With hours of blood and sweat dedicated to exploring a world of adventure and madness, I have just witnessed one of the greatest masterpieces of video games: Baldur’s Gate 3. BG3 is a new role-playing game developed and published by Larian Studios. Baldur’s Gate is based on the famous tabletop game: Dungeons & Dragons, which is known for its immense creativity and freedom. Much like D&D, this game stays true to the meaning of an RPG, which is not common in most games; with its many secrets and 17,000 possible endings, the player can freely do as they please to their heart’s content.
The game has been through 6 years of development which is evident by the breathtaking world, combat, and characters that contribute to the freedom the game offers. Just like D&D, the game’s outcomes and story are decided on the 20 sided dice which makes this game unique due to gameplay never being the same. The combat is turn-based, so during combat, you guide your character a certain distance and select an action or spell to attack. This sounds boring at first but with 600 spells and actions, it felt the complete opposite.
Surprisingly, unlike most RPGs, the game isn’t at all difficult, and as long as you take your time and get adjusted to the mechanics, you can feel comfortable with the gameplay. Leveling up did not require much grinding; in fact, the max level is 12 with each level having a significant difference in your character’s ability.
The world is interesting with lots of small details and absorbing side quests. Each time I go back to it, I find a new detail. The characters are unique in their personalities, and the voice acting gives a touch of realism, yet it’s also like listening to a storybook with a soft gentle voice that narrates your own story. In total, the game has over 170 hours of cinematics that take up most of your time and requires a lot of free time to complete. The music, like most fantasy games, is very majestic and adventurous which sometimes gives me goosebumps when used with extravagant voice lines that if heard in real life would probably send a chill down my spine.
Overall, the game is beautiful and abundant with life and there is always something to do in your adventure. There have been some bugs but nothing that changes the gameplay, and they can be easily fixed in due time. I believe this game should be the new standard of RPGs. It was incredible going through so much in a single game.
