It has been twenty years since the last release of a mainline Baldur’s Gate game. Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn was the last we had heard of the series since 2000 and while the Dungeons and Dragons franchise has kept its name in the gaming world, the iconic series had moved far from its pen-and-paper emulating roots. Last week Larian Studios released the Early Access build of the long-awaited Baldur’s Gate 3 to an eruption of fanfare that sparked life back into the series. The hype isn’t unwarranted as the early access build of the title could be a smaller game all its own. Even after over 30 hours clocked, there is still much more to experience with this robust early build of what is shaping up to be our first taste of a next-gen RPG.
A Critical Roll
Developer Larian Studios is no slouch when it comes to the classical style of Western RPG, showing off their success with the critically-acclaimed Divinity: Original Sin 2 in 2017. Many fans may find themselves right at home in their latest title as it does nothing but expand on the formula while injecting it with the iconic flavor of D&D. This means tactical combat is just as impactful as ever and the world has secrets hidden in every corner. It also offers a stellar soundtrack similar to their previous title as well, giving it an epic cinematic feel. The added flavor of the spells, abilities and classes from the legendary franchise are all here as well, taking inspiration from the 5th Edition tabletop ruleset to add an extra layer of authenticity to the experience. Many of these spells act exactly as you would imagine from their functions within the tabletop game itself, such as “Speak with the Dead” to attempt to commune with a fresh corpse or “Create Water” to douse a roaring flame. This means that not only do these intuitive abilities shine in combat but out of it as well.
Role-playing is a huge focus of Baldur’s Gate 3. You’ll hit the ground running after character creation in a dynamic and visceral intro experience that holds nothing back in its intensity. From the top, this game shows you exactly how far it is willing to go with its imagery and themes as you scramble to escape the hellscape you find yourself in after being infected with a strange alien parasite. Shortly after your escape the situation becomes a familiar one as you awaken, washed up on the shores of adventure to set out on a journey to extract the parasite and save your life. Along the way you’ll meet others who escaped the same situation and join your search for a cure. Each party member feels alive and builds relationships with not only your character but the rest of the party as well, depending on who accompanies you on your travels and who stays at camp. This makes for enticing narrative possibilities, especially when combined with specialized dialogue options based on race, class, background or a myriad of other factors to bring the world of Faerun to life.
Destiny Is Yours
It is very difficult to emulate the experience of tabletop role-playing as the possibilities are essentially endless. While not a perfect recreation, Baldur’s Gate 3’s Early Access succeeds in creating an incredibly unique experience full of nuance and intrigue that comes close to that pen-and-paper feel. The threads of fate are delicate and intertwined across the rather large “Act 1” segment shown off here and can lead to very unexpected places. There is no lack of schemers, mystics, heroes, underdogs or villains that you and your party can collaborate with to achieve your goals. However fortune favors the prepared in this title, which includes the secrets hidden deep within the minds of the NPCs you encounter and every avenue must be considered. If you believe someone might be holding out on you, it’s worth it to investigate how deep the rabbit hole goes.
In this Early Access release alone, you will be presented with storylines that intertwine in ways that are both shocking and satisfying. Each side presented to you in this scenario has flaws and while some may be more apparent than others, the cracks in each faction that fill out their personalities and motivations are compelling which keeps you coming back for more. It creates an immersion that feels evocative of a Mass Effect or Dragon Age experience while Larian cranks the cinematic presentation through the roof, propped up by the fantastic attention to detail that will make anyone feel like they are in an authentic D&D campaign. Whether you’re a hero of justice, a nefarious scoundrel, or somewhere in the middle there is something here for you.
Venturing Forth
This title has an incredible Early Access showing. Larian is putting their best foot forward with this one and it is not to be missed. It puts yesterday’s titles such as The Outer Worlds and its own stablemate Divinity Original Sin 2 to shame from the beginning, gripping you with a pulse-pounding intro and never letting you go. The combat and exploration is dynamic and expanded upon from their previous title which makes it easy for players both new and old to get lost in this enchanting world. The writing and role-playing is absolutely top-notch, filled with memorable lines and characters that stimulate visceral responses while remaining true to the source material in all the ways that count. This says nothing to the epic soundtrack that houses quite a few memorable tracks you may find yourself bobbing your head to as you play.
This Early Access release is not to be missed. While the prospect of buying an unfinished product is a precarious idea to some, Baldur’s Gate 3 is worth an exception. Stay tuned for our next article, where we’ll take a look into the multiplayer, the problems evident in this Early Access and give an impression on the Stadia version of the game, its only Console release thus far.
