Smith, Adrienne Law, Baudelaire Welch, Chrystal Ding, Ella McConnell, Ine Van Hamme, Jan Van Dosselaer, John Corocran, Kevin VanOrd (kudos, for being one of the actually good game reviewers and now being part of this, so glad), Lawrence Schick, Martin Docherty, Rachel Quirke, Ruari Moore, Sarah Baylus, Stephen Rooney. Swen Vincke (genius) for writing and making this experience. Not long ago I asked for a good romance story in video games: you made it happen; I asked for a good adventure: you made it happen; I asked for companionship: you made it happen; I asked for mystery and suspense: you made it happen; I asked for good memories: you made them happen; I asked for help: you gave it, and as to me, to the millions of players. Thank you. Thank you to the rest of the team at Larian Studios, to the animators, to all the musicians and singers that worked at the score, to the art department team, to the concept artists, to everyone that added their grain of sand to this sandcastle. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I am getting teary eyed just for writing this, as it is putting a definite end to this campaign, and this chapter. But I come out of this with a new desire for life, for companionships, for adventure, for the world. So let’s toast to Baldur's Gate, to our merry band of swashbucklers, to our friends, to our foes, to the Sun, to the Sea, to the Moon, to our sisters, to our brothers, to me and to you -whoever, wherever, whenever you are reading this, to us and everyone. Love you all.