Around 2015-16. since many times I compare everything to the prominent The Witcher 3> Wild Hunt. It was the role-playing game whose add-ons usually beat other works (read: its last side mission was better written than the story of a video game). Geralt’s adventure was simply unavoidable for a long time. In terms of its narrative, it was enthroned as an unskippable milestone, and I never dreamed that I would come across something similar on PlayStation. Then suddenly the third episode of Baldur’s Gate appeared on PC, which outperformed even the great previous episodes. We didn’t have to wait long to get the game for PlayStation 5, which many people will be happy about.
The program runs surprisingly well on the console, it corresponds to the PC ultra setting if we look at its visual world. You can slow down when you summon a creature, otherwise it runs smoothly. Improvements also arrive regularly, as there is always something to fine-tune with a work of this caliber. My biggest fear was about the treatment, but in the end it turned out to be unfounded. Of course, it’s easier to play with a mouse, but with the controller it was no problem to fiddle with the dials or the toolbar. It took a little getting used to, but it works well.
The story takes place 120 years after the second part, so it can be a good starting point for anyone. Our hero – whom we create ourselves in a very detailed menu – is infected with a parasite by creatures called mind flayers. Their victims later turn into tentacled horrors like themselves, but we seem to avoid this ourselves, and also gain special abilities. We can connect to the minds of others, and then we gather allies to our cause to find a cure to remove the horror that resides within us. To do this, we meet unusual travel companions with whom we can develop a close relationship. Every character has a serious problem, so it will be up to us to find a solution to their problems. The characters were created so lovable that it is not difficult to empathize with their situation, the role-playing line is booming with maximum force.
We will hear a lot about the city of Baldur’s Gate in two-thirds of the story, but we will only be able to see it after many, many hours of playing. Until then, we have to hike in the wilderness and try to survive in the shadows in a cursed region underground. The locations are magical, the landscapes poetically beautiful. And the second third of the stuff is brilliantly depressing, as we get deeper and deeper into the locations lined with murderous shadows. On top of this, one of the inner areas, which contains a series of challenges, adds a shovel.
Everything is held together by the narrative as a mega-strong glue, we will not stray anywhere unnecessarily, there are dozens of mysteries to be discovered and solved. In addition to several main missions, there were also many side and character-oriented ones. The latter work out the problems of our peers by building on each other. Serious love relationships can also develop, but be careful that monogamy is preferred.
We can choose from a lot of castes, and then we can actually specialize in various directions. For example, I chose a ranger to start, who could go in 3 directions: hunter, beast master, gloom stalker. There are no wrong choices, each craft has its positives. Because of my love of animals, the beast master subclass was clear for me, so I always summoned a beast with thighs to my side. It is also possible to multiclass, so when leveling up, we can move to another place if, for example, we want to cast spells later. We can even completely redistribute everything in exchange for a little gold, so we can try something different from the usual.
We will also specialize the companions that attack us, but we can also modify them at any time. Not everyone can fit into our four-member team, people who are resting will be available in our camp. We can restore our vitality and some magic power points by resting (2 short rests are allowed), but we can only fully recover the valuable points by sleeping in the camp. In such cases, we can mingle with everyone, and the romantic scenes also take place under the cover of night. When there are many of us, it’s a dilemma as to who to take with us. The matter is partially solved if we also keep in mind the current missions, so it is easier to select. Fortunately, inactive members also receive experience points. We can spend our lives with spells and potions.
You can play entirely in turn-based mode, which is good if you are preparing for something sneaky or sneaking. I preferred real-time battles, but in the turn-based mode, the participants follow in a constant, fixed order. The program doesn’t chew a lot of things into our mouths, so we can forget about spells that we can turn on before the bell. They will remain in effect even until the next big break. A lot of magic requires concentration, which in practice means that until you are knocked out of it (let’s say you are injured), it will remain in effect. However, another similar spell overwrites the previous one.
We also have to pay attention to our surroundings, because a lot of things can slow down our movement or even injure us if we step in the wrong place. The chances of hitting also increase or decrease, if we take into account the height and topographical conditions. By throwing an object from a very high height, you can get extra damage, but you can also improvise: by grabbing nearby objects or even the enemy, anything can be used as a weapon (depending on your strength). A lot of actions are bonuses, so it’s worth knowing what and how to use them. For example, pushing the opponent or companions is always free, so we can get advantages. Movement is limited, so it may be worth jumping first if you want to gain maximum progress from your given circle.
We have a lot of first-level magic at our disposal already at the beginning of the adventure, which if we use it wisely, we will be able to progress nicely. We will often fight against overpowering, but there is a way out, it all depends on ingenuity, and that’s what makes this game really brilliant. It happened to me more than once that I found myself in seemingly unwinnable situations (sometimes due to my own fault), but these were the most enjoyable parts of the program.
The whole game is based on dice rolls, which we don’t always do. The success of an attack or defense becomes more exciting with advantage or disadvantage rolls according to the D&D rule system. They also decide if, for example, we are sneaking and are noticed, or if we detect a trap or objects in our environment. Our attributes are also associated with a roll, so our skill, strength, intelligence, etc. will also be tested more than once. Our bonus damage will also be represented by the dice, but in practice we will have a say in the system during the dialogues.
We often have to make decisions in a situation, so we can decide how to solve the given situation. We can choose persuasion or betrayal, but we can also simply siphon information from the partner, or we can observe details like Sherlock Holmes. These can also be done with tests, we have to roll a given value with 1-1 dice, but then we finally see it.
We get additional benefits, for example, from our companions or a potion/spell. With successful rolls, you can even avoid fights, get involved in very funny situations, but you can even seal the fate of an important character. Our teammates can be pulled up during combat if they lose consciousness, but they still have to roll every round to stay alive. It’s not a big deal if one of them bleeds, because they can be resurrected with scrolls, but we can also bring them back to the camp for some gold. With the death of one of our companions, we can also create a scene suitable for a comedy.
During our journey, new characters can bump into us, and if we don’t take care of them, they can leave forever before they actually become part of our company. It’s not easy, playing on medium difficulty I had to pay close attention to this. You can save at any time, so you can “cheat” in certain cases if you are able to wait for the charging times, which are considered very long in 2023. On PS5, this can be up to a minute depending on the situation, which is longer than the game’s PC sibling.
Captivating music has been added to the program, even in the main menu it’s a pleasure to listen to each start. The dubbing actors also did a good job, one of the characters, for example, got so into the role that they spoke to him during the recordings. There’s no bullshit, it’s good to listen to them, and the voice narrating our character’s observations and events is also great. And quite a bit of text was included in the game. You can have a lot of conversations with your companions, but almost every character has even just one sentence and can be addressed at any time in the field. And there are plenty of figures in the world, as there are plenty of factions and camps to visit. If our intentions are not hostile, then even goblins or ogres will talk to us.
The mentioned 100-200 hours of playing time is no joke, if we don’t wander superficially and explore the world nicely, the numbers become very realistic. For the sake of development, it is worth watching, because each level step will be brutally visible. It will be worth collecting those extra experience points.
Whoever chooses Baldur’s Gate 3 will surely enjoy quality entertainment for a few months. I can’t even describe the fact that because of the decisions and experimentation, a second playthrough is easily included in the deck…
The test copy was provided by the game developer.