Title: Baldur’s Gate 3
Developer: Larian Studios
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2023
Steam Rating: 10/10
Rating: 10/10
“You can tolerate a great deal of suffering, so long as it has meaning.”
Join the battle of good versus evil as you have to fight not only the monsters you meet but also the monster within… Are you ready to join a group of heroes to take on the ones that abducted and infected you? Will you be resilient enough to resist the monster that is trying to corrupt you from the inside out? Or will you succumb to its power? The choice is yours in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Pros:
Characters
The main characters in BG3 are absolutely fantastic. Each has unique dialogues, backstories, and ways to develop your relationship with them. With your main party, as your relationships progress, they will start to trust you more and that opens up new conversations that you can have with them. They become more willing to discuss their backstories, provide advice, and may even want to start a romantic relationship with you!
Dialogue
Outside of your main party, the dialogue options with any NPC is amazing. Sometimes they share a few things and the conversation ends. Other times you can respond to NPCs with a variety of options including the ability to persuade, intimidate, or attack. The level of detail that went into giving each NPC a dialogue is truly surprising and delightful.
Battles
The battles in BG3 are the perfect combination – they are challenging and enjoyable. Each one requires a different approach in order to win. Sometimes the terrain is the main obstacle. Other times it’s the enemies you are fighting because they are resistant to certain spells or attacks. And as you progress in the story… both the terrain and enemies pose interesting challenges. Right when you think you’ve settled into a routine approach, the game throws a wrench into the battle.
Bonuses and Inspiration
BG3 is VERY generous with inspiration and bonuses. Whenever your team accomplishes a task that relates to their background, that character is inspired. Sometimes I have so many inspirations available that I use them on trivial ability checks just to use them. Add in your bonuses and ability checks are almost foolproof. For example, currently for me, Astarion has a +14 to any sleight of hand check. And when the difficulty is a 10 or even 15… I’m guaranteed to succeed. Opening locked chests, locked doors, or unarming traps has never been easier.
Open world
The world truly is your oyster in BG3. There’s the main storyline that guides you to different areas of the game but you can also venture off on your own side adventures and find a variety of surprises. You never know where you may stumble upon a unique item, an animal that becomes your pet, or a group in need of help.
Cons:
Some bugs… some slowness…
BG3 does have some slight issues. But the developer is working on them and releases fixes every so often. And with a game this big… these issues are almost par for the course.
Overall…
If you love DnD… if you love WoW… if you love fantasy… if you love open world freedom… if you love developing your own character… play this game.
Caroline’s Library 