Game news Baldur’s Gate 3: No need to know the saga to play this titanic RPG!
Published on 07/30/2023 at 08:20
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It is the video game event of the summer of 2023 on PC and one of the two players in the most anticipated duel on consoles of the year. Baldur’s Gate 3 is officially released in early August on Steam and GOG before landing on PlayStation 5 in September… the same day as Starfield on Xbox Series X/S. The RPG developed by Larian Studios has been awaited by fans for many years. However, it is not necessary to know either the saga or the genre to enjoy this role-playing game.
Summary
An event gameThe sequel to a cult sagaThe ultimate role-playing game
An event game
Larian Studios whispers the existence of Baldur’s Gate 3 ahead of E3 2019 just before formalizing the game and at the same time its title during the Stadia conference which is held in early June. The announcement is a bombshell for fans of the saga and fans of tabletop role-playing games, especially Dungeons & Dragons insiders. Indeed, the game systems and universe of the franchise are historically based on successive editions of D&D, and the same is true for this third installment. What’s more, the return of Baldur’s Gate comes with a big reveal.
The saga, formerly developed by BioWare (Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic), is now in the hands of Larian Studios. Since its creation in 1996 and the release of its first game in 2002, these studios strive to design the best possible RPGs, and are notably at the origin of the “Divinity” series. Divinity: Original Sin (2014) and Divinity: Original Sin II (2017) are among the best role-playing games ever made with scores of 88% and 93% respectively on MetaCritic. The presence of Larian Studios at the controls of Baldur’s Gate III can only reassure cautious fans at the idea of witnessing the resurrection of a video game series dear to their hearts.
The first act made available to players since October 2020 via the launch of early access is edifying proof of the know-how of the teams at work on this project of disproportionate ambitions and scale. There will be a before and after Baldur’s Gate III in the world of RPGs and even video games in the broad sense. Attending such an event is rare. It would be a shame to miss it, especially since Larian Studios is reaching out to neophytes. Small flat, early access backups are not compatible with the final version of the game. You will therefore have to start all over again.
Baldur’s Gate 3 releases on PC on August 3, 2023, then on PlayStation 5 on September 6, 2023.
The continuation of a cult saga
Baldur’s Gate III… This title alone suggests that you must have played the two previous main games to be able to enjoy the third. In reality, it is not necessary to have explored the Forgotten Realms from top to bottom to embark on the adventure imagined by the Larian Studios teams. The latter begins 120 years after the events of Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn and several months after those of Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus. The developers made the wise choice to “disconnect” the story told in BG3 from those that made the saga famous in the past.
Larian Studios had made a similar decision with Divinity: Original Sin 2 a few years earlier. In effect, this RPG released in 2017 places its plot more than twelve centuries (1238 years to be precise) after that of Divinity: Original Sin. Moreover, the events narrated in this second episode have very few links with those of the first. They exist, but they are in no way a sine qua non for understanding a complex scenario with multiple ramifications and twists. Divinity: Original Sin 2 can be done without having played Divinity: Original Sin… Ditto for Baldur’s Gate III which can easily be enjoyed without having done your homework first.
Since the beginning of the saga, players have traveled to the heart of the Forgotten Realms and regularly changed zones. Baldur’s Gate first of the name focuses on a region located on the western shore of Féérune (Faerûn in English) while Baldur’s Gate II mainly reveals the country of Amn, located on the same continent. Baldur’s Gate III unsurprisingly returns to the fantasy world of the Forgotten Realms in order to explore in depth Féérune on the planet Abeir-Torilles. Here is the synopsis of Baldur’s Gate III:
Strange powers have arisen within you ever since the mind flayers implanted a parasite in your brain. Resist these evil gifts and turn them against the forces of darkness, or accept corruption and become the embodiment of evil. – Larian Studios
The ultimate role-playing game
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a role-playing game. This genre, which is not necessarily the most accessible for the general public, involves intertwined gameplay mechanics, and an unsuspected playful depth. The numbers speak for themselves regarding the new title from Larian Studios. According to the statements of the developers, the carefully crafted adventure features 17,000 different endings, 174 hours of cutscenes and dozens of hours of gameplay. It would take no less than 80 hours of “controller gameplay” to see the end of the story, or 254 hours (10 days and 14 hours) in total. BG3 is titanic, and it doesn’t stop at the “simple” lifespan.
The RPG based on the Dungeons & Dragons universe is based on a formula well known to fans of the genre and especially Belgian studios. Baldur’s Gate 3 offers a gigantic open world, turn-based combat, extensive avatar customization and a storyline that is intrinsically linked to player decisions. If you are comfortable with role-playing games (same paper) and/or have explored the lands of the Divinity: Original Sin saga, the discovery will be smooth. And even if BG3 turns out to be your very first journey within the genre, Larian Studios is not in the habit of parachuting you alone and unarmed into unknown lands.
Baldur’s Gate III accompanies players throughout their epic, and takes care to introduce all gameplay mechanics. There is no question here of integrating a feature and/or a novelty without presenting it in good and due form. Moreover, the title of Larian Studios is fully playable alone, but can also be experienced with several people. BG3 has an online multiplayer mode inviting 2 to 4 players to collaborate. It is also possible to enjoy this potential game of the year offline in 2 on the same machine (PC or PlayStation 5) in split screen. If you dare not cross the doors of Baldur’s Gate 3 alone, you have the possibility of calling on companions to make your journey through the lands of Faerun much safer and more memorable.
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