Genre
Role-playing game
Publisher
Running Studios
Developer
Running Studios
Minimum Requirements
Intel Core i5-4690 3.5 GHz / AMD FX-8350 4.0 GHz, 8 GB RAM, DirectX 11 graphics card and 4 GB memory, such as NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 / AMD Radeon RX 480, 150 GB storage, Internet connection, operating system Windows 10 / 11
Recommended Requirements
Intel Core i7-8700K 3.7 GHz / AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz, 16 GB RAM, DirectX 11 graphics card and 8 GB memory, such as NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER / AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, 150 GB per SSD drive
release date
August 3, 2023, PS5 release September 6, 2023
Localization
Text
age limit
From 18 years old
Platforms
PC, PS5
Played on PC
Ever since the release in early access (which my colleague Denis Shchennikov told about), it was obvious that an excellent project is being prepared within the walls of Larian Studios with a deep role-playing system, a detailed world, a fascinating story, and well-developed characters. And here we have a really excellent role-playing adventure, created according to all the canons of the genre … more precisely, not quite like that. There is something in Baldur’s Gate 3 that elevates it far beyond just a quality game, and makes it not even great, but a reference project that ten or even twenty years later will be remembered as a pillar of the genre, as a happy place, as a favorite adventure, like a black hole that mercilessly sucked in all the free time … and we were not against it. What a genre pillar – Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the greatest adventures in the history of the industry, comparable in emotional involvement and depth to Dragon Age: Origins, Disco Elysium or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. And the beginning of this adventure, as expected, opens with the creation of a character …
Just some half an hour of hair and makeup selection and you can finally … choose a class
⇡#Adventure for everyone
What kind of character editors we have not seen – from simple designers, reminiscent of cloning machines, to complex systems, where character creation is almost the most important part, which will take a couple of hours. And already at this stage, Baldur’s Gate 3 demonstrates extraordinary flexibility and the desire to provide the most enjoyable gaming experience for everyone without exception.
For beginners of the genre or those who do not really like to tinker with dozens of settings, one of the main characters like Shadowheart, Laezel, Asterion or Will will do. These heroes are interesting, detailed and, most importantly, they will satisfy almost any game request, except for one – the desire to create a unique protagonist. And here everything at Baldur’s Gate 3 is at the highest level: connoisseurs of detailed customization will definitely be pleased with both the huge number of classes, subclasses, starting kantrips (basic abilities), spells and traits, as well as the scope for customizing appearance – from eyeliner, lipstick color, hairstyles and tattoos to physique and several types of genitals. And you can also go the third way and just trust the character generator – the characters in it turn out to be quite nice.
Interaction with companions is built very delicately, and in order to achieve friendly or even romantic relationships, you will have to try
Baldur’s Gate 3 also shows maximum loyalty to the players in the narrative field. The game deftly and meticulously introduces us into the context of local events, without overloading with a ton of information about the world or about the characters, and giving only what is necessary to understand what is happening. All the richness of the scenario is revealed gradually, so that there is always the opportunity to fully experience this or that important moment, without fear that something has been missed somewhere. However, no one bothers to go deep into the local mythology – thanks to the mass of additional sources of knowledge like books that come across here and there or, say, optional dialogues with non-player characters.
Despite the loud and powerful introduction, Baldur’s Gate 3 shifted its focus from global events to personal conflicts of heroes – both our companions and non-playable characters. Their motives and goals are always clear, mostly human and even somewhat down to earth. And therefore, almost all the characters will not leave you indifferent, because their aspirations are so close to us, people on this side of the screen. Someone is trying to cope with the loss of a loved one, someone is trying to find themselves and their place in this world, someone has a crisis of faith that turns into a rethinking of life, and someone is just trying to survive in a place full of hatred and prejudice. Such a subtle personal study makes each story of this world alive, voluminous, memorable.
The band decided to take a break from the adventure… and make a cover for a music album
But the focus on the personal in no way cancels the excellently built global arc, where there was a place for large-scale twists and turns, and lingering intrigue, and scenario moves that are rather atypical for mass projects. And, most importantly, the entire plot thread is completely intertwined with our actions, decisions, twenty-sided throws, and even successes on the tactical field.
⇡#Personal path
The head is spinning from the local ornateness and sophistication. Even the most small-town situation can end in several completely opposite and, at times, quite unexpected outcomes. Which, of course, are more dependent on us and a little on the wayward D20. At almost every step there are dilemmas of different scales: from helping an old woman, to whom two children stuck on a dusty road, to the boarding of our ship by slave dwarves, who really want to know where we got their colleagues’ swimming facility from; from a couple of orcs and goblins caught in a barn to the blood-chilling surgical experiments of a madman, which we unwittingly become witnesses of.
Try to scare the pass? Why not!
There is no correct way out of collisions, but there is always a choice and scope for role-playing. Whether to intimidate, deceive, use charm, or resort to a feature or specific knowledge of a class or race – do as you see fit within your character … or just as your heart dictates. Use “sleight of hand” during a drinking game to pour a dubious brew on the floor unnoticed by your opponent – please; to scare a superior enemy with a dubious but confident argument – still; or, in the same situation, use athletic skill to reduce the number of enemies with one deft push – oh yes! The main thing is that luck does not fail at the most crucial moment… Although the failure of the dice check can lead to unique consequences and another fascinating bike from the vastness of Baldur’s Gate 3.
However, you can even grab a weapon in any incomprehensible situation, arranging a massacre at every turn – rude, morally dubious, exhausting, but also a role-play.
In addition, the tactical battles here are excellent. For the most part, they are naturally in tune with the battles from the Divinity: Original Sin series, but they feel nicer, faster and, in general, more polished. Here, too, there is just crazy expanse for combining the capabilities of party members, an extraordinary number of abilities and spells, and, of course, a lot of opportunities to use the environment. Whether to push the enemy into the abyss, create a puddle to electrify or freeze it later (and watch with malevolent pleasure how the opponents simply cannot reach the goal), or simply blow up any barrel that catches your eye …
The hostile appearance of the hobgoblin hints that there will be no peaceful solution. Or will it?
Opponents themselves are not averse to resorting to cunning tricks, and, in principle, are quite smart, resourceful and do not let you relax for a second. And the conditions of the battles change so often that you barely have time to take a breath: there is a spectacular battle between two barges, and a battle in the conditions of enemies constantly arriving through portals, and a battle against a terrible witch that calls her copies into battle. There are literally no battles similar to each other in the game (at least I haven’t seen them, but I usually try to avoid battles), and therefore they don’t have time to tire them, as is often the case in the tactical role-playing genre. But they manage to do something else – to give a myriad of truly bright game moments.
***
I’d like to quip on the fact that Larian Studios threw away a critical success with their newest project. But Baldur’s Gate 3 can hardly be called the result of incredible luck – it is a natural result of the titanic work of four hundred people who sincerely love the role-playing genre, the D&D system and, of course, the players. As a result: we have an amazingly complex game with finely written characters, a branching and well-developed story, a deep tactical component, a minimum entry threshold (surprisingly, yes) and simply breathtaking ability to fall in love with yourself without a trace.
Advantages:
incredible depth of absolutely all aspects of the game; a captivating story, beautiful secondary lines and amazing character development; tense tactical battles with scope for combat improvisation; grandiose variability and limitless scope for role-playing.
Flaws:
Baldur’s Gate 3 will require a very (very!) lot of your free time.
Graphics
Visually, Baldur’s Gate 3 looks wonderful: picturesque landscapes, meticulously detailed environments, convincing facial expressions of the characters and an impressive range of spells and abilities, colorful and spectacular.
Sound
The highest level of elaboration also applies to the auditory part of the work. From powerful solemn or mundanely ominous orchestral compositions, to the sound design of the environment that accurately creates the atmosphere of different locations, to the phenomenal voice acting of the characters, replete with subtle acting, all this is truly amazing.
Single player game
A powerful role-playing adventure, amazing in its depth and ability to absorb free time.
Estimated travel time
About sixty hours will be required for the main story and some side stories, a hundred for a detailed and thorough passage, hundreds for studying the game from edge to edge.
Collective game
Players can host co-op sessions in local or online co-op.
General impression
Baldur’s Gate 3 is the pinnacle of RPGs, meticulously crafted and incredibly addictive. A grandiose and at the same time incredibly personal adventure for the ages, which will be remembered with delight years and decades later.
Rating: 10/10
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