An epiphany in gaming.
The game is based on the Dungeons & Dragons universe of the Forgotten Realms. It is a party based RPG with a massive gameworld, extensive storyline, huge array of characters and items and most importantly - a lot of quality fun for the player. Developed by Bioware, the game caused a storm upon its first release. It was a true revelation in the PC market, and heralded the creation of the modern day RPG gamer. It took the comparably shallow action of Diablo, and incorporated a deep story and character structure that is commonly copied but rarely equaled.
Using the infamous Infinity Engine, the game is seen from a top down isometric view. The visuals looked dated compared to pixelfests like TES IV, but what they lack is spectacle, they make up in charm. The environments and characters are detailed and varied and a heap of fun to explore. The character creation is also very extensive with a wide array of options to help you sculpt any character imaginable. Fighters, Mages, Theifs all have attributes and abilities individual to their class which have a practical purpose in game. This adds some more depth to the game and assures that the replay value is massive.
The gameplay is point and click and rarely deviates from this prose. You see an area you want to explore - click it, an enemy to attack - click it, an NPC to talk to - click it. This simple interface is user friendly and easy to navigate. The combat can be fast and fierce so it’s important to anticipate you enemy and adapt to its abilities. Choosing your tactics well and tailoring your party is essential to surviving the world. The strategy this invariably creates adds yet more depth, and can spawn into a deeply complex approach to all facets of the game.
Interaction with your party and NPC is very fun and has now become a blueprint for many games. When you talk with people, they often give you a range of replies that subtly change the course of events. You can create good and bad relationships, recruit members to your party and gain quests and items from positive interaction. The missions are very fun to undertake and there are enough side-quests to appease even the most hungry RPG gamer. You’ll regularly find yourself trapping through some forest to help out an NPC for the promise of a big reward. It’s a basic system, but its effective.
The game is sprawling and quite long which everyone will appreciate. There’s enough content to explore and re-explore, secrets to find, special items to discover and parties to assemble that makes Baldurs Gate some of the best value for money your going to experience. You need to play this game, if only to see the roots of the RPG genre. But not just for that, because it’s a really wonderfully accomplished game, and one that you’ll spend countless hours exploring.
I’ll finish up by saying the game is the closest you’ll come to gaming perfection and realization you’ll experience. The game is extremely cheap today, and there is no excuse not to purchase a copy