This is turning out to be a surprisingly exciting year for video games, but no game’s held my enthusiasm for quite as long as Baldur’s Gate 3. I started playing this game not long after it first released on Early Access in 2020, and over the last three years, I’ve watched it grow from a humble work in progress into something truly special that has the potential to change the industry for better.
BG3 isn’t your average cash-grab video game marketed on tropes. It’s got so much heart in it, and it’s been built for literally anyone and everyone to enjoy. I genuinely believe anyone who’s even remotely interested in this genre has got to give this game a try. These are my reasons, in no particular order—as always, you are welcome to add your own in the comments!
1. Innovative customization
While you cannot go into your character’s bones and rearrange them like in other RPGs, I think BG3‘s character customization system actually works better. The devs scanned a plethora of faces from all kinds of people, which adds a refreshingly immersive layer to this fantastical experience. It’s pretty refreshing to be able to play as an elf while looking actually mixed-Asian, for once!
However, while facial structures are fixed, you can doll your character up any other way you choose. You can give them piercings, natural markings, tattoos, wrinkles, makeup, facial hair, the whole shebang. The hair options are also markedly better than in most RPGs, including actually decent options for Black hair. What I’m especially excited for are different body type options, as opposed to one standard lean/athletic option.
2. Intriguing characters
For the last three years of early access, we’ve gotten to know the main companions pretty well, and even after all this time they’re still full of mystery. Even through data-mines, there’s still so much to discover about our main crew, with over 2,000 lines of dialogue recorded and multiple pathways promised depending on how you influence them.
And we haven’t even met the full roster yet! More characters will continue to flow in and out of our main party, as well as side characters who—if they’re anything like the current NPCs we’ve met thus far—will continue to delight.
3. Mysterious plot
Similarly, after these last three years, I still have no idea where they’re going with the plot—and that’s a good thing. If it was too obvious, there’d be nothing to get excited about!
Thus far, all I know is a tadpole was put in my brain, and it was supposed to turn me into a Mind Flayer, but something is keeping it dormant. In the meantime, there’s a shadowy group conspiring to use my newfound powers for some greater purpose. Just like in past Larian games, the plot is clearly bigger than me, and I am just a pawn in it all. And you know what? I’m happy to be here, fellas, even if you’re gonna make me grind to get to the end.
4. Gorgeous graphics
This might seem a little superfluous, but for a studio that’s not quite indie and not quite AAA, Larian really did a superb job in crafting this world. The Sword Coast looks impeccable, and once I upgraded my PC, there were often moments where I’d stop playing just to look out over a vista and enjoy the view.
The most impressive aspect of these graphics, however, are the characters and their facial animations. They were great to start with, but over the years they’ve only become more expressive and fun to watch. The animations feel natural and indicative of each characters’ personalities, altogether making the world feel more immersive overall.
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5. Creative gameplay
There’s so much to discuss regarding gameplay, it would be impossible to fit it all in one list! Obviously, the combat is incredibly fun, and it’ll only be more engaging upon release, as we’ll be able to multi-class and respec as we please. Though there aren’t as many classes and subclasses as some fans were hoping for, I think this was a wise decision on Larian’s part, as the devs have been able to further fine-tune what they are implementing. I haven’t even played through all the classes yet, and I’m still having a great time.
But the other thing I’m looking forward to is exploring character origins more fully upon release. Like in past Larian games, you can make a custom character, but you also have the choice of playing as a select group of starting companions. These companions, as we’ve discussed, are fascinating, each with their own little quirks that will make playing as them just as compelling as playing with them. To be a vampire, a noble warlock, a mage with a bomb in his chest … oh, the possibilities!
6. Truly delightful co-op
I’ve always been more of a single-player gal myself, but because our Alyssa Shotwell is a very fun person and a good friend, I decided to give it a shot when she suggested we try a co-op game. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as I haven’t always enjoyed playing co-op with friends in the past; I often end up getting either bored or exhausted with the repetitive nature of most multiplayer games.
What a thrill, then, to rediscover just how much I loved this game through a playthrough with a friend. Co-op in BG3 is so well-crafted, you could be going on entirely separate adventures within the same lobby, and it’d still work. Of course, most of the fun is had with your partner, and seeing what kinds of mischief you can get up to together. Alyssa’s playstyle is much more gung-ho than my own, so it was a hilarious experience getting to sit back for once and let someone else take the reins. Did this mean I was a lot more stab-happy than I normally am? Yes. But when it’s bugbears we’re stabbing, that’s more of a win than a lose.
Of course, the most charming parts of our playthrough happened when we’d get so wrapped up in conversation over the phone, we’d just sit our characters down on benches and talk as though we were actually there. That’s the tiefling and half-drow bond, babe.
7. In-depth roleplaying
Of course, if you’d rather do the single-player RPG experience, there’s plenty of eating to be had here. According to the devs, you can beat BG3 in 80 hours by rushing. That means the average playthrough, for the role-playing conscious, will be well over 100 hours in total. My god. That’s good eating.
Perhaps the biggest part of what makes a role-playing game good is the role-playing itself. How well can you build your character and impact the world around you? How well can you sink into the story being told, as though you were writing your own book? In every single playthrough I’ve started in BG3 thus far, I’ve felt completely and utterly immersed in the world, in the characters I’ve created, and the bonds my MCs have formed with other characters. Knowing that the finished product is only going to be more impressive is getting me truly excited.
Plus, for those of you who are romance-savvy: this won’t be one of those games where the end goal is sex, nor where you can only romance characters by saying what they want to hear. The writing is fluid and affects characters thusly. You can go along with an evil mastermind’s plans, or you can actively influence them, culminating in major decisions down the line. According to the devs, if you royally mess up in your convictions, you might even end up as a vampire, or worse—gasp!—married.
8. A return to basics
All of this is in line with the RPGs we grew up with, the games that made us fall in love with the genre. It’s been so long since we’ve had a game like this, at once accessible to more “casual” players and introducing them to how fun RPGs are, while not being overly simplistic and boring.
Best of all: no micro-translations! No DLC! No live service! Only good vibes and good fun. Many Dragon Age fans have jokingly (and, sadly, somewhat seriously) said that they’re jumping ship from Bioware to Larian, after almost a decade of waiting for the next game in the series. I myself was never in one ship to begin with, but it is nice to have a dreadnaught leading the armada again.
9. Studio scaries
This is more of a petty point, but apparently multiple devs from other studios have claimed that BG3 is an “anomaly” in scope. For a studio that’s still relatively small, Larian has managed to craft a game that’s truly taken into consideration what players want out of it, with details ranging from as small as nose-piercings, to as large as … well, having over 2,000 lines of dialogue and hundreds of hours worth of replayability.
Many are hoping that the heightened attention on a game like this will light a fire under the asses of devs who’ve been prioritizing profit over quality. But, I suppose, that’s the hope with any industry these days.
10. Larian cares!
I wanted to end on this note because I’ve truly come to love Larian and I think it’s important for newcomers to understand just how much care the devs put into each game they make. Larian has worked on BG3 for six years, taking care not to burn out while also pushing the bounds of what it can do with this game’s experience. The devs consistently listen to player feedback, to the point where they’ve even rewritten the character Wyll from the ground-up to be more compelling, and have added the infamous Bear Romance Scene just because many fans asked for it. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, well—here you go:
Regardless of whether or not you’re into that, one thing is clear: Larian’s devs care about what they do, and they care about player experience. The result is a truly phenomenal upcoming game that I think everyone ought to try!
(featured image: Larian Studios)
