Baldur’s Gate 3

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One of the more hilarious aspects of modern gaming culture is the adamant insistence from some corners that the industry is in bad shape. It’s a little hard to believe this could be the case, given the sheer number of fantastic games that release seemingly every week. Case in point: this year we’ve seen an endless parade of rock-solid titles, from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to Street Fighter 6 to Remnant II. Maybe Redfall? They can’t all be winners.

Point being, there’s always something new and great to play, and with Baldur’s Gate 3 you’ve got another few dozen hours of adventure ahead.

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Some days are just, well, one of those days. One moment you’re walking around the city of Baldur’s Gate doing some shopping or whatnot, and the next, boom, you’ve been abducted by the illithid. These creatures, more commonly known as mind flayers, are fond of chowing down on brains. Fortunately, today yours isn’t on the menu! Less fortunately, that’s because you’ve been implanted with an illithid tadpole that will soon lead to your conversion into a squid-faced monster. Escaping the mind flayers’ grasp is one thing, but now you’ll have to team up with other infected individuals and seek a cure – and hopefully find it quickly before you join the ranks of the calamari crew.

Gameplay-wise, Baldur’s Gate 3 owes more to the Divinity: Original Sin series than its ancient predecessors. A sublime CRPG (computer RPG) experience, rather than the classic real-time-with-pause setup popularized by the Infinity Engine games, we’ve got a more traditional turn-based combat system here. Characters take turns based on initiative order rather than engaging in a mass melee. It’s a little easier to pay attention to what’s going on and set up elaborate strategies in this system; this is particularly important when one considers the breadth and depth of options available to both players and monsters alike.

Your characters will have a variety of spells and abilities based on their class, for instance, with sword-slingers, sneaksters and spellcasters all available in various flavors. Utilizing these abilities in creative ways is the key to victory in most situations. A spell that pushes an enemy back might not seem impressive, for example, but combine it with a steep cliff and you’re on to something. You can get the most out of combat by making the most of your characters’ abilities, your enemies’ vulnerabilities and the many options offered by the environment. There’s a lot more going on than just hacking and slashing.

This emphasis on creativity and player choice suffuses the experience. Even spells that seem a bit lame might have some tricky and surprising utility. That Disguise Self magic is more than just a cosmetic change, so you’d do well to mess around with it and see what’s possible. There’s a lot to be said for how far Baldur’s Gate III goes to take this sort of thing into account, so players are bound to be surprised when the game sees their tricks coming. Dialogue, exploration and combat alike allow for plenty of options, and you’re largely able to approach everything in whatever manner you please. The sheer density of content is a little overwhelming.

Naturally, this also means there’s going to be some rough spots here and there. When you can do pretty much everything, you shouldn’t be surprised when the game falls apart a bit as a result of efforts to accomplish goals in a non-standard fashion. For what it’s worth, though, Baldur’s Gate 3 holds together surprisingly well given the myriad occasions where it could stumble, and its insistence on keeping dozens of saved games helps ensure that even the worst bugs can be avoided if necessary.

Baldur’s Gate III also benefits from one of the more impressive graphical presentations we’ve seen in quite some time. You’re going to want some beefy hardware to get the most out of this game, but if you’ve got it, you’re bound to be pleased with the results. Characters look great as they inhabit gorgeous settings and battle horrific monsters; it’s everything you could want out of a Dungeons & Dragons experience.

That applies to Baldur’s Gate 3 as a whole, really – it’s a dense and polished experience that’s jam-packed full of rollicking swords-and-sorcery adventure. You can expect to sink dozens and dozens of hours into this one, and it’s all pretty high quality stuff; you can even bring some friends along if you’d like! In a year packed with fantastic games, Baldur’s Gate 3 still manages to stand out. Even newcomers to the CRPG genre should consider taking this adventure.