Baldur's Gate 3 Just Turned One Year Old - Here's Why It's Still Important

Written by Alex Fisher

Thumbnail & Banner Photo from Larian Studios

Baldur’s Gate 3 was fully released on Steam on August 3rd, 2023—just over one year ago. After spending just shy of three years in early access, fans were eager for the latest and greatest release from developer/publisher Larian Studios to finally be fully accessible, as only the first act and limited features were available in the early access version. Within a month of release, Baldur’s Gate 3 became one of the all-time most-played games on Steam, one of the highest-rated games of all time (and the highest rated of all-time on PC). The game later won numerous awards at various game ceremonies, including an impressive sweep of all five major Game of the Year awards.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is based on the popular tabletop role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)—specifically its fifth edition, which is something we’ve covered in the past. It successfully adapted all of the core mechanics to suit a video game format. Exploring the land of Faerûn is done in real-time with the ability to switch between your party members whenever you need, while combat is turn-based and follows the movement-action-reaction format of D&D. Skill checks and attack rolls are made with a virtual twenty-sided die, and the only part of the game that’s truly restricted compared to D&D is that there are a finite number of dialogue choices you can make. Though it doesn’t have quite the same level of freedom as D&D does, where the only true limit is your imagination, you’re still able to approach the game in nearly any way you see fit. For example, early in the game there is a goblin camp that you are tasked to infiltrate by the leader of a camp of refugees in order to rescue a Druid named Halsin. There are a number of ways you can approach this, from talking your way through to even changing sides, allying with the goblins to instead attack the refugees.

In my own playthrough, I attempted to sneak into the camp, take out all the goblins, and then free Halsin. Instead, my party of adventurers were spotted before being defeated and knocked unconscious. We then woke up in a prison cell—now captured by the goblins, just like the Druid we had been attempting to save. I tasked my party’s rogue, Astarion, with sneaking out of the prison to free the rest of the members. Mid-breakout, Astarion was abducted by a devil who offered him an ultimatum relating to the game’s main plot point—the party having been abducted by Mind Flayers and infected with a mysterious brain parasite, sparking a search for its origin and a cure—and he nearly accepted the offer but ultimately refused before escaping once more. Eventually, Astarion was able to free the rest of the party after stealing a set of keys. We recovered our gear and discovered Halsin in a nearby cell, who we then teamed up with and finally cleared the goblin camp. Later in that playthrough, Astarion would go on to accidentally inhale spores from a hallucinogenic fungus, which caused him to start laughing maniacally before he ran off into a field of exploding mushrooms and got launched into the air.

Image from Larian Studios. (August 2023). Release Day Press Kit: “BG3_Underdark.png”. Larian.com

The one brief example from my own playthrough of the game goes to show how Baldur’s Gate 3 is an incredible source of emergent gameplay—that is, the combination of simpler gameplay elements to create more complex scenarios that were not scripted or programmed into the game, elevating the player’s experience to new heights. With a “normal” playthrough being up to a hundred hours long, a robust character creator with access to nearly all of D&D’s classes, a myriad of colourful companions to bring along, and a game full to the brim with encounters like the one mentioned above, it’s clear that every playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3 will be truly unique.

In an industry rife with predatory tactics, Baldur’s Gate 3 stands as a shining beacon. There is no subscription to the game, no battle pass system, and no microtransactions. You buy the game once on your preferred platform, and then you can enjoy hundreds of hours of well-written content alone or with up to three friends. The gameplay is fun and well thought-out, and can be greatly tuned to any accessibility needs you might have. Furthermore, the developers at Larian Studios have shown how committed they are to the game. On the Baldur’s Gate 3 Steam Community page, the community managers post regular updates on the continuing development of the game, advertising bug fixes and highly-requested features and content—including upcoming modding support.

At a time when more and more developers are being pressured to release unfinished games, it is refreshing to see a game with such a transparent and well-communicated development cycle. Even more so to see a development team which put out a high-quality, completed product, go on to win so many awards. It should stand as an example to game developers and publishers alike, showing them that clear communication and actually finishing the game before release are the paths towards critical acclaim, financial success, and a happy playerbase. The best part? All of this was done with very little crunch—which is essentially overtime, often unpaid and on weekends—according to game director and CEO of Larian Studios Swen Vincke.

Image from Larian Studios. (August 2023). Release Day Press Kit: “BG3_Beach.png”. Larian.com.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is important not because of its success, but because of what it represents for the wider gaming industry. It manages to faithfully adapt D&D in order to seamlessly blend together a cohesive storyline, player choice, and emergent gameplay—something that is no small feat. On top of that, through both developing and publishing the game, Larian Studios was able to prove that the path to a massively successful product is not a rushed release, excessive development crunch, monetizing everything, or adding half-baked features just for the sake of having them. It’s by having a clear goal and following through on it, by communicating with the community to understand where improvements need to be made, and most of all, by producing a game that people will want to play and replay over and over again.

Have you played Baldur’s Gate 3? If so, then please feel free to share your own experiences with us on our socialmediapages!