Jacob Boring – Staff Writer

jnb129@psu.edu

When discussing the game “Baldur’s Gate 3”  there is a lot to discuss if done right. Let us start with the basics and some history; “Baldur’s Gate 3” is made by Larian Studios, and it is still in early release. This game has been out on early release since October 6, 2020, and It should be fully released by August 31st, 2022. 

Hopefully this means  that Larian Studios will release a game without serious, game-breaking issues. “Baldur’s Gate 3” is a tactical turn-based “Baldur’s Gate 3” role playing game that is available on Windows, Mac OS, and PS5. There will not be a PS4 release, as was initially planned during the early development of the game. 

The PS4 simply cannot  handle the game, and there was a point where Larian intended to try and lower and rework the quality of the game  to a point where there could be a PS4 release, but as the game developed Larian Studios realized that it  would simply not be possible. Now to clarify, there have been a number of games to carry the name “Baldur’s Gate” in the title. This game is a sequel to “Baldur’s Gate” released in 1998 and “Baldur’s Gate  2: Shadows of Amn” released in 2000 for Windows and Mac OS. 

This particular Baldur’s Gate is not a  sequel to the action RPGs, “Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance” from 2001 and “Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance 2” from 2004, which were released for PlayStation and Xbox. For a game more similar to the old PlayStation and  Xbox releases, there was a game released for Windows, PS4, PS5, and Xbox in June of 2021 titled “Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance,” which did receive terrible reviews. I personally did buy myself a PS4 used copy of the game for all of $5.30, shipping included, from GameFly. I would not recommend it for play value beyond owning it just if you like to collect Dungeons & Dragons merchandise. 

I really want to give Larian Studios the benefit of the doubt on this. The original 2 games in the trilogy are absolutely wonderful classics. The original 2 games have been given Enhanced Edition releases on Windows, Mac OS, PS4, Linux, Xbox One, Switch, Android, and iOS, from 2012 and 2013, including an expansion released in 2016 named “Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear.”  These games were award-winning and received excellent reviews. Before I even started playing “Baldur’s Gate 3,” I went through “Baldur’s Gate 2 Enhanced Edition,” along with the expansions, playing it on the  PS4. I have been very excited for the release of another Baldur’s Gate game. The only issue is that they are making a sequel that will make it  very difficult for Larian Studios to live up to the first games. 

For those unaware of Baldur’s Gate, it is a location in the Forgotten Realms from the “Dungeons & Dragons” tabletop game. There have been many other video games to also use locations from “Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms” as well. This includes the “Icewind Dale” games series and  the game “Planescape: Torment.” 

The design of the tactical RPGs created in the Forgotten Realms setting,  were designed specifically to give the feeling of playing Dungeons & Dragons in the form of a video game. They were designed to follow the actual game ruleset, including character development and  decision making. The first Baldur’s Gate games were specifically designed using the ruleset to Dungeons &  Dragons 2nd Edition. “Baldur’s Gate 3” is built on the rulesset for fifth edition. In the past, Larian has done an unbelievable job of transforming the tabletop game into video games that truly represents Dungeons & Dragons. 

There are some issues I should address. The first relates to “Planescape: Torment.” That was originally  released for Windows in 1999, on the infinity engine just like BG1 and BG2. It would also receive an  enhanced edition rerelease, in 2017 for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux, followed by Switch, 

PS4, and Xbox One in 2019. “Planescape: Torment” was bugged terribly in 1999, and 20 years later still  bugged on the PS4. Search “Planescape Torment PS4 text glitch bug” and this can be looked at first  hand.

 I bought the PS4 rerelease and had gotten a way into it, enjoying the game, and realized there was  a dialog bug. This is a bug that literally makes the game unplayable. It ruins the game. They had 20 years,  and still released this game this way, and I am not the only one to run into this problem. It relates to some super weird stuff about the game that reads “charges’ or uses for an item with limited uses, which ultimately  destroys the dialogs you are supposed to be able to read. I contacted PS4 about this and was given the  advice to contact the manufacturer. This bug was known years ago, and still years later somehow could not  be fixed. 

Then beyond this, even “Baldur’s Gate 2 Enhanced Edition” was also released with many bugs.  Now the “Planescape” bug was game breaking, while the ones from “Baldur’s Gate 2” were simply annoying. I did have one in BG2, that almost prevented me from finishing the game, but after much determination  I was able to figure out a workaround. The point though, is that there is a history of not fixing bugs in these games. 

Now we actually get to BG3. Unlike BG1 and BG2, which can be switched between turn-based or played  in a mode that lets the battle happen in real time, BG3 is all turn-based combat. This keeps it very true  to the tabletop game. As for the gameplay itself, it truly feels just about the same as playing the original  2 games. The combat feels the same, as does the process for character development and interacting  with the world around you. BG3 is designed for the Dungeons & Dragons fifth  Edition ruleset. 

As far as I  can tell from the limited early release, this game stays true to the original games. It truly feels like  playing BG2, just with much better graphics. Now Larian Studios has been determined to create this  game to stay true to the fifth  edition D&D game. They have said that there will be all class and race  options available, and no not class like being in school nor race like varying types of humans. In D&D,  your race has a very different meaning, such as being a human opposed to an elf opposed to a halfling, all  which have various characteristics relevant to the game and details about your character’s various skills  and attributes. For class in D&D, this refers to options from a list that includes picking between being a  Fighter, opposed to a Wizard, opposed to Druid, or a Cleric. 

The point though, is that Larian has made it  a point to allow you to make any potential character from all the same options you would find in the base ruleset to the 5th edition release of Dungeon’s & Dragons. This gives an incredible amount of player options for designing your character. Ultimately you will gain companions who will join you along your journey. Now in BG1 and BG2, there was a wide variety of companions you could find, each with sub stories and unique development options for the player to control. In BG1 and BG2, you also had the  option to ignore some companions altogether as well as decisions to make as to if you did or didn’t even  want to take part in their quests. In BG2 it is even possible to lose companions due to player decisions  you make along the way or because various companions are designed to dislike each other. From what I  have seen in this early release of BG3, I cannot tell if there will be as wide a variety as options. 

From a quick search online, BG1 had 25 recruitable companions and BG2 had 21. Another thing for the BG1 and  BG2 games, is that you had the ability to create and keep more than only your main protagonist. In BG3,  it seems that your main protagonist is the only character where you have 100 percent developmental control,  though your companions still have quite a bit of control over their development options. At this point  BG3 has 5 companions in an early release that only allows you to play act 1 of a game expected to have 3 acts. Larian has not indicated how many companions to expect. Another major difference between  GB1 and BG2 compared to BG3, is that in 1 and 2 you could have 6 members in your group, or “party” in  D&D terms, but you can only have 4 party members at a time in BG3. From the time I have spent playing  BG3, it feels very similar to the original games in the series. I call that a plus, as the first 2 were very  popular for a reason.

Now this next point must be addressed. “Baldur’s Gate 3” is a Dungeons & Dragons game. That is the core of  it. There is no confusion about this. If you do not expect you may enjoy something like a video game designed to create an experience similar to playing Dungeons & Dragons, then this game is probably not  for you. This is a tactical RPG. This is not an action adventure game. This game does not have you click a  button to swing a sword, and based on your timing and coordination, determine if you land a hit with  your weapon. Instead, this game has you select an attack from a large list of potential actions your character could choose to perform, and your character statistics imply the likelihood of the attack’s success. 

This game is also a slow-paced game. The battles are strategic, just as your character development will be. This game  requires thought and time dedicated to your progression. There will be no button mashing to hack and  slash your way through an action game. This type of game, a tactical RPG, specifically turn based, will not be one for everyone. By turn based, it refers to characters and enemies, each taking their turn for their decided actions, in an order determined randomly, thought is affected by player statistics. That is to say that one character  or enemy at a time chooses their decided actions, prior to their “turn” ending and the next character making their choices from their available options. BG3 has stayed true to the traditional genre of tactical turn based RPGs, as would be expected. 

Another fair warning I should give about this game relates to the requirements to play it. I am not about  to give a description of that fully here, but if you have this game on your radar for actually playing it, be sure your system can handle it. Note that the PS4 will not have this game because it cannot handle the game.  

The PS5 will have it coming soon. If you want to play it on a PC, especially a laptop, be sure to check  your system specs. I do know that my Geforce 1050ti graphics card and Intel i7 hold up nicely. I should certainly not expect this game to be for everyone, but I have greatly enjoyed it so far. I also seriously hope that for the  amount of time Larian Studios has invested into completing this game, that the final product can live up  to the previous releases. 

If you are a fan of “Dungeons & Dragons,” or a fan of tactical RPGs, this is a major release title from an incredibly experienced team. Even if you have not played BG1 or BG2, it would not  affect your ability to hop right into part 3 as a beginner. The world may be from the same fantasy land,  but the understanding of the story does not require previous experience with “Baldur’s Gate” games. My opinion, up to this point, is that Larian is making a great game that should be considered a classic. At this point I feel it lives up to the previous titles and is worth checking out.