2023’s unanimous game of the year did not come out of nowhere. Baldur’s Gate 3 entered early access in late 2020 and slowly wormed it’s way into our hearts and minds. Even the long awaited sequel Tears of the Kingdom did not stand a chance against the might of the breakout CRPG.
What give BG3 it’s strength is it’s illusion of player choice. The game’s first act feels overwhelming. The player has a number of decisions to make and groups to align yourself with (even betray if you feel up to it). Carefully coordinated quest lines feel like a Dungeon Master going off the cuff because they never thought you’d actually try that. This scope narrows in the second act. The player still has a lot to do but almost all build up to the game’s villainous reveal which asks “well, is this still the route you want to go down?” These large questions the game asks is where it’s story starts to falter.
Statistically, most players will not choose the evil route in a video game. Some may be evil out of a morbid curiosity but most will save it at least for a second playthrough. It’s fun to play evil but it feels good to be a hero. Baldur’s Gate 3 nearly hands players the keys to ultimate power and even that doesn’t feel enough to suddenly become the bad guy. The game’s villains are fun and creepy but far from convincing in their diatribes. In typical fashion they immediately betray each other the moment the player comes along and you’re welcome to make or pass on deals with them.
If your typical goody shoes player were to be tempted by anyone, why not the vampire elf lurking among your companions? Characters like Astarion and Shadowheart have their own dark agendas and charming personalities. Karlach and Wyll, the de facto do-gooders, are just as beautiful and lovable in their own ways, but who doesn’t love a bad boy? Most will ogle over these digital sweethearts and yell “I can fix them!” and you can. But party members with such magnetic performances can make you wonder if ultimate power isn’t such a bad thing after all.
Stories both grand and interpersonal weave themselves together in the third act. The long winded finale containing the most satisfying storytelling as well the most frustrating combat encounters in the entire game. Depending on your actions in the game you may very well be close to 100 hours of play time by the time you actually reach the titular city. The third act is at it’s strongest when you are reuniting with memorable characters after what feels like ages, only to solve one last problem before sending them on their happy ending. It’s weakest parts are when those satisfying endings are blocked by fights that need you to fight a dozen plus enemies. It’s draining, both of your time and physical self in real life 5e Dungeons and Dragons, and it’s just as tiring here in it’s most faithful digital recreation to date.
The feeling of overwhelming choice becomes real in the last act of BG3. The game makes you feel as if time is running out while placing countless distractions in front of you. Every new quest line introduced feels simultaneously inconsequential and like it could tip the scale of the impending final battle in your favor. In the end, only the relationships you have forged along the way have any impact on the game’s actual ending and the epilogue added some time after the initial release. Some threads just end, such as it is. Over the dozens hour journey it takes you on, Baldur’s Gate 3 will delight and enrapture you, but this potential game of the decade will frustrate and overwhelm you if you’re not careful.
What give BG3 it’s strength is it’s illusion of player choice. The game’s first act feels overwhelming. The player has a number of decisions to make and groups to align yourself with (even betray if you feel up to it). Carefully coordinated quest lines feel like a Dungeon Master going off the cuff because they never thought you’d actually try that. This scope narrows in the second act. The player still has a lot to do but almost all build up to the game’s villainous reveal which asks “well, is this still the route you want to go down?” These large questions the game asks is where it’s story starts to falter.
Statistically, most players will not choose the evil route in a video game. Some may be evil out of a morbid curiosity but most will save it at least for a second playthrough. It’s fun to play evil but it feels good to be a hero. Baldur’s Gate 3 nearly hands players the keys to ultimate power and even that doesn’t feel enough to suddenly become the bad guy. The game’s villains are fun and creepy but far from convincing in their diatribes. In typical fashion they immediately betray each other the moment the player comes along and you’re welcome to make or pass on deals with them.
If your typical goody shoes player were to be tempted by anyone, why not the vampire elf lurking among your companions? Characters like Astarion and Shadowheart have their own dark agendas and charming personalities. Karlach and Wyll, the de facto do-gooders, are just as beautiful and lovable in their own ways, but who doesn’t love a bad boy? Most will ogle over these digital sweethearts and yell “I can fix them!” and you can. But party members with such magnetic performances can make you wonder if ultimate power isn’t such a bad thing after all.
Stories both grand and interpersonal weave themselves together in the third act. The long winded finale containing the most satisfying storytelling as well the most frustrating combat encounters in the entire game. Depending on your actions in the game you may very well be close to 100 hours of play time by the time you actually reach the titular city. The third act is at it’s strongest when you are reuniting with memorable characters after what feels like ages, only to solve one last problem before sending them on their happy ending. It’s weakest parts are when those satisfying endings are blocked by fights that need you to fight a dozen plus enemies. It’s draining, both of your time and physical self in real life 5e Dungeons and Dragons, and it’s just as tiring here in it’s most faithful digital recreation to date.
The feeling of overwhelming choice becomes real in the last act of BG3. The game makes you feel as if time is running out while placing countless distractions in front of you. Every new quest line introduced feels simultaneously inconsequential and like it could tip the scale of the impending final battle in your favor. In the end, only the relationships you have forged along the way have any impact on the game’s actual ending and the epilogue added some time after the initial release. Some threads just end, such as it is. Over the dozens hour journey it takes you on, Baldur’s Gate 3 will delight and enrapture you, but this potential game of the decade will frustrate and overwhelm you if you’re not careful.