After my first playthrough I can safely say this is one of my favorite games of all time. It isn't surprising that it is but I was surprised at how much it exceeded my expectations.
Some context. Since the announcement of Baldur's Gate 3 in 2019, I've played Divinity: Original Sin 1 & 2 (2 twice, solo and co-op), Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 plus their expansions, Pillars of Eternity 1 & 2, Solasta: Crown of the Magister plus expansions, Wasteland 3, Planescape Torment, and more. These games represent the best the cRPG genre can offer, from the cinematic moments of Wasteland 3 to the thought-provoking world of Planescape, from the systemic interactions of DOS2 to the cozy-yet-epic journey of the original BG. Baldur's Gate 3 brings the best of each game into a package that feels the culmination of the genre and the studio that is Larian. It's an achievement, but also so damn fun to play.
Baldur's Gate 3 has deep and charismatic characters that I thought only BioWare could write, an incredibly presented world that rivals the best moments of The Witcher 3 or Cyberpunk 2077, a systemic, strategic and satisfying combat that is probably the most fun you can make 5e (not the most accurate, we have Solasta for that), and a scope that surprised me time and time again during my over 130-hour adventure.
I really hope it's not true, and that Larian (or someone else) will surprise me, but it's hard to imagine a better cRPG than this. Let's enjoy it.
Some context. Since the announcement of Baldur's Gate 3 in 2019, I've played Divinity: Original Sin 1 & 2 (2 twice, solo and co-op), Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 plus their expansions, Pillars of Eternity 1 & 2, Solasta: Crown of the Magister plus expansions, Wasteland 3, Planescape Torment, and more. These games represent the best the cRPG genre can offer, from the cinematic moments of Wasteland 3 to the thought-provoking world of Planescape, from the systemic interactions of DOS2 to the cozy-yet-epic journey of the original BG. Baldur's Gate 3 brings the best of each game into a package that feels the culmination of the genre and the studio that is Larian. It's an achievement, but also so damn fun to play.
Baldur's Gate 3 has deep and charismatic characters that I thought only BioWare could write, an incredibly presented world that rivals the best moments of The Witcher 3 or Cyberpunk 2077, a systemic, strategic and satisfying combat that is probably the most fun you can make 5e (not the most accurate, we have Solasta for that), and a scope that surprised me time and time again during my over 130-hour adventure.
I really hope it's not true, and that Larian (or someone else) will surprise me, but it's hard to imagine a better cRPG than this. Let's enjoy it.