It was autumn, in the year 2000, when I first played Baldur's Gate II. At the time there was nothing comparable to it. The following summer I replayed BG2 after capping off the experience with the Throne of Bhaal expansion, and all I remember at the time was this feeling that no matter how long I continued this hobby of gaming, there was a chance that I would never experience a game as grand, epic and memorable as the one I had just rolled credits on.
20 plus years later, and in many ways I was right. Despite having experienced some truly amazing grand-scope RPG's throughout the years like The Witcher 3, Mass Effect trilogy, Persona 5, Disco Elysium, Zeldo BoTW/TotK and many more, if I was being honest with myself, I had never really felt about any game quite the same as I had about Baldur's Gate 2.
When Baldur's Gate 3 was announced I was skeptical. A different game studio, in a different time and place: would they truly respect the source material and create something worthy of the name Baldur's Gate? Or was this destined to be a pale simulacrum...Baldur's Gate in name and appearance, but not Baldur's Gate in heart and soul?
After spending 120 hours and finishing my first playthrough, all I can say is that I was speechless. Laurian Studios has not just created an experience that is a worthy addition to the Baldur's Gate franchise, they have surpassed the previous two entries and created a masterpiece in RPG gaming that will set a new standard of what an RPG can and should be.
Obviously this game is a no brainer recommendation to anyone who enjoys RPG games. But will Baldur's Gate 3 be right for you, the reader?
Well it depends. If you walk by a cow and decide to talk to it with the right spell, and instead of the words "moo" popping up you have a fully voiced dialogue scenario that is 100% convincing and hilarious, does that sound interesting? Or if you talk to a frog and instead of it saying "ribbit" it thanks you for something you did in the bog where it lives and leads you hopping along to a treasure chest he wants you to see, how does that sound? Or what about speaking with an old carrier Pidgeon who gives off Admiral Boom vibes from Marry Poppins (you know the crazy old guy who wakes up every day thinking the Boer War is still ongoing) and realizing this old Pidgeon is so amazingly convincing and committed to his mission that could can't help as the player to salute him and address him with proper rank (and accept his quest about enemy cats). There are dozens (if not hundreds) more of these animal speaking scenarios and the amazing thing is that all of it could be skipped, it's entirely there for world building and because of the meticulous attention to detail by the game creators who set out to build the most convincing RPG experience ever crafted.
The world building, lore, attention to detail, and overall narration is as fine as anything I have ever experienced in a game before. When it comes to the main campaign and the roster of NPC's who can accompany you on your journey, this is also some of the absolute finest writing you will come across in a video game.
There are character arcs so memorable and sometimes heart breaking that it was hard to hold back tears seeing their stories conclude. These are lovingly crafted NPC's with hundreds and hundreds of lines of voice acted dialogue who aren't just plastic manikins there for the amusement / wish fulfillment of the player character, but who have their own stakes and nuances and opinions.
The main campaign can be undertaken and ultimately resolved in many different ways based on the alliances and decisions you make throughout the game's three acts. While the strength of this game certainly comes from the myriad of side quests and NPC interactions, the main quest is extremely satisfying and never stops being interesting and memorable right up to the very end.
I really can't stress enough just how much of a masterpiece this game is. My biggest worry now is that any game I try and play next is going to feel vastly inferior. It is a rare, rare game that makes me feel this way. Disco Elysium, from 2019, is perhaps the last game I played where I had a hard time finding joy for a while after rolling credits. Yet Baldur's gate 3 surpasses Disco Elysium (another Gamespot 10/10) for a few different reasons. For one, Baldur's Gate 3 isn't just about rolling dice and having conversations (though that is a significant part of it) it also has an RPG turn based combat system that is incredible. Just the combat and looting alone would make this an excellent RPG gaming experience, but to also compliment this with such superb writing, story and characters is what makes this a masterpiece of a game. Secondly, this game is a technical marvel that feels truly "next gen" in terms of graphics and performance. This is not an older style "CRPG" (or "second run Stadia PC RPG") that is rooted in much older technology. The Unity 4.0 engine that underpins this game feels like the way a game in 2023 should feel: it's constantly beautiful and showcases the power of the PS5 (the platform I played it on).
Just play Baldur's Gate 3 if you haven't already. There are no caveats here, it is as close to perfect as a game can be and a true masterpiece worthy of the many 10/10's it has garnered.