PLATFORM: PC, PS5 (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
By Chris Jackson
Following its highly-acclaimed PC release earlier this summer, Baldur’s Gate 3 has now made its way to the PS5. A colossal, sprawling RPG based in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, BG3 takes D&D‘s 5th edition ruleset and pretty much flawlessly translates it into videogame form. Those who aren’t quite so familiar with the source material might find the opening hours of BG3 rather daunting, as there’s an overwhelming amount of variables and nuances to get to grips with, but anyone who enjoys either a hefty turn-based RPG or an absorbing bout of good old-fashioned D&D action (or, indeed, both of those things) will absolutely be in their element.
During a stunning and exhilarating opening cinematic opening that strongly hints at the level of polish and detail you can expect from the game itself, a creepy worm is placed onto your character’s face (a character who you can either choose from a pre-made list or create from scratch from a dizzying array of options), crawling over your eyeball and disappearing into your head. Infected with this mind-flayer parasite, your brain will be twisted and tainted beyond all recognition within a matter of days unless you can find a way to stop it. Over the first few hours, you’ll add a bunch of companions to your party, with more to follow later, all of whom are incredibly well-written and, most importantly, fun to interact with. BG3‘s writing is very much one of its strong points, which is lucky as there’s a heck of a lot of dialogue to wade through, but it’s all relevant to the story with very little waffle. Even if you’re not into the whole fantasy D&D vibe, the writing consistently pulls you in with its wry and quirky tone, bringing just the right amount of levity to situations that many other games might handle in a much more serious and po-faced manner.
Being based on tabletop gaming rules means that the success of many of your actions depends on a dice roll that must meet or exceed a target number. Your character’s skills, which improve as you level up along your journey, add a bonus to the roll to increase your chances. Many rolls happen behind the scenes and don’t interfere with whatever you’re actually doing, while others allow you to roll a die yourself, sometimes giving you the option of adding modifiers to increase your chances of success. Using the right character to deal with any given situation is always key, as one might have a higher chance of picking a lock than another, for example. This also comes into play during combat, where certain characters are more adept with specific weapons, spells and skills. Battles take place in rounds, with each member of your party taking a turn to act. All of your offensive options – of which there are too many to count – are found across a handful of radial menus which can be a little fiddly to use at first, but gets much easier as you become more familiar with how everything works.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of those games that will easily occupy you for 100+ hours. There’s an insane amount of things to see and do – an inconspicuous well might lead to a vast underground cavern, or a discarded note that you come across by chance might lead to a lengthy questline – and you’re constantly rewarded with useful items, gear, spells, abilities and more besides. Every quest, diversion and aimless wander has a reason or a consequence, with very few tasks ever feeling like meaningless filler. The game remembers your actions, too, altering the storyline in some subtle and not-so-subtle ways depending on how you play. The turn-based combat and heavy D&D leanings might mean that Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re a fan of the source material and style of gameplay then there’s not really a better word to describe it than “masterpiece”.
