Sequel to one of the best role-playing games of all time, BG2:SOA/TOB is just as amazing as the first, but more.
As if life wasn’t bad enough for our young hero from the first game, things just seem to get worse. You wake up in a cell with a few other companions from the previous game including Minsc and Imoen, but also with you is the dreaded Saverok. A powerful being who has captured you and wants to wreak havoc on you being the child of Bhaal in hopes of harnessing that power. After soon exiting your cage, you’ll be thrust into a epic story where you can choose companions from those around you. If you want to take Imoen and Minsc with you; do it. If not, let them be there and move on with your game and maybe pick someone up along the way. Many characters return from the previous game making many connections from the previous title which generally make it a must to play through the first game and bring your character with you throughout the entire process. As you progress through the different chapters of the game, you’ll come across many unique and atmospheric environments and also some powerful characters from the Forgotten Realms lore including the dual-wielding scimitar Drow himself, Drizzt. If you played through the first game and came across him, he’ll remember what you did and his actions from there will be based off of your choices at your previous confrontation. You may end up battling the Drow because of a silly mishap the first game where you tried to pickpocket his weapons. Oops.
The game and its expansion are split up into chapters and is somewhat non-linear in the beginning. Only when you get to a center part in the story, will you not be able to go back and do some quests and finish up some odds and ends that you’ve left behind, but don’t worry because a couple chapters later, you’ll be able to explore the map freely again. Unlike the previous game, the landscape is much different. Not only is it a different part of Faerun, but your character won’t be traveling from one area to the next that were right next to each other. What I mean, is that when you leave Amn, you’ll only be able to travel to different locations and their different areas on your map. While these locations aren’t all connected to each other, you’ll be able to bring up your map and travel to most of the known ones pretty much any time you want. And there are quite a lot of locations to travel to. Not all of them are available from the start of course, but as you progress through the game and find quests from different individuals, new locations will be presented to you on your map. Even though the previous game was great in its entirety, many thought the endless trudging throughout every map was a little much, so the developers made some changes and created something even better. New to the series is the idea of stronghold. Depending on what class you may be, you’ll have the ability to gain a stronghold where you can store different things such as items you’ve found along your travels, companions that you don’t want to take on your travels at that particular time, and also, another incentive of having a stronghold is the taxes that you collect from your people that you’re able to pick up every now and then, but be sure to come back and defend your stronghold when the need arises.
Along your travels, you’ll find companions that you can add to your group making your group up to six including yourself if you’d like, but there is no pressure to do so. I would suggest getting some companions the first time through though because of the extra entertainment they provide along the way. Many have a lot to say to both you and others that may be in the group. Some of your members won’t get along with each other and you can decide if you want to put up with the bickering or kick someone out. Also, with the companions is the possibility to have a romance throughout your travels. Not everyone is able to have a romance, but certain characters and events trigger different conversations and romances with your character and this adds quite a bit to the replay value as you can try to mix your group up each time to see what everyone says each time through, plus all the different characters are of different classes and races, so you can choose what kind of group you’d like to have and what you’d like to include such as a paladin and fighter as tanks, many some spellcasters, and also some healers to round out the party. The choice is up to you and the choices may seem unlimited at times and that’s what makes this game so much fun with each play through. As you go through the game and its expansions, you and your companions will gain experience and level up extremely high to the point where you almost feel that you’re unstoppable, but until the final battle, you’ll have quite a bit of fun with all the battles that the developers will put your through which will only make you appreciate the whole experience that much more. As you near the end of the game’s expansion, you’ll be battling many of your character’s brothers and sisters who were also spawns of Bhaal and this only builds more intensity as you wield enormous spells to throw at them from all sides. Once again utilizing the Dungeon and Dragons rules from Wizards of the Coast, Baldur’s Gate 2 lets the player choose their own skills and proficiencies as they make their way to the final battle. And the expansion, among adding more spells and skills, raises the level cap to level 40, which is almost the same as being a god in the Dungeons and Dragons rules. And the game really brings this feeling to the player through different conversations by the many non-player characters you’ll come across during your travels.
The game is once again on the Infinity Engine, likes its predecessor and it looks great. Having a larger resolution and some great effects for the spells that are cast, the player can easily see how much time was put into this game and its expansions. As you travel across the many locations including the Underdark itself, you’ll appreciate all the unique pre-rendered backgrounds that the artists put time into. Every environment is different from the next whether it’s a wooded area outside or a tomb where you’ll be searching for buried treasure to complete a quest. The developers also took quite a bit of time with the quests in the game. You won’t be running around doing a bunch of ‘mailman’ quests from most role-playing games, because you’ll be completing intricate quests that are both entertaining and satisfying to finish. The interface in the game, along with the map has also been updated and you’ll notice quite a bit of improvements in every area of the game.
The sound in the game is great. The musical score is nothing short of spectacular. All throughout your travels, you’ll be treated to an epic score that you’ll be turning your speakers up for the entire time you play. The music will change for different environments and also for different events such as battles with the multitudes of enemies that you’ll come across throughout the game. The characters in the game all have voices and when certain characters get into their banters with each other, you’ll find yourself laughing at how comical the conversations sound. And the voices for the different characters really add a lot to the game as the more they have a voice, they more they feel like actual companions throughout the games long campaign.
With Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn/Throne of Bhaal, you’ll be able to travel Faerun with your friends in your group each making your own powerful characters. Of course, having a friend or friends in the game will take away from the amount of other companions you’ll be able to have throughout your travels, but playing with your friends will always bring back memories of late nights playing Dungeons and Dragons in someone’s basement with potato chips and soda. With how long the campaign is, it may be hard to find friends who will stick it out to the end, but if they ever decide to leave, just pick up another companion along your travels.
Overall, the developers created an awesome sequel to an already great game. Making a lot of enhancements and creating an epic story that’s full of battles, romances, and treachery, Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn/Throne of Bhaal could quite possibly have it all in one package. With giving the player the option to take their character from the original game all the way to the end of the Throne of Bhaal expansion, almost creating a god, it would seem that the developers just seemed to get it right this time around. With the multitudes of mods that have come out for the game since it was released, Baldur’s Gate 2 and its expansions has limitless play and is easily a game that anyone could recommend to someone who wants to play a true role-playing game.