Baldur's Gate is not a game, it's a love letter to old-school gamers. It's been years since I finished a game and felt sad that it was over, like finishing a great book. I'll buy everything Larian makes for the next 15 years hoping we can get something like this again.
@ceegronlee I'm about 35 hours into my next one, got a little disappointed in one way the story went (or didn't go, rather), but I think it might be something they patch in soon, so I'm giving it a patch or 2 before I decide whether to play it out like this or not. Starfield is good in the meantime
Dude I know exactly what you mean. I thought I was too old to get that “sad” feeling from a game ever again…. Turns out nobody was making a game this good and the magic still exists
@@parmenides2576 I find I have 5 basic interactions with the ending of games - I don't finish because I don't care to. I finish the game, with some level of apathy or relief that it's over. I don't finish the game because I DO like the game, and I don't want it to end. I finish the game, and feel sad that it's over. And on rare occasions, I finish the game and I feel deep satisfaction because it was such an enjoyable experience with a satisfying ending. The last one is the best. I've had plenty of games that I just generally enjoyed or enjoyed pretty well, but few have been so good that I couldn't help but finish them, and return. The only game I've enjoyed like BG3 has been Final Fantasy 9. Dragon Age Origins was close, and Fire Emblem Awakening, but with the first, the desire to replay has always been more subdued, and the latter is very replayable, but more because the game play and relationship building is just generally fun, it's not really to re-experience the main game.
I can't remember the last time i had so much... fun with a game. I have 3 campaigns going (a solo, and two with friends), 160 hours clocked, and still not bored. That's some good game.
@@ChoomahBungole evil playthrough is so hard! Karlach is good, and I legit cannot bring myself to upset her xD Shame, cause Mithara is neat but only available if you are evil AF.
Coming up on 100 hours and not even finished with moonrise. Just taking everything in. Who knows when we’ll have another game like this. Larian nailed this.
550 hours and I still haven't gotten to act 3. I keep restarting as soon as I clear act 2 waiting for my friends so we can experience together. Have about 10 playthroughs through act 2 and I am about to start another one today.
This is the kind of game I thought I would never enjoy. My steam games are gta v, overcooked 2, judgment, worms reloaded, red dead redemption 2, Hogwarts Legacy, and now Baldurs Gate 3. The reason I added this one is because I remember enjoying Skyrim as a little girl and I wanted to experience a great RPG again and trusted the amazing previews this game had. I talk abou trust because here in Brazil DnD is not the biggest of things, so I was never really exposed to the lore, and I never thought I would enjoy playing a turn based game. And when I started it it felt overwhelming with all spells, characters and aliens and goblins. But from that very first moment of gameplay to now, I can say that I never felt so hooked to a videogame before. This game has messed up my sleepimg scheduale, it feels like reading a great book that I cannot drop, the rich lore that felt so complicated at the start for me, now has me searching for the entire story of the city of Baldurs Gate and stories on Faêrun. From githyankis to mind flayers, from demons to devils, high elves to drows, I am hooked to absolutely everything. I now understand why these amazing people called nerds enjoy DnD and everything within its lore and rules. I even feel bad for turning down an oportunity to play a table top DnD, something not common in Brazil. I am at the very finale of ACT 3, and already missing all the characters because I absolutely enjoyed spending time with them. Specially Shadowheart, I wish I knew her in real life so I could give her a hug. Her childhood story had me crying real tears. I love this game, it made me feel something I did not know was possible to feel playing videogames. It connected me to a whole new world in a way I never thought I would feel again since Skyrim when I was a child. Going back from work to this game feels like teleporting to a whole new dimension. I read the story on Bg1 and bg2 because of it. The lore is so great it feels like it runs in another dimension in real life. And Larian studios did an amazing job presenting this beautiful world to long time fans and newcomers alike. I am very grateful ❤
Man, we live in very different places in Brazil. Not doubting you, of course! But where I live (a city in the RS, not Porto Alegre in case you are wondering) just about half of the people around my age (20s-30s) I know has heard of or played tabletop rpgs before. Not exaggerating. We even have an old cafe plopped right in the city center where you can pay per hour for a room with a large table, dices and rulebooks to play. Not just D&D, Vampire/Wereworlf and Cthulhu are *wildly* popular here. Most of my friends play biweekly, and now they are full grow adults, some with kids, homes 'n all. In fact, the biggest chunk of players I know of in town are actually older than me, in their 40s-50s. About a decade and a half ago I borrowed an entire collection of D&D books from my old chemistry teacher during my school vacation. The pile of books he had at home was about my height. So I dunno? It certainly looks very popular from where I'm looking. Maybe it's just the wrong soil to dig for gold. Wish you luck in finding a wholesome group of D&D players close to you!
@@ynacyr4 We already have great BG's community here. Even though I'm not that multiplayer guy, I've co-op one time in the EA and it was a very nice experience. You can learn a lot and have fun altogether. I recommend.
I keep telling my friends. This game is the first game that's made me feel like this in maybe forever. At least in like 13 years. I also consider myself a casual gamer and I just can't stop wanting to play the game and thinking about it while I'm at work.
The game is "haunting" me as well while I'm being at work. In a good way, of course :D always thinking about where to go next and wondering how a quest is going to end. This immersion is unprecented for me.
One time purchase, 100s of hours of content, from the moment it starts it never reminds you it's 'just a game', it doesn't try to sell you anything more and simply let's you mess about in a 99% bug free sandbox on launch. It's the first truly 'Safe Purchase' in years. Thanks Larian staff.
@@yorkipudd1728 Yeah it’s not my favorite game either, it’s not even my favorite game of 2022 but I can still recognize the work and quality put into it and honestly if someone tells me it’s their favorite game of all time I get it
I still can't believe that this game is real and it actually released on top of the huge expectations from us CRPG lovers that have been with the series for over two decades. What Larian has done here is nothing short of a miracle. This is the first CRPG with AAA production values. From the stellar voice acting and realistic facial animations (who else would get 200+ actors to mocap most of the characters in the game and voice them all..only Larian were crazy enough to do that), to the music and all the gameplay elements and reactivity/freedom that you have. The question "can you do this?" usually ends up being yes in most cases for all the weird out of the box thinking that some players might have. I do attest to the fact that if you want a pure CRPG experience like the good ole days the only games you can look forward to are the indie scene and Owlcat who have made two amazing Pathfinder games in that vein like we used to play. And now with Rogue Trader they are taking a shot (and based off what I played in closed beta they are gonna deliver on that) on the 40k first CRPG. And that is a game is am looking forward to in 2024. Baldur's Gate 3 is a game that not only brought D&D to the masses in video game form (I think in mostly part BECAUSE of the full voice acting making it way easier to digest..a thing that unfortunately Owlcat doesn't have the budget to do) and that it also showcased that "content complete" games without bullshit "addons" (MTX, Battle passes etc) is not required to have financial success. I doubt this will make any dent in the industry, because corporations are greedy, but it's nice to see that there are still a few developers out there that haven't given in on the greed themselves and sold themselves out. Thanks for the review!
You wanna know something else crazy about Larian? They have three studios; Main HQ in Belgium, second studio in Canada, and third studio in Malaysia. Larian Belgium works on the main game all day. When their work days ends, Larian Malaysia is beginning to create new features. By the time Larian Malaysia ends their day, Larian Canada begins play-testing and quality assurance on the implementations of Larian Malaysia. By the time Larian Belgium wakes back up for a new work day, they have new features created, quality tested, and ready to implement to the main project - which then gets passed on to Larian Malaysia. Unlike some companies that think the whole world revolves around them, Larian's work revolves around the world and how to most effectively create quality content.
Unpopular opinion: I'd say that both Larian and Owlcat games are somewhat lacking in the roleplaying department compared to "oldschool" rpgs. Owlcat games in particular, they're hyperfocused on RPG mechanics but not really roleplaying, at least that was my experience in Kingmaker. Larian games have more visible consequences to choices. But sometimes those consequences are just "congrats you've locked yourself out of content, cheers". In Witcher 2, you unlock a different path instead. I don't need voice acting at all. Just give me a well written variety of dialogue options and some additional consequences instead!!! Like Disco Elysium but less pretentious, or like Fallout 1 and 2 where stats affect dialogue options. Even something as railroaded as NWN 1 had your low intelligence score feel like it means something, it wasn't just to fail checks. Both Owlcat and Larian games lack that flavor stuff, you get some mild options that show little personality (contrast it with Shepard or Hawke from DA2}. Or compare that to Planescape Torment, where you can reject being judged by your past or rebuild the calculating mastermind you once were.
I think its more than just that. D4 for example plays like an aRPG and feels like almost any other Activision title: repeated, forced gameplay loop. Art is okay, but feels soulless. Starfield plays and feels like any other bethesda game. And i could go on. Bg3: has bit of feels like all other Larian game but it still feels like a brand new game. Its like a novelty. Obviously we come with different backgrounds so that might be the reason why. I agree with you: its a love letter. But its a loveletter to so many different backgrounds of video game enjoyers. I can play it casually with my wife, I can play it hardcore nonstop, I can minmax/optimize the hell out of it but I can also skip the optimization part. The game actively rewards and promotes exploration, I cannot tell how much I have played this game and I still find something new in it. It has an amazing story and I love how side quests tie into the main story, like seamlessly (for the most part). When I was playing, I felt like millions of others were also playing there, and the most important: it feels like a living breathing world. I felt part of it. I felt like the story was both my story but i also feel like I participated in someone else's story. The games art is also epic, awesome, and moving. People were asking me if I got what I expected - I always tell them laughingly that no, I havent: Ive got more than what I expected. Wish I could get my hands on a physical collectors edition though, if there is anyone deserving their CEs to be bought its them. Its a love letter to cRPG fans. It fullfills everything an RPG player would seek in a video game. Its a love letter to those who dont care about DnD , but might still be interested in a narrative driven game. The writing is excellent, and its most excellent when one plotline intertwines with another. Its just a proof that if dev studios focus on the game, and not forced to please their ceo overlords, the medium could be amazing, and make timeless gems. :)
BG3 has done more for me in the ways of emotional healing than roughly 13 years of therapy has. This may sound strange - BUT through this game I got to follow a character's backstory so close to my own - I got to feel like I was saving my kid self. It was so emotional I cried for about a week straight. No game has ever done that to me before - And I play A LOT of games. I've got roughly 240 hours of this game and I've barely scratched the surface and I cannot wait to play more. I find myself LONGING to play it - like when you were a kid playing playstation after school. This game has changed me, for the better and I cannot thank everyone involved in the game enough.
Good games soothe your soul. I'm happy this game has been so cathartic for you. I can't wait to play after my playthrough as well. Starfield can wait lol.
The freedom of decisions and the feeling of consequences and decisions with meaning, I have felt never before. There are some old games, which had similar feeling like D:OS2 (oh, its Larian again) or Dragon Age, but it was still not the same. BG3 really put it to its height -- and is something that is missing from most if not every big studio today. That is just real "Role playing" -- you can decide, how your character should be and play it as you think and see how your personal decisions work out. A truly unique experience.
This is one of the first games I've played where I can truly say I'm roleplaying a character that I want to roleplay as. The last time I really got something like this was probably DA:O which was one of my favorite games of all time, but definitely had its downfalls. You couldn't let the story deviate from Bioware's vision too much or else you'd have serious consequences or even a game over screen. In this case, the writing is good enough that the game will continue regardless of your choices, and it's extremely impressive.
For this kind of weight in choices, you have to go even older than Dos2 or DA:O, back to Fallout 1 & 2, Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 and planescape torment, back in the days of the good old RPGs
@@EonNShadow same. And it is impressive indeed. Connecting all the triggers and variables must have been a nightmare. The kind of game where i absolutely can forgive bugs around the launch window. The reactivity and the possibilities are mindboggling. I play coop with a friend and we got wiped in a fight after dialogue. So we had to redo the dialogue, we did not want to savescum though so we made the same choices. But we made the choices in a slightly different order which led to a completely different conversation and dialogue choices.
As I watch other people's videos of their experiences in this game, I'm amazed at how different their playthrough has been from mine. When I do another playthrough, I'm certain it's going to be different and fresh. This game is special. It will be cherished for decades to come. Can't wait to see what Larian is going to do next.
@@ceno10101 Literally, didn't realize she was a companion- didn't realize some Act 3 guy was a companion because someone else happened to die in Act 2, not to mention all the extra stuff that can happen on a dark urge playthrough I'm just now finding out about.
It’s that sense of verisimilitude- that you ARE a daring adventurer, travelling with your friends in a vast world - that truly sets Baldur’s Gate 3 apart. Amazing, amazing game!
When I was playing it, it felt like I could actually sit back and say, "Wow, that was an actual D&D session! I can feel endpoints where the DM could get up and say 'see you next week'."
I have 162hrs on PC and 46hrs on PS5, I can't remember the time a game made me feel like this, so incredibly excited to jump into this world, it's made me feel like a kid again, when I got my first console with a bunch of new adventures ahead.
I didn’t plan on purchasing this game. But got the deluxe and early access on PS5. I work a full time job and do a side hustle in a cover band. All this to say this game has given me the gift of nostalgia. I’m suddenly reminded of the times before money, bills, staying up till 6am playing games or drawing. It just makes me feel like I’ve gotten a piece of childhood back. Subscribed! This was presented beautifully!
More than anything, BG3 is a love letter from Larian to the fans. This was a passion project done right. The thought and effort they put into this game is incredible. Larain created something truly magical, truly special.
For the first time in the gaming industry, young players and old gamers, are experiencing the same feelings at the same time. This hasn't happened in the gaming industry before, never like this. It took the downfall of the industry and the fatigue of gamers to get us here. I can't say that it was worth it, but it doesn't matter, were here now. Everyone, loves this game. They deserve all the praise and reverence as well as the players. People like myself, old gamers, we don't like spending our money on games. I havnt payed for a day one release in a decade plus. I had zero hesitation and neither did any of my irl friends that I played tabletop with as teens 20 years ago, but we all found time for this. Like old buddies getting back together for a pick up game at the HS reunion. Larion gave me 5pm-11pm Monday through Friday with my friends despite distance or lives. Simply no amount of money would've made that possible we thought. But fuck, it only took 60$ and a but of nagging from the women. We're watching history in gaming. If Larion and the modders develop the virtual DM on their own without Wizards, they will single handedly put the state of the gaming industry firmly back into the hands of the people that even created it, the fans. Dueces.
The biggest thing for me is the companions. These companions are just so good. I care about all of them, though the one thorn in my side to everything now lies dead in Act 2. I feel so many things about them, as if they are friends, from disappointment at things they do or say, to happiness when they overcome something. To me, that is the most fulfilling thing about this game. I just did the final quest for one of my companions in Act 3, and it was absolutely remarkable. All of the actors just nailed it, absolutely. If I can get teary about an emotional scene in a game, I count that as money well spent.
Last night I was slinking around the goblin camp looking for a misplaced Druid. I saw some bars in a pit. That looks promising I thought and jumped in. No Druid; spiders! Hmm… can’t jump out. This can’t be good. Ended up making friends of the crawlers and then found an entrance to a very interesting place. And *then* found another place that seemed like a bad idea to jump. So I jumped and found a lovely item on a lonely skeleton. I was rewarded for pursuing three sketchy ideas. It is a fabulous game with amazing depth.
Spiders o: Where did you jump lol? Btw it you don't already know, the druid Halsin is in his bear form in the prison room of the goblin camp. You attack the globins and he will reveal himself, or use talk with animals.
Last time I fell in love with a game that much was 19 years ago, WoW...I never thought that I'd like round based games, I always said "nah that's not for me the last couple of years" and now I'm close to 260h into the game and it's the most magical experience I've had in years. I have multiple games at the same time running, because there's so much to try out such a magical game and I'm glad we're here to be able to play it.
12:00 Absolutely obsessed with this game and I agree. I'm a hoarder- in my first playthrough, I grabbed every ingredient I saw, extracted ingredients, made potions, aaaand then didn't use them. Unrelated, but this game has also made me so, so excited to finally try tabletop D&D with friends in the future.
Larian reminds me of how Bioware used to be. Hell Bioware made BG2 if I remember correctly. It reminded me why I love gaming. I’ve put more hours in this game recently than I have in a long time. Not since the Mass Effect Trilogy originally came out. So thank you Larian for being the fresh air many of us needed.
The Mass Effect trilogy are the only games that I can say have a similar level of companion/character depth, voice acting, and companion role-play. Karlach's ending is one of the few that made me feel emotions on a level of Mordin's death or choosing the Geth over Tali, or betraying Wrex with the genophage (not that I purposefully did all those, but if you see the way they react it will kill you inside, it's that good). There are no other games outside of Baldur's Gate and Mass Effect that made me feel so connected to my companions as if they were real-life friends. I am so thankful for Larian for giving me that feeling in a game again. Truly the best game released in the last 10 years, since The Witcher 3 probably and that was also only a AA studio at the time as well.
The ‘characterization’ in BG3 is so phenomenal. The graphics don’t have to be top tier when so much intrigue exists. None of the side characters feel stiff or phoned in. I have been curious about certain quests, and any time I look for context clues about how or why a situation is the way it is, I’m never disappointed by what I find. It’s honestly amazing that this game exists as it is. I read the comments, people saying they are 200 hours in and not close to done. I’m in that same boat. I was a part of EA, and still can’t believe how much content is inside this world. I have like 170hrs in, still on my ‘good’ play through…I’m so excited to see how things go when I play evil. I can see how differently things could go, my curiosity almost made me start a fresh play through before I even get to the end of my first
Favourite combat moment was against the goblin chief in the camp, where he has 6 or 8 goblins standing around in front of him just before a pit with spiders in it. Karlach and Lae'zel just proceed to chug a haste potion each and pick up and throw two goblins each into the pit, followed by pushing two more on their bonus action... Spiders kill them easily on top of their fall damage. By the time it was the boss turn he was alone and a joke... lol Yes BTW, you can pick up enemies and throw them, or use them as a melee weapon against another enemy if you have the strength... It's amazing. Nothing funnier than Karlach beating the shit out of a goblin using another goblin...
I agree fully with this review. I haven't been this engaged with a game in over a decade! I'm 60 hours in and still in act 2. I want to go everywhere and do everything and feel rewarded for doing this. It's not that the main story isn't drawing me in, I want to move forward. It's just that everything else feels like it is contributing towards that total story and I don't want to miss any. Great job Larian. I'm a fan now
I haven't felt this much joy and love for a game, since the Ultima series. I so agree with you about this game. It's beyond special or well done. It is an amazing experience!
Someone that truly understands how I feel about BG3, I can't get enough of it. I'm at work and I can't wait to get home to play the game with my friend.
Background. I am an older person. I have been playing games since they were words on the screen hooked to a mainframe. I am a role player and have role played since the white box of the original D&D. I have moved on to make my own RPG but every new edition of D&D I go back and try it anew. I have played every style and genre of RPG tabletop and video game. I was a huge fan of Baldur's Gate I and II. Baldur's gate III surpasses all video games. It rivals what happens in TT RPGs when emergent game play allows for things no one thought of. While I still prefer TT RPGS over video games, Baldur's Gate III is the best RPG experience on the computer ever. It isn't the gold standard. It is a new standard of what is possible. Play it. Live it. Enjoy it.
This game has quickly become my favourite game. I am currently on my second play through (a total of 172 hrs between the two) and I am planning at least 2 more. This is probably the best game I’ve ever played. The writing is amazing. You actually care about the others in your party some you like and some you don’t like. But even the ones you don’t like you still care about and they are so well written. Like I personally don’t like lae’zel or Astarion. But I am also super invested in their stories (I killed astarion, and missed Lae’zel in my first play through). The game has it’s issues. But nothing is ever perfect. This is just a good game.
Thank you for this review. Your comment at the end, about how this game has inspired you to bring more to what you do - I feel the same way. My GMing has already felt more dynamic and confident thanks to the inspiration from BG3's writing, acting, and production. There are so many layers to this, and it speaks volumes about the quality of the writing, acting, and animation that came together to make such an amazing experience that touches so many of us.
It's so true what u said about doing other stuff while playing other games. I'm like that too, bg3 is the first game I can recall that did this to me, that made me want to play it without any other distractions, without listening to music on spotify and etc. It really is something special
What sold me this game was when my friend said this was along the vein of dragon age: origin. And oh boy it did that and more, I honestly love the feeling of adventure. What's more is that even before finishing my first playthrough, I'm already thinking "maybe I'll be a bard in my next playthrough to deal with this situation". It really is a labor of love from the devs, hope they can iron out more of the act 3 bugs.
This is the first ever game where I felt connected to the story so immersive. I always try to tag along with the storylines of other games but never got grafted in because with this game "Choices" matter! There was a test I had taken online which gives you the best choice of character to create and usually I would choose something that seemed the coolest but personality wise this test said a Cleric would fit my personality so thats what I chose. The strategy that goes into the combat and the decision making that has to be made on your part keeps me engaged to find out what would happen next due to my personality choices is phenomenal. I was on the edge of buying this game because turn base I love playing because I loved Xcom2 but story driven games don't intrigue me that much because I get bored easily and I'm more of a fast paced type of gamer but with this being such an immersive experience it has kept me fascinated on what could happen next. As far as I know this game has set the bar high for rpg's and thats a good thing because now developers have to get on there J.O.B aka S.H.I.T. This game is a must buy for any true gamer!
This is a game to savor and indulge for years to come! The voice acting and stories are so phenomenal I’ll never get bored of them. Especially the narrator. Omg, I want Millie to narrate my everyday life. I didn’t realize until after watching your video, but I really enjoy being a part of this collective story, where it’s not just about my character. It feels like … having friends. Larion is an international treasure. Hope they never change.
One thing I’d love to see in dialogue is the ability to consult team members when making decisions, since there is a correlation in some options to what someone might approve or disapprove of. I think that would add quite a bit to the already awesome dialogue trees
Team members as in the most of the time AI or friends? Friends just get together through a chat program of your choice and discuss much like a real table top game of DnD. As far as the AI goes. Eh. Not sure I'd agree. That to me would take some of the mystery out of the game for the story you are creating and experiencing. Instead of deciding on what you think would be good as a group leader a player would be felt they are getting lead by the nose ring through a story to "optimize" the outcome making it a bit disingenuous.
@@dondavi5798 I mean the other NPCs in your group. It would just add more options is all, giving you a chance to be a more “diplomatic” leader or more autocratic. You wouldn’t HAVE to consult them with the way I’m envisioning it
I have been a gamer since 1979 and I'm proud of it. Many games I've played just came and went. Few left memories. The first 3D FPS that came out (cannot remember it's name) just sticks in my mind, I remember the gameplay like I played it last month. Unreal when FPS games were anything but real world like, had you walk up a slope and at the very top you were driven to look to the right and be amazed at the most realistic and beautiful waterfall ever. And now Baldur's Gate when I went to unlock the lock that held a prisoner up and instead of showing him they switched the camera around and as his body fell everyone in the party followed him with their head to the ground. The love and passion put into this game will be something to make it stay around for a long time.
I’m glad you mentioned sound, music, and especially Alfira. That has been one of the highlights of the game for me so far. I was smiling through that whole scene
I was having so much fun with my friend in this game that I legitimately cried tears of joy. It's been so long since a game has given me such a pure sense of joy and fun. I felt like a kid again and it brought back memories of the days when me and my brothers would play fun, complete games together without a care in the world. BG3 will hold a special place in my heart for years to come.
I haven't felt so genuinely obsessed with a game to this extent - Minimal sleep for weeks now and keep restarting to try different builds. Modding will be wild too - can't wait to see how it grows
Dude, you are seriously good at these videos, talking seriously but objectively. The gaming world needs more like you, keep it up! And about BG3, I’m just 15 hours in (PS5) and this is just so freaking fun.
A great video essay here, this needs to be a TED Talk, your love and enthusiasm shows. I have started playing BG3 last weekend on PS5 after playing a lot of action focussewd games in recent times, so it is a real change of pace. I am slowly warming to it as I learn the controls and meander around the map finding all sorts of strange and random nooks and crannies to invesitage, and then die horribly in. The Matriach Phase Spider was a surprise I did not need. I have barely scratched the surface of the game, and can see that it's depth is almost endless. Also, ha! I started my first playthrough is with a Monk - he seems ok so far... time will tell.
I totally agree. This game has brought me so much joy. I’ve been slowly playing it in fear of it ending. Then I realize, it doesn’t matter. Once I re-roll there’s more to be had.
That is a great intro, and i 100% can relate to that. For me it was more than just one game tho. Like Sim city 3 and 4, Ratchet and clank on ps2, ssx3, final fantasy 7 and 9, and world of warcraft. I could get so lost in those games. Bu after that not so much. In Baldurs gate 3 I can get lost, I can get that same feelin, and it is amazing
Environmental story-telling has really been under utilized since "open world" games have become so ubiquitous. I like open world, but a meaningful open world. I felt the Witcher 3 did that well too (one of my other faves). Where you would go across an area, and old battlefield where corpse eaters were now inhabiting, or a road with people hanging from trees as a message... it was sad to see, but it told a story of a land ravaged by war. I am only in Act 1 of BG3 (PS5) and it is so dense, I love going up the risen road or mountain pass and finding caravans ransacked, following the blood and bodies to nearby gnolls. It illustrates what the tieflings fear in leaving the grove... the roads are dangerous. There are many signs of this... I love environments where thought was put into it, it's not just an open map to go from point A to point B. It's Faerun. It's a living world, where things occur whether you involve yourself or not. It feels alive and real, despite being fantasy. You don't feel like you are important just because you are the player. You feel like a cog in the gears of their world... albeit a big and powerful one... but still only a piece of the greater puzzle. It's a unique experience in gaming, and truly enriching!
I agree, Witcher 3 is probably the closest to BG3 in recentish games to fill the world like that. There are a lot of games I like that just aren't that dense. For some, it kind of works. Skyrim, for example, is in my mind very combat based - having as much RP in the G as Witcher 3 or BG3 would probably be a downside. But Fallout 3/4 (while they pretty combat heavy, a lot of the travel time is fairly empty), Mass Effect, Dragon Age, etc. are focused on the experience in the world, so having areas where not much is going on, or where it's only filler combats is not a great experience.
Eh maybe im wrong but when it comes to "living world, main character isnt the center of the universe' wastland 3, whitcher 3, rdr2 and mayny others come to mimd actually. Balders gate 3 is a pretty standard crpg backed by a crap tone of money and time. Those key things tho "money and time" is what makes balders gate 3 above the rest. I like this game for the same reason i like "evil west" or the upcoming space marine 2 game. Its a old school simple game true to its roots that could have came out of the ps3 during devolpers golden eras with modern day graphics.....and in a world with micro transactions amd unfinished games. A old school game with modern graphics seem new amd interesting lol if final fantasy 7 was never made and came out today woth modern graphics and turn based action it would be received like balders gate 3. If uncharted 2 came out now it would be praised for being a linear complete game. It took resident evil 2. I remake of a game that came out when i was 3 years old lol to revive the horror scene. Dont get me wrong these games are amazing. But its a sad state. When arguably simple complete games made with care and no coparate bs and micro transactions seem like new amd amazing things. When this should be the freaking standard
I've honestly never seen a game like BG3. It's utterly unique and so very special. The attention to detail is mind blowing. I lied about a key decision in Act three, to protect a key character. I can't believe how many later interactions this decision has affected! The game *remembers* ! I keep having to remember my lie, because if I forget and contradict myself *hours* later, the repercussions start rolling in! It's a relatively small thing that the devs and writers *didn't have to honour* , but they did - And the immersion this kind of detail adds is indescribable. Ditto for the attention to detail with companions. They aren't just reactive according to their opinion of the MC, the voice acting is flawless from the most connected of romanced companions, to the most insignificant bit dialogue for random NPC's. The facial expressions, motion capture, body language, hand gestures... Astarion's facial expressions and the hitches in his voice, Karlach's exuberance and zest for life despite her personal tragedy, Lae'Zel's utter despair in later cut scenes... I've *cried* just from those short dialogues. I've laughed *with* the characters rather than just chuckling AT them. Ugh It's just so good. Edit: You're so right about the game being a collective story about the camp members and group. Even in SWTOR when we could lose companions, it was annoying because of the impact to my *game* . In BG3, if a character is angry with you, if they leave your group or even hells *forgive you* (which is almost unheard of too!) it *hurts* you *feel it* as if a close friend is angry/upset/disappointed with you.
I'm very glad to see such a positive reception of Baldur's Gate 3. I have been immersed in this setting for two decades, both from numerous Forgotten Realms novels and from BG1-2 and a few other games. I hope that those who have felt the immersive power of BG3 will have the courage to play those older games (if they have not already), because Larian got their inspiration from somewhere. The mechanics, ruleset, and experience are different, and it means there will be a bit of a learning curve (as there is with just about any game). If folks can brave those waters though, they'll be rewarded with at least one more game (Baldur' Gate 2) with the same incredible depth of characters, writing, dialogue, and story that they've fallen in love with in BG3. Indeed, you'll even see some faces you recognize.
I can safely say this is my favourite game of all time. Before that it was Skyrim, so goes to show how LONG it's been. I'm a huge D&D nerd so to have a faithful experience encapsulated into a game with epic graphics, scale, writing, music... ah. Honestly, life has been pretty hard the last few years. But this game has helped me capture true joy again.
This was a Loveletter and i am so dammit happy for Larian and this brilliant Team who bring this Game to Life,that they get all that Love back they put in BG3. And BTW,not 1 stupid Sidequest like "kill 10 Rats"or long Ways to hand in Quests to make the Game "longer"
The point you're making about the side quest is, in my opinion, by far the biggest win of this game: Side quests in Baldur's Gate 3 don't feel like side quests. Larian somehow managed to make them feel just as important as the main quest. I can't really describe in words how strange and unusual but absolutely beautiful this is. The game is amazing. 100/10
This video is amazing, you singlehandedly convinced me to delve deep into everything Baldur's Gate 3, thank you! Your passion for it all is infectious, I'm looking forward to more videos from you!
It’s crazy how you can feel the passion in this game by the devs, something I have not felt in an incredibly long time. I’m thankful for the chance to play this and have this game and it had killed almost every other rpg that has released this far
Spot on in every way. This game grabbed me and pulled me in to the point that I felt I was part of it, not just playing it. How they implemented the characters and their stories is just incredible. I have spent the day playing Starfield and although I am enjoying that game, it is light years away from what BG3 has done.
Very true about how special it is that each companion has a story that is maybe even more important than your own and is extremely deep and layered. Thanks for the raw (well delivered) review that really gets at the feelings this game elicits.
I love so much about this game. I can’t bring myself to fight the final boss because i don’t want the adventure to end. I can play through again and I know it will have many differences from my first play through, but the wonder of playing through the first time and realizing just how involved I could get into the world can’t be replicated…
Good video. It feels good to find someone else who has experienced this game in the same depth that I have. And I'm very happy to see Larian achieve that high status in the industry that he deserved so long ago. For God's sake, just think about the future Larian games we'll have in the next few years... Great review! It touched my heart, which is where Baldur's is located.
wholeheartedly have been enjoying this game. One of the things I love is that there arent 'rules' in some ways. If you can think of something completely daft (e.g a combat strategy) then give it a crack as it probably works. Throwing goblins - check, improvised detonation packs stock full of smokepowder and alchemist fire - yep that works. engaging someone in dialogue whilst nicking the stuff they are trying to sell you - OH YES. Stacking crates to get over walls - DONE. It is in some ways forcing me to dream up dumb stuff to try. It seems the developers are also onto some of these things since the dialogue responses you get when you try some of them is also pretty funny. Seriously such a good game.
I am a full time nurse practitioner with a husband and a kid. I don't usually partake in video games unless it's a legendary game. Baldur's Gate 3 is one of them. Each companion has so much personality and I find myself actually caring for them. Each battle is meaningful and not a grind, like most other RPGs. Each area is carefully crafted and it has a story that actually grips you. I have enjoyed every minute of this game and I cannot wait to keep replaying.
BG3 has awakened in me a desire to play turn-based games. I always wanted to play the old final fantasies but could never get into them but now I definitely feel like I could and that I would enjoy them because BG3 has made me enjoy the slower methodical game play.
It's just the best. For a game so outside of my realm, it captured me. Not immediately, but after a few encounters and realizing what all this game was doing and pulling off, simply makes it one of my most favorite experiences in any genre. And, I love it too. 😀
Goated game. Goated developers. Constantly posting updates, patching issues and bringing “new content” (which was missing due to bugs). All you need to know. This game scratched my desire to play D&D but having no friends in real life that play, and not being a fan of discord-related D&D.
Easily in my personal top five games of all times, with titles like Dragon Age Origin, Asheron's Call, and Cyberpunk 2077 (ignoring release/bug issues). The game is basically an open canvas to do whatever you want and it is refreshing to have that while still getting excellent companions to interact with. Similar to how it was in DA:O, I would find myself stopping to just listen to what NPC or companions were saying about random things in the world. It is immersive and it just works.
I have spent 94 hours on 3 play through a and I’m not out of act 1. I haven’t had a game that made me want to start over and try new things since Knights of the old republic. This is a love letter to games of the past. It deserves to be played by all
WhenI read books, I see them as movies. Each book is a new world for me. This is the same. But the characters are speaking, to me. I am not coming up with the dialog. It's just happening, as if I am speaking with an actual person. As you said, the world of BG3 is so dense, it has real depth to it. The soundscape, the animation, from the wind moving through the environment, to the depth of the far off horizon. It is like moving through a different world. The character design, voice acting, facial expressions, bring the game to life even more. And every experience is different for each individual, and each play-through. The characters are my people, my team and it's my job to look after them and guide them through this world. And it's not just them, so many other characters in the game are affected by me as well. Depending on your choices and outcomes, everything can change and you are in a different game than you played previously. I feel like this is low-key Enchantment. I have been Glamoured by the creators and designers at Larian. And I don't mind it at all. I have no idea what will come in the future of gaming. I am just glad I was here to experience BG3.
The thing that I personally find the biggest upside about BG3 is that.... for once, I am not putting a video on in the background to listen to while I play for fear of missing something important.
I've been in a dissapointment state with games for the last 5 or 6 years. I bought Diablo 4 and haven't been able to finish it because I get soooo bored after just 20 minutes playing. I never heard about Baldur's Gate until a couple of weeks before release so I started looking for gameplays and man, since launch this game is the only thing I play and think about. It's so amazing how a game can bring you back the joy for videogames. I finished the game and now I'm in a second playthrough with a couple of mods on it and I feel like I'm playing for the first time again, feeling great to know that after I finish this one I'm gonna have another one with the same feeling because new mods will be avaible and there are new choices to make or even secrets to be discovered. Thank God for Larian doing this with love. Thank you for your content.
I'm so grateful two releases gave me the feeling of being lost in the game this year and I'm glad to hear others were equally as engaged with one (ff16 and BG3)
I loved this. I feel the same way. A casual gamer that started with Phantasy Star early mornings before the school bus and then later when I was older, Final Fantasy 2 (American) swept me into another world. Thank you for this.
BG3 makes me feel that I am experiencing my own adventure and that is a true achievement. I am almost 80 hours in and currently exploring the gauntlet of Shar and again and again I am entering places where I am literally sitting there, mouth open, and uttering "wow, what is that?". It's magnificent.
You could not have said it better, and I totally agree with you. Just started playing on PS5, and this is the first game in AGES that is stirring emotions in me. The pure dedication really shines through, and makes it more than a game, its a LIFESTYLE! Brilliant review. 👌
Playing this multi-player is so incredibly fun. To be in a combat and discuss strategy, to survey the field and figure out who's going to do what, it's amazing.
at about 21 mins into the video what you were saying made me ask: What would could Cyberpunk have been with a studio like Larian behind it and a few years of beta to iterate refine and fix their ideas. It might well have been the magnum opus we all thought it would be. Love the vid and man its cool to see how much you love this game. instant like and sub.
You have done a fantastic job in doing the impossible. Capturing the essence of this game, something I have found difficulty with when trying to explain to people just how fantastic this game is. Well done!
This is indeed very heartfelt. I cried 4 times during this 23 minutes video, as manly as I could. Everything you said, the things you yearn for, the thing that seem to be missing... inside. I'm sold. I will go out to buy a new SSD card and buy the game and the little extra dlc tomorrow. Thank you for this review, I needed this.
I love your videos brother and watch every one you put out. Please keep making great content and once the BG3 train slows down, I’d love to explore other CRPG’s you have enjoyed.
Playing Baldur's Gate 3 now makes me feel like I did playing Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect over a decade ago. I remember rushing home so I could play them, spending weekends and holiday breaks in my room obsessing over them, falling in love with the worlds and rich lore and the amazing characters. I feel that its a high that I've spent so much time chasing, but no games could ever scratch that itch. Just like back then, I look forward to getting home from work every day and playing Baldur's Gate. I haven't really gone out on my weekends because I want to keep playing and exploring. I'm playing one character and still thinking about all the other character and class possibilities and dialogue permutations that I'm missing out on.
I've started multiple playthroughs, one with my wife, one with my father-in-law, one with some buds, and one solo. I haven't gotten out of Act 1 in any of them yet, and not a single playthrough has been the same. And we're talking fairly drastic differences both in gameplay, and in terms of how events played out. My wife and I ended up assassinating various character in the goblin castle and it was really fun and challenging. With my father-in-law we ended up double-crossing the bad guys, and having a massive epic battle back at the druid grove. Because of that one of the factions became the "real heroes" as they helped fight off the goblin horde. Just an insane level of detail when it comes to storytelling in a video-game, my jaw drops on the regular. In my solo game I ended up stealthing in and finding my way into the prison. From there I found a secret path which led to where they were storing one of the bad guys spider pets. With a lucky Animal Handling check I actually released the spiders into the castle and found yet another drastically different approach to the whole thing. I'm certain there are many others still - and this is just one part of Act 1. They not only made an awesome video game, but they clearly understand what D&D is at its core and put so much love and attention into transcribing that TTRPG experience into BG3. As a huge fan of D&D, a DM myself, and long-time BG player (played the first one when it was brand new and ran through BG2 multiple times), they not only lived up to the Baldur's Gate franchise but truly brought it into a new era of gaming and surpassed all expectations I had. GotY without a doubt.
Luke, your writing is amazing! I love your content. I am also a casual gamer. I also try to "multi-task" while gaming, but the immersion in Baldur's Gate 3 makes that difficult. The facial mocap on this game adds so much to the immersion. I am generally a "1-and-done" gamer and rarely see value in replaying a game or new game+. However, I feel I may replay BG3 a few times, just to see how the game reacts to different character types and the different ways I tackle each encounter.
I'm a seasoned gamer, my first computer based games were the "Pool of Radiance" series put out by SSI in the late 80's and my first truly online game you could play with other humans was Quake - I've played so many different kind of games from FPS's, RTS's, RPG's and MMO's - I had never really gotten into turn based games much - until now! BG3 is hands down the best CRPG I've ever played and one of my top games of all time. Larian has turned me onto to a whole new mode of gameplay I didn't know I would love - This game has become an instant classic and has quickly become a touchstone of what gaming could and should be.
I felt the same as Ian in EverQuest 1999 and the early 2000s. I walked into a new area, and the words "What is THAT?!" come flying out of my mouth. And it wasn't just the land. *Take this example:* You play a druid. Maybe a Halfling. Your adventures take you to Freeport. The guards like you and everything's chill. You gain a few levels and you can turn into a wolf. Because you move much faster, you stay in wolf-form all the time. Your adventures take you to Freeport--where the guards f*cking KILL YOUR ASS. Why? Because you're a !@%$! wolf! What else would they do? "Oh, we have women and children in this city. Let's allow this wild wolf to run in. NOT!" Compare that to Age of Conan, which is graphically a far superior game. You play a Stygian Necromancer. You go to Conarch, a Cimmerian village. Cimmerians are northern barbarians who fear magic and strangers. You show up there with a small army of zombies following you, and the guards...don't react. "Right, in you go. Our women and children love the recently deceased." If EQ designers had made AoC, you would not have set one black toenail in Conarch Village! I have never felt so afraid in an MMO as with EQ back in the day, because it was *hard* and death sucked! No maps except what you printed out. No "!" above a quest-giver's head. Game Designers today are so afraid of losing subscribers they make their game as easy as possible. Do a 5-minute quest, and get a full epic suit of armor. Two of the greatest moments I had in EQ was getting the materials for J-boots for my necro, and my bard's epic instrument. To this day, the music crushes me.
I think they know about it and the fixed in in patch 2 because I am running out of camp supplies and not alot of potions in the wild. I had to not rely on supplies in chests and boxes, and had to look for the minute items like wine bottles, fruits, and also started making potions because they no loner sell them in camps
There are also the fact that even when you "fail" a dialogue skill check you still advance the story somehow, be it another character intervention, a new dialogue option or by just fighting and I agree 90% of the quests are related to the main scenario, I think in Act 1 the Gnolls quests is the only one that is not related to Main, in Act 2 is the vengeance/revenge guy that summon the woman spirit and in Act 3 the Artist and probably the Hag that you meet in Baldur's Gate.
I love exploring in this game. It's so easy just to run off and see what's in X random spot and end up finding a cave entrance, or a secret way into an important building. Hell, even getting arrested was great for me because it allowed me to help an important NPC escape without violence (though I had to use my tools creatively to manage it). Splitting the party to explore actually feels good in this game, too, because it adds challenge when Gale is sneaking around on his own after using magick to get somewhere no one else could.
These visual cues of where to go is exactly why I dont have the same feeling with Starfield that I had with Skyrim. As soon as you started Skyrim, you wondered what it was like in High Hrothgar, or what was on the snowy mountains north east or over the vast plains to the west. In Starfield you just don't have that feeling as it's not in view, it's in a menu.
I expected this to be a great game but oh boy, what a GREAT game is. I personally love the exploration side of the game. The tiniest character on the opposite side of the map may have a quest for you. You can find a letter in a vase that starts a quest. You want to explore, and you are rewarded for exploring.
I bought this after playing Diablo 4. I have put... More hours than I care to admit into Diablo 2 over the last 20 years. I have dabbled in other RPGs and a wide variety of games over the years. I asked in a comment section if a nearly 40 father of 3 could casually play BG3 and still enjoy it. Universally it was "yes". I have about 50 hours in and I have really enjoyed it for much the same reasons you discuss. I appreciate the pace. I was really worried the turned based combat was going to be lame, but it is very well done. Larian did a hell of a job.
I really enjoy how the character relationships evolve. It isn't just "go here and save X character because it is the right thing to do". Maybe they did something nice for you, maybe you know how much they mean to other characters, or maybe they were a jerk so you let them die. Very few characters feel like place holders because you learn very quickly these random NPCs could be far more important than anticipated. There is an interconnectedness and intentional design that really shows the level of love and care that went into it. My husband doesn't enjoy the style of turn based combat games, but he has been watching me play BG3 and is just as invested in the story as I am. He has been so adamant that some story beats happen for role playing purposes and it amuses me because he rarely shows this sort of passion for story line. I already know of several different runs and playstyles I would like to try. I want to create a different main character with their own vibe to romance each available character. I have been doing nothing but getting off work, playing this game, and going to bed too late since I got it. I feel kinda like a teenager again. 😅
BD3 feels like the most amazing dream ever; you were so happy, surrounded by interesting people, people who care about and love you. You experienced so much together. Then your heart aches when you realize it was just a dream. It's almost impossible to go back to sleep and have that dream again, but at least with Baldur's Gate 3 I can just turn up PC and get right back at it! No, I haven't eaten or slept much in two weeks. Yes, my eyes are permanently red now 😭💀
I'm on my 4th playthrough (170h together) and I still get surprised by new things/locations/NPCs I find. Also old stuff still surprises me, like the first meeting with Raphael being in 3 completely different areas and timing (broken bridge south of the gnolls, my camp and inside the goblin fortress)
As Ocarina of Time, being my GGOAT I totally resonated with what you said in this review as picked up BG3 last week. I have never been so immersed and warped back in time to the Golden era of gaming As I have playing this game. A masterpeice !!
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!['Baldur's Gate 3' Is Utterly Tremendous [Work in Progress REVIEW]](/img/tr.png)
Baldur's Gate is not a game, it's a love letter to old-school gamers. It's been years since I finished a game and felt sad that it was over, like finishing a great book. I'll buy everything Larian makes for the next 15 years hoping we can get something like this again.
I went right into a new playthru after beating it the first time. Loving it even more the second time.
@ceegronlee I'm about 35 hours into my next one, got a little disappointed in one way the story went (or didn't go, rather), but I think it might be something they patch in soon, so I'm giving it a patch or 2 before I decide whether to play it out like this or not. Starfield is good in the meantime
Dude I know exactly what you mean. I thought I was too old to get that “sad” feeling from a game ever again…. Turns out nobody was making a game this good and the magic still exists
@@parmenides2576 I find I have 5 basic interactions with the ending of games -
I don't finish because I don't care to.
I finish the game, with some level of apathy or relief that it's over.
I don't finish the game because I DO like the game, and I don't want it to end.
I finish the game, and feel sad that it's over.
And on rare occasions, I finish the game and I feel deep satisfaction because it was such an enjoyable experience with a satisfying ending.
The last one is the best. I've had plenty of games that I just generally enjoyed or enjoyed pretty well, but few have been so good that I couldn't help but finish them, and return. The only game I've enjoyed like BG3 has been Final Fantasy 9. Dragon Age Origins was close, and Fire Emblem Awakening, but with the first, the desire to replay has always been more subdued, and the latter is very replayable, but more because the game play and relationship building is just generally fun, it's not really to re-experience the main game.
thats why i had to finish it 4 times xD (what is sleep, baby dont ask me) xD
I can't remember the last time i had so much... fun with a game. I have 3 campaigns going (a solo, and two with friends), 160 hours clocked, and still not bored. That's some good game.
I got 300 hrs and still finding new things. havent even done the evil playthrough yet.
@@ChoomahBungole evil playthrough is so hard! Karlach is good, and I legit cannot bring myself to upset her xD Shame, cause Mithara is neat but only available if you are evil AF.
Coming up on 100 hours and not even finished with moonrise. Just taking everything in. Who knows when we’ll have another game like this. Larian nailed this.
550 hours and I still haven't gotten to act 3. I keep restarting as soon as I clear act 2 waiting for my friends so we can experience together. Have about 10 playthroughs through act 2 and I am about to start another one today.
Boredom is the LOWEST POSSIBLE BAR for determining quality.
This is the kind of game I thought I would never enjoy. My steam games are gta v, overcooked 2, judgment, worms reloaded, red dead redemption 2, Hogwarts Legacy, and now Baldurs Gate 3. The reason I added this one is because I remember enjoying Skyrim as a little girl and I wanted to experience a great RPG again and trusted the amazing previews this game had. I talk abou trust because here in Brazil DnD is not the biggest of things, so I was never really exposed to the lore, and I never thought I would enjoy playing a turn based game. And when I started it it felt overwhelming with all spells, characters and aliens and goblins. But from that very first moment of gameplay to now, I can say that I never felt so hooked to a videogame before. This game has messed up my sleepimg scheduale, it feels like reading a great book that I cannot drop, the rich lore that felt so complicated at the start for me, now has me searching for the entire story of the city of Baldurs Gate and stories on Faêrun. From githyankis to mind flayers, from demons to devils, high elves to drows, I am hooked to absolutely everything. I now understand why these amazing people called nerds enjoy DnD and everything within its lore and rules. I even feel bad for turning down an oportunity to play a table top DnD, something not common in Brazil. I am at the very finale of ACT 3, and already missing all the characters because I absolutely enjoyed spending time with them. Specially Shadowheart, I wish I knew her in real life so I could give her a hug. Her childhood story had me crying real tears. I love this game, it made me feel something I did not know was possible to feel playing videogames. It connected me to a whole new world in a way I never thought I would feel again since Skyrim when I was a child. Going back from work to this game feels like teleporting to a whole new dimension. I read the story on Bg1 and bg2 because of it. The lore is so great it feels like it runs in another dimension in real life. And Larian studios did an amazing job presenting this beautiful world to long time fans and newcomers alike. I am very grateful ❤
Thanks for sharing!
Man, we live in very different places in Brazil. Not doubting you, of course! But where I live (a city in the RS, not Porto Alegre in case you are wondering) just about half of the people around my age (20s-30s) I know has heard of or played tabletop rpgs before. Not exaggerating. We even have an old cafe plopped right in the city center where you can pay per hour for a room with a large table, dices and rulebooks to play. Not just D&D, Vampire/Wereworlf and Cthulhu are *wildly* popular here. Most of my friends play biweekly, and now they are full grow adults, some with kids, homes 'n all. In fact, the biggest chunk of players I know of in town are actually older than me, in their 40s-50s. About a decade and a half ago I borrowed an entire collection of D&D books from my old chemistry teacher during my school vacation. The pile of books he had at home was about my height. So I dunno? It certainly looks very popular from where I'm looking. Maybe it's just the wrong soil to dig for gold. Wish you luck in finding a wholesome group of D&D players close to you!
@@VesperNoControle obrigada. I am glad you could find a nice party to play together!
@@LegendaryDrops thank you too
@@ynacyr4 We already have great BG's community here. Even though I'm not that multiplayer guy, I've co-op one time in the EA and it was a very nice experience. You can learn a lot and have fun altogether. I recommend.
I keep telling my friends. This game is the first game that's made me feel like this in maybe forever. At least in like 13 years. I also consider myself a casual gamer and I just can't stop wanting to play the game and thinking about it while I'm at work.
The game is "haunting" me as well while I'm being at work. In a good way, of course :D always thinking about where to go next and wondering how a quest is going to end. This immersion is unprecented for me.
Same!
One time purchase, 100s of hours of content, from the moment it starts it never reminds you it's 'just a game', it doesn't try to sell you anything more and simply let's you mess about in a 99% bug free sandbox on launch. It's the first truly 'Safe Purchase' in years. Thanks Larian staff.
1000 hrs
I wouldn’t say it’s the first safe purchase in years because elden ring exists
@@Blorxian-hater True. Not my thing, but it was spectacular out of the gate. Less patches too I bet.
@@yorkipudd1728 Yeah it’s not my favorite game either, it’s not even my favorite game of 2022 but I can still recognize the work and quality put into it and honestly if someone tells me it’s their favorite game of all time I get it
I still can't believe that this game is real and it actually released on top of the huge expectations from us CRPG lovers that have been with the series for over two decades. What Larian has done here is nothing short of a miracle. This is the first CRPG with AAA production values. From the stellar voice acting and realistic facial animations (who else would get 200+ actors to mocap most of the characters in the game and voice them all..only Larian were crazy enough to do that), to the music and all the gameplay elements and reactivity/freedom that you have. The question "can you do this?" usually ends up being yes in most cases for all the weird out of the box thinking that some players might have.
I do attest to the fact that if you want a pure CRPG experience like the good ole days the only games you can look forward to are the indie scene and Owlcat who have made two amazing Pathfinder games in that vein like we used to play. And now with Rogue Trader they are taking a shot (and based off what I played in closed beta they are gonna deliver on that) on the 40k first CRPG. And that is a game is am looking forward to in 2024.
Baldur's Gate 3 is a game that not only brought D&D to the masses in video game form (I think in mostly part BECAUSE of the full voice acting making it way easier to digest..a thing that unfortunately Owlcat doesn't have the budget to do) and that it also showcased that "content complete" games without bullshit "addons" (MTX, Battle passes etc) is not required to have financial success. I doubt this will make any dent in the industry, because corporations are greedy, but it's nice to see that there are still a few developers out there that haven't given in on the greed themselves and sold themselves out.
Thanks for the review!
You wanna know something else crazy about Larian? They have three studios; Main HQ in Belgium, second studio in Canada, and third studio in Malaysia. Larian Belgium works on the main game all day. When their work days ends, Larian Malaysia is beginning to create new features. By the time Larian Malaysia ends their day, Larian Canada begins play-testing and quality assurance on the implementations of Larian Malaysia. By the time Larian Belgium wakes back up for a new work day, they have new features created, quality tested, and ready to implement to the main project - which then gets passed on to Larian Malaysia.
Unlike some companies that think the whole world revolves around them, Larian's work revolves around the world and how to most effectively create quality content.
just wish everything outside of act 1 wasn't trash. Hopefully Larian patches acts II and III and actually makes them good
@@johnsonspark171 man your definition of trash must be gold plated dishes and caviar compared to 99% of other games out there.
Unpopular opinion: I'd say that both Larian and Owlcat games are somewhat lacking in the roleplaying department compared to "oldschool" rpgs. Owlcat games in particular, they're hyperfocused on RPG mechanics but not really roleplaying, at least that was my experience in Kingmaker. Larian games have more visible consequences to choices. But sometimes those consequences are just "congrats you've locked yourself out of content, cheers". In Witcher 2, you unlock a different path instead.
I don't need voice acting at all. Just give me a well written variety of dialogue options and some additional consequences instead!!! Like Disco Elysium but less pretentious, or like Fallout 1 and 2 where stats affect dialogue options. Even something as railroaded as NWN 1 had your low intelligence score feel like it means something, it wasn't just to fail checks. Both Owlcat and Larian games lack that flavor stuff, you get some mild options that show little personality (contrast it with Shepard or Hawke from DA2}. Or compare that to Planescape Torment, where you can reject being judged by your past or rebuild the calculating mastermind you once were.
I think its more than just that.
D4 for example plays like an aRPG and feels like almost any other Activision title: repeated, forced gameplay loop. Art is okay, but feels soulless.
Starfield plays and feels like any other bethesda game.
And i could go on.
Bg3: has bit of feels like all other Larian game but it still feels like a brand new game. Its like a novelty. Obviously we come with different backgrounds so that might be the reason why.
I agree with you: its a love letter. But its a loveletter to so many different backgrounds of video game enjoyers. I can play it casually with my wife, I can play it hardcore nonstop, I can minmax/optimize the hell out of it but I can also skip the optimization part. The game actively rewards and promotes exploration, I cannot tell how much I have played this game and I still find something new in it. It has an amazing story and I love how side quests tie into the main story, like seamlessly (for the most part). When I was playing, I felt like millions of others were also playing there, and the most important: it feels like a living breathing world. I felt part of it. I felt like the story was both my story but i also feel like I participated in someone else's story. The games art is also epic, awesome, and moving.
People were asking me if I got what I expected - I always tell them laughingly that no, I havent: Ive got more than what I expected. Wish I could get my hands on a physical collectors edition though, if there is anyone deserving their CEs to be bought its them.
Its a love letter to cRPG fans. It fullfills everything an RPG player would seek in a video game.
Its a love letter to those who dont care about DnD , but might still be interested in a narrative driven game. The writing is excellent, and its most excellent when one plotline intertwines with another.
Its just a proof that if dev studios focus on the game, and not forced to please their ceo overlords, the medium could be amazing, and make timeless gems. :)
BG3 has done more for me in the ways of emotional healing than roughly 13 years of therapy has.
This may sound strange - BUT through this game I got to follow a character's backstory so close to my own - I got to feel like I was saving my kid self.
It was so emotional I cried for about a week straight. No game has ever done that to me before - And I play A LOT of games.
I've got roughly 240 hours of this game and I've barely scratched the surface and I cannot wait to play more.
I find myself LONGING to play it - like when you were a kid playing playstation after school. This game has changed me, for the better and I cannot thank everyone involved in the game enough.
Which character?
This is really sweet, I wish you all the best 🙂
You aren't by chance a vampire thrall are you??
Good games soothe your soul. I'm happy this game has been so cathartic for you. I can't wait to play after my playthrough as well. Starfield can wait lol.
Sorry to hear you were attacked by wolves and saved by a dark divinity.
The freedom of decisions and the feeling of consequences and decisions with meaning, I have felt never before. There are some old games, which had similar feeling like D:OS2 (oh, its Larian again) or Dragon Age, but it was still not the same. BG3 really put it to its height -- and is something that is missing from most if not every big studio today.
That is just real "Role playing" -- you can decide, how your character should be and play it as you think and see how your personal decisions work out. A truly unique experience.
This is one of the first games I've played where I can truly say I'm roleplaying a character that I want to roleplay as. The last time I really got something like this was probably DA:O which was one of my favorite games of all time, but definitely had its downfalls. You couldn't let the story deviate from Bioware's vision too much or else you'd have serious consequences or even a game over screen.
In this case, the writing is good enough that the game will continue regardless of your choices, and it's extremely impressive.
For this kind of weight in choices, you have to go even older than Dos2 or DA:O, back to Fallout 1 & 2, Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 and planescape torment, back in the days of the good old RPGs
@@EonNShadow same. And it is impressive indeed. Connecting all the triggers and variables must have been a nightmare. The kind of game where i absolutely can forgive bugs around the launch window. The reactivity and the possibilities are mindboggling. I play coop with a friend and we got wiped in a fight after dialogue. So we had to redo the dialogue, we did not want to savescum though so we made the same choices. But we made the choices in a slightly different order which led to a completely different conversation and dialogue choices.
@@brandondenny226 thats great :D as others said before: you basically think about your second playthrough whilst playing your first.
As I watch other people's videos of their experiences in this game, I'm amazed at how different their playthrough has been from mine. When I do another playthrough, I'm certain it's going to be different and fresh. This game is special. It will be cherished for decades to come. Can't wait to see what Larian is going to do next.
me and my partner are on our third play through and still seeing new content... its insaine
agree
After the recent patch, seeing people not even realize that Minthara could be a companion goes to show how many choices people have.
@loveyourself3246 No by a long shot
@@ceno10101 Literally, didn't realize she was a companion- didn't realize some Act 3 guy was a companion because someone else happened to die in Act 2, not to mention all the extra stuff that can happen on a dark urge playthrough I'm just now finding out about.
The background banter between the companions while traveling is such a nice touch. And the score, that damn tune has infiltrated my dreams.
AAAAAahhhhhh....... AAAAAAAAHhhhhhhhh..... Bom bom bom da dadada...
It’s that sense of verisimilitude- that you ARE a daring adventurer, travelling with your friends in a vast world - that truly sets Baldur’s Gate 3 apart. Amazing, amazing game!
When I was playing it, it felt like I could actually sit back and say, "Wow, that was an actual D&D session! I can feel endpoints where the DM could get up and say 'see you next week'."
I have 162hrs on PC and 46hrs on PS5, I can't remember the time a game made me feel like this, so incredibly excited to jump into this world, it's made me feel like a kid again, when I got my first console with a bunch of new adventures ahead.
I didn’t plan on purchasing this game. But got the deluxe and early access on PS5. I work a full time job and do a side hustle in a cover band. All this to say this game has given me the gift of nostalgia. I’m suddenly reminded of the times before money, bills, staying up till 6am playing games or drawing. It just makes me feel like I’ve gotten a piece of childhood back. Subscribed! This was presented beautifully!
More than anything, BG3 is a love letter from Larian to the fans. This was a passion project done right.
The thought and effort they put into this game is incredible. Larain created something truly magical, truly special.
For the first time in the gaming industry, young players and old gamers, are experiencing the same feelings at the same time. This hasn't happened in the gaming industry before, never like this. It took the downfall of the industry and the fatigue of gamers to get us here. I can't say that it was worth it, but it doesn't matter, were here now.
Everyone, loves this game. They deserve all the praise and reverence as well as the players. People like myself, old gamers, we don't like spending our money on games. I havnt payed for a day one release in a decade plus. I had zero hesitation and neither did any of my irl friends that I played tabletop with as teens 20 years ago, but we all found time for this. Like old buddies getting back together for a pick up game at the HS reunion.
Larion gave me 5pm-11pm Monday through Friday with my friends despite distance or lives. Simply no amount of money would've made that possible we thought. But fuck, it only took 60$ and a but of nagging from the women.
We're watching history in gaming. If Larion and the modders develop the virtual DM on their own without Wizards, they will single handedly put the state of the gaming industry firmly back into the hands of the people that even created it, the fans.
Dueces.
When your creativity asks yourself "can I do this?" Larian says "yes." That's the real love letter to us.
The biggest thing for me is the companions. These companions are just so good. I care about all of them, though the one thorn in my side to everything now lies dead in Act 2. I feel so many things about them, as if they are friends, from disappointment at things they do or say, to happiness when they overcome something. To me, that is the most fulfilling thing about this game. I just did the final quest for one of my companions in Act 3, and it was absolutely remarkable. All of the actors just nailed it, absolutely. If I can get teary about an emotional scene in a game, I count that as money well spent.
Last night I was slinking around the goblin camp looking for a misplaced Druid. I saw some bars in a pit. That looks promising I thought and jumped in. No Druid; spiders! Hmm… can’t jump out. This can’t be good. Ended up making friends of the crawlers and then found an entrance to a very interesting place. And *then* found another place that seemed like a bad idea to jump. So I jumped and found a lovely item on a lonely skeleton. I was rewarded for pursuing three sketchy ideas. It is a fabulous game with amazing depth.
Spiders o: Where did you jump lol? Btw it you don't already know, the druid Halsin is in his bear form in the prison room of the goblin camp. You attack the globins and he will reveal himself, or use talk with animals.
@@aouyiu Don't spoil the game for him, fuck sake.
@@aouyiushhh and there r other ways jeesh
Last time I fell in love with a game that much was 19 years ago, WoW...I never thought that I'd like round based games, I always said "nah that's not for me the last couple of years" and now I'm close to 260h into the game and it's the most magical experience I've had in years. I have multiple games at the same time running, because there's so much to try out such a magical game and I'm glad we're here to be able to play it.
The passion put in this game is what makes it so great. It’s not a product, it’s not a game. It’s a work of art
12:00 Absolutely obsessed with this game and I agree. I'm a hoarder- in my first playthrough, I grabbed every ingredient I saw, extracted ingredients, made potions, aaaand then didn't use them.
Unrelated, but this game has also made me so, so excited to finally try tabletop D&D with friends in the future.
Well said. I truly believe this game is a classic and will be talked about in 20 years just as we talk about BG1 and 2 today.
Larian reminds me of how Bioware used to be. Hell Bioware made BG2 if I remember correctly. It reminded me why I love gaming. I’ve put more hours in this game recently than I have in a long time. Not since the Mass Effect Trilogy originally came out. So thank you Larian for being the fresh air many of us needed.
The Mass Effect trilogy are the only games that I can say have a similar level of companion/character depth, voice acting, and companion role-play. Karlach's ending is one of the few that made me feel emotions on a level of Mordin's death or choosing the Geth over Tali, or betraying Wrex with the genophage (not that I purposefully did all those, but if you see the way they react it will kill you inside, it's that good). There are no other games outside of Baldur's Gate and Mass Effect that made me feel so connected to my companions as if they were real-life friends. I am so thankful for Larian for giving me that feeling in a game again. Truly the best game released in the last 10 years, since The Witcher 3 probably and that was also only a AA studio at the time as well.
Mass Effect is all time classic
The ‘characterization’ in BG3 is so phenomenal. The graphics don’t have to be top tier when so much intrigue exists. None of the side characters feel stiff or phoned in. I have been curious about certain quests, and any time I look for context clues about how or why a situation is the way it is, I’m never disappointed by what I find. It’s honestly amazing that this game exists as it is. I read the comments, people saying they are 200 hours in and not close to done. I’m in that same boat. I was a part of EA, and still can’t believe how much content is inside this world. I have like 170hrs in, still on my ‘good’ play through…I’m so excited to see how things go when I play evil. I can see how differently things could go, my curiosity almost made me start a fresh play through before I even get to the end of my first
Favourite combat moment was against the goblin chief in the camp, where he has 6 or 8 goblins standing around in front of him just before a pit with spiders in it. Karlach and Lae'zel just proceed to chug a haste potion each and pick up and throw two goblins each into the pit, followed by pushing two more on their bonus action... Spiders kill them easily on top of their fall damage. By the time it was the boss turn he was alone and a joke... lol Yes BTW, you can pick up enemies and throw them, or use them as a melee weapon against another enemy if you have the strength... It's amazing. Nothing funnier than Karlach beating the shit out of a goblin using another goblin...
I agree fully with this review. I haven't been this engaged with a game in over a decade! I'm 60 hours in and still in act 2. I want to go everywhere and do everything and feel rewarded for doing this. It's not that the main story isn't drawing me in, I want to move forward. It's just that everything else feels like it is contributing towards that total story and I don't want to miss any. Great job Larian. I'm a fan now
I haven't felt this much joy and love for a game, since the Ultima series. I so agree with you about this game. It's beyond special or well done. It is an amazing experience!
Someone that truly understands how I feel about BG3, I can't get enough of it. I'm at work and I can't wait to get home to play the game with my friend.
Background. I am an older person. I have been playing games since they were words on the screen hooked to a mainframe. I am a role player and have role played since the white box of the original D&D. I have moved on to make my own RPG but every new edition of D&D I go back and try it anew. I have played every style and genre of RPG tabletop and video game. I was a huge fan of Baldur's Gate I and II. Baldur's gate III surpasses all video games. It rivals what happens in TT RPGs when emergent game play allows for things no one thought of. While I still prefer TT RPGS over video games, Baldur's Gate III is the best RPG experience on the computer ever. It isn't the gold standard. It is a new standard of what is possible. Play it. Live it. Enjoy it.
Tell me you were killed by a grue without telling me you were killed by a grue.
@@williamgordon It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten....
@@ImaginerImagines 😂
This game has quickly become my favourite game. I am currently on my second play through (a total of 172 hrs between the two) and I am planning at least 2 more. This is probably the best game I’ve ever played. The writing is amazing. You actually care about the others in your party some you like and some you don’t like. But even the ones you don’t like you still care about and they are so well written. Like I personally don’t like lae’zel or Astarion. But I am also super invested in their stories (I killed astarion, and missed Lae’zel in my first play through).
The game has it’s issues. But nothing is ever perfect. This is just a good game.
Thank you for this review. Your comment at the end, about how this game has inspired you to bring more to what you do - I feel the same way. My GMing has already felt more dynamic and confident thanks to the inspiration from BG3's writing, acting, and production. There are so many layers to this, and it speaks volumes about the quality of the writing, acting, and animation that came together to make such an amazing experience that touches so many of us.
It's so true what u said about doing other stuff while playing other games. I'm like that too, bg3 is the first game I can recall that did this to me, that made me want to play it without any other distractions, without listening to music on spotify and etc. It really is something special
What sold me this game was when my friend said this was along the vein of dragon age: origin. And oh boy it did that and more, I honestly love the feeling of adventure. What's more is that even before finishing my first playthrough, I'm already thinking "maybe I'll be a bard in my next playthrough to deal with this situation". It really is a labor of love from the devs, hope they can iron out more of the act 3 bugs.
This is the first ever game where I felt connected to the story so immersive. I always try to tag along with the storylines of other games but never got grafted in because with this game "Choices" matter! There was a test I had taken online which gives you the best choice of character to create and usually I would choose something that seemed the coolest but personality wise this test said a Cleric would fit my personality so thats what I chose. The strategy that goes into the combat and the decision making that has to be made on your part keeps me engaged to find out what would happen next due to my personality choices is phenomenal. I was on the edge of buying this game because turn base I love playing because I loved Xcom2 but story driven games don't intrigue me that much because I get bored easily and I'm more of a fast paced type of gamer but with this being such an immersive experience it has kept me fascinated on what could happen next. As far as I know this game has set the bar high for rpg's and thats a good thing because now developers have to get on there J.O.B aka S.H.I.T. This game is a must buy for any true gamer!
This is a game to savor and indulge for years to come! The voice acting and stories are so phenomenal I’ll never get bored of them. Especially the narrator. Omg, I want Millie to narrate my everyday life.
I didn’t realize until after watching your video, but I really enjoy being a part of this collective story, where it’s not just about my character. It feels like … having friends.
Larion is an international treasure. Hope they never change.
One thing I’d love to see in dialogue is the ability to consult team members when making decisions, since there is a correlation in some options to what someone might approve or disapprove of. I think that would add quite a bit to the already awesome dialogue trees
Team members as in the most of the time AI or friends? Friends just get together through a chat program of your choice and discuss much like a real table top game of DnD. As far as the AI goes. Eh. Not sure I'd agree. That to me would take some of the mystery out of the game for the story you are creating and experiencing. Instead of deciding on what you think would be good as a group leader a player would be felt they are getting lead by the nose ring through a story to "optimize" the outcome making it a bit disingenuous.
@@dondavi5798 I mean the other NPCs in your group. It would just add more options is all, giving you a chance to be a more “diplomatic” leader or more autocratic. You wouldn’t HAVE to consult them with the way I’m envisioning it
There's always gonna be DLC. Drop that knowledge ob their forums, they'll see it.
disagree
I have been a gamer since 1979 and I'm proud of it. Many games I've played just came and went. Few left memories. The first 3D FPS that came out (cannot remember it's name) just sticks in my mind, I remember the gameplay like I played it last month. Unreal when FPS games were anything but real world like, had you walk up a slope and at the very top you were driven to look to the right and be amazed at the most realistic and beautiful waterfall ever. And now Baldur's Gate when I went to unlock the lock that held a prisoner up and instead of showing him they switched the camera around and as his body fell everyone in the party followed him with their head to the ground. The love and passion put into this game will be something to make it stay around for a long time.
I’m glad you mentioned sound, music, and especially Alfira. That has been one of the highlights of the game for me so far. I was smiling through that whole scene
I was having so much fun with my friend in this game that I legitimately cried tears of joy. It's been so long since a game has given me such a pure sense of joy and fun. I felt like a kid again and it brought back memories of the days when me and my brothers would play fun, complete games together without a care in the world. BG3 will hold a special place in my heart for years to come.
I haven't felt so genuinely obsessed with a game to this extent - Minimal sleep for weeks now and keep restarting to try different builds. Modding will be wild too - can't wait to see how it grows
Dude, you are seriously good at these videos, talking seriously but objectively. The gaming world needs more like you, keep it up!
And about BG3, I’m just 15 hours in (PS5) and this is just so freaking fun.
First game in decades where I actually sat through the cutscenes and dialogue. So insane
A great video essay here, this needs to be a TED Talk, your love and enthusiasm shows. I have started playing BG3 last weekend on PS5 after playing a lot of action focussewd games in recent times, so it is a real change of pace. I am slowly warming to it as I learn the controls and meander around the map finding all sorts of strange and random nooks and crannies to invesitage, and then die horribly in. The Matriach Phase Spider was a surprise I did not need. I have barely scratched the surface of the game, and can see that it's depth is almost endless. Also, ha! I started my first playthrough is with a Monk - he seems ok so far... time will tell.
I totally agree. This game has brought me so much joy. I’ve been slowly playing it in fear of it ending. Then I realize, it doesn’t matter. Once I re-roll there’s more to be had.
That is a great intro, and i 100% can relate to that.
For me it was more than just one game tho. Like Sim city 3 and 4, Ratchet and clank on ps2, ssx3, final fantasy 7 and 9, and world of warcraft. I could get so lost in those games. Bu after that not so much.
In Baldurs gate 3 I can get lost, I can get that same feelin, and it is amazing
Environmental story-telling has really been under utilized since "open world" games have become so ubiquitous. I like open world, but a meaningful open world. I felt the Witcher 3 did that well too (one of my other faves). Where you would go across an area, and old battlefield where corpse eaters were now inhabiting, or a road with people hanging from trees as a message... it was sad to see, but it told a story of a land ravaged by war. I am only in Act 1 of BG3 (PS5) and it is so dense, I love going up the risen road or mountain pass and finding caravans ransacked, following the blood and bodies to nearby gnolls. It illustrates what the tieflings fear in leaving the grove... the roads are dangerous. There are many signs of this... I love environments where thought was put into it, it's not just an open map to go from point A to point B. It's Faerun. It's a living world, where things occur whether you involve yourself or not. It feels alive and real, despite being fantasy. You don't feel like you are important just because you are the player. You feel like a cog in the gears of their world... albeit a big and powerful one... but still only a piece of the greater puzzle. It's a unique experience in gaming, and truly enriching!
I agree, Witcher 3 is probably the closest to BG3 in recentish games to fill the world like that. There are a lot of games I like that just aren't that dense. For some, it kind of works. Skyrim, for example, is in my mind very combat based - having as much RP in the G as Witcher 3 or BG3 would probably be a downside. But Fallout 3/4 (while they pretty combat heavy, a lot of the travel time is fairly empty), Mass Effect, Dragon Age, etc. are focused on the experience in the world, so having areas where not much is going on, or where it's only filler combats is not a great experience.
Eh maybe im wrong but when it comes to "living world, main character isnt the center of the universe' wastland 3, whitcher 3, rdr2 and mayny others come to mimd actually. Balders gate 3 is a pretty standard crpg backed by a crap tone of money and time. Those key things tho "money and time" is what makes balders gate 3 above the rest. I like this game for the same reason i like "evil west" or the upcoming space marine 2 game. Its a old school simple game true to its roots that could have came out of the ps3 during devolpers golden eras with modern day graphics.....and in a world with micro transactions amd unfinished games. A old school game with modern graphics seem new amd interesting lol if final fantasy 7 was never made and came out today woth modern graphics and turn based action it would be received like balders gate 3. If uncharted 2 came out now it would be praised for being a linear complete game. It took resident evil 2. I remake of a game that came out when i was 3 years old lol to revive the horror scene. Dont get me wrong these games are amazing. But its a sad state. When arguably simple complete games made with care and no coparate bs and micro transactions seem like new amd amazing things. When this should be the freaking standard
I've honestly never seen a game like BG3. It's utterly unique and so very special. The attention to detail is mind blowing.
I lied about a key decision in Act three, to protect a key character. I can't believe how many later interactions this decision has affected! The game *remembers* ! I keep having to remember my lie, because if I forget and contradict myself *hours* later, the repercussions start rolling in! It's a relatively small thing that the devs and writers *didn't have to honour* , but they did - And the immersion this kind of detail adds is indescribable.
Ditto for the attention to detail with companions. They aren't just reactive according to their opinion of the MC, the voice acting is flawless from the most connected of romanced companions, to the most insignificant bit dialogue for random NPC's. The facial expressions, motion capture, body language, hand gestures... Astarion's facial expressions and the hitches in his voice, Karlach's exuberance and zest for life despite her personal tragedy, Lae'Zel's utter despair in later cut scenes... I've *cried* just from those short dialogues. I've laughed *with* the characters rather than just chuckling AT them.
Ugh It's just so good.
Edit: You're so right about the game being a collective story about the camp members and group. Even in SWTOR when we could lose companions, it was annoying because of the impact to my *game* . In BG3, if a character is angry with you, if they leave your group or even hells *forgive you* (which is almost unheard of too!) it *hurts* you *feel it* as if a close friend is angry/upset/disappointed with you.
I'm very glad to see such a positive reception of Baldur's Gate 3. I have been immersed in this setting for two decades, both from numerous Forgotten Realms novels and from BG1-2 and a few other games. I hope that those who have felt the immersive power of BG3 will have the courage to play those older games (if they have not already), because Larian got their inspiration from somewhere. The mechanics, ruleset, and experience are different, and it means there will be a bit of a learning curve (as there is with just about any game). If folks can brave those waters though, they'll be rewarded with at least one more game (Baldur' Gate 2) with the same incredible depth of characters, writing, dialogue, and story that they've fallen in love with in BG3. Indeed, you'll even see some faces you recognize.
I’ve lost that feeling you’re describing with games and you absolutely sold me on this game. Thank you for the review.
I can safely say this is my favourite game of all time. Before that it was Skyrim, so goes to show how LONG it's been. I'm a huge D&D nerd so to have a faithful experience encapsulated into a game with epic graphics, scale, writing, music... ah. Honestly, life has been pretty hard the last few years. But this game has helped me capture true joy again.
Even though BG3 isnt following BG2 and BG1 the way I expected, the new path they took and the way the created the game was awesome.
This was a Loveletter and i am so dammit happy for Larian and this brilliant Team who bring this Game to Life,that they get all that Love back they put in BG3.
And BTW,not 1 stupid Sidequest like "kill 10 Rats"or long Ways to hand in Quests to make the Game "longer"
The point you're making about the side quest is, in my opinion, by far the biggest win of this game: Side quests in Baldur's Gate 3 don't feel like side quests. Larian somehow managed to make them feel just as important as the main quest. I can't really describe in words how strange and unusual but absolutely beautiful this is. The game is amazing. 100/10
This video is amazing, you singlehandedly convinced me to delve deep into everything Baldur's Gate 3, thank you!
Your passion for it all is infectious, I'm looking forward to more videos from you!
It’s crazy how you can feel the passion in this game by the devs, something I have not felt in an incredibly long time. I’m thankful for the chance to play this and have this game and it had killed almost every other rpg that has released this far
Spot on in every way. This game grabbed me and pulled me in to the point that I felt I was part of it, not just playing it. How they implemented the characters and their stories is just incredible. I have spent the day playing Starfield and although I am enjoying that game, it is light years away from what BG3 has done.
Very true about how special it is that each companion has a story that is maybe even more important than your own and is extremely deep and layered. Thanks for the raw (well delivered) review that really gets at the feelings this game elicits.
I love so much about this game. I can’t bring myself to fight the final boss because i don’t want the adventure to end. I can play through again and I know it will have many differences from my first play through, but the wonder of playing through the first time and realizing just how involved I could get into the world can’t be replicated…
Good video. It feels good to find someone else who has experienced this game in the same depth that I have. And I'm very happy to see Larian achieve that high status in the industry that he deserved so long ago. For God's sake, just think about the future Larian games we'll have in the next few years... Great review! It touched my heart, which is where Baldur's is located.
wholeheartedly have been enjoying this game. One of the things I love is that there arent 'rules' in some ways.
If you can think of something completely daft (e.g a combat strategy) then give it a crack as it probably works. Throwing goblins - check, improvised detonation packs stock full of smokepowder and alchemist fire - yep that works. engaging someone in dialogue whilst nicking the stuff they are trying to sell you - OH YES. Stacking crates to get over walls - DONE. It is in some ways forcing me to dream up dumb stuff to try. It seems the developers are also onto some of these things since the dialogue responses you get when you try some of them is also pretty funny. Seriously such a good game.
I am a full time nurse practitioner with a husband and a kid. I don't usually partake in video games unless it's a legendary game. Baldur's Gate 3 is one of them. Each companion has so much personality and I find myself actually caring for them. Each battle is meaningful and not a grind, like most other RPGs. Each area is carefully crafted and it has a story that actually grips you. I have enjoyed every minute of this game and I cannot wait to keep replaying.
First time I've came across this channel. Feels so detailed and professional. Will definitely check out more.
Still new, still finding my feet. Some are great, some are a miss, but I feel like I'm getting closer to finding my voice.
Welcome aboard!
BG3 has awakened in me a desire to play turn-based games. I always wanted to play the old final fantasies but could never get into them but now I definitely feel like I could and that I would enjoy them because BG3 has made me enjoy the slower methodical game play.
I feel like I just sat down and poured over my love for a game with a good friend. Wonderful video, I'm very happy to have found you. :D
It's just the best. For a game so outside of my realm, it captured me. Not immediately, but after a few encounters and realizing what all this game was doing and pulling off, simply makes it one of my most favorite experiences in any genre. And, I love it too. 😀
Goated game. Goated developers. Constantly posting updates, patching issues and bringing “new content” (which was missing due to bugs). All you need to know. This game scratched my desire to play D&D but having no friends in real life that play, and not being a fan of discord-related D&D.
An enemy pushed Lae'zel into the harbor. My mouth dropped so hard then I laughed so hard.
Easily in my personal top five games of all times, with titles like Dragon Age Origin, Asheron's Call, and Cyberpunk 2077 (ignoring release/bug issues). The game is basically an open canvas to do whatever you want and it is refreshing to have that while still getting excellent companions to interact with. Similar to how it was in DA:O, I would find myself stopping to just listen to what NPC or companions were saying about random things in the world. It is immersive and it just works.
I have spent 94 hours on 3 play through a and I’m not out of act 1. I haven’t had a game that made me want to start over and try new things since Knights of the old republic. This is a love letter to games of the past. It deserves to be played by all
WhenI read books, I see them as movies. Each book is a new world for me. This is the same. But the characters are speaking, to me. I am not coming up with the dialog. It's just happening, as if I am speaking with an actual person. As you said, the world of BG3 is so dense, it has real depth to it. The soundscape, the animation, from the wind moving through the environment, to the depth of the far off horizon. It is like moving through a different world. The character design, voice acting, facial expressions, bring the game to life even more. And every experience is different for each individual, and each play-through. The characters are my people, my team and it's my job to look after them and guide them through this world. And it's not just them, so many other characters in the game are affected by me as well. Depending on your choices and outcomes, everything can change and you are in a different game than you played previously. I feel like this is low-key Enchantment. I have been Glamoured by the creators and designers at Larian. And I don't mind it at all. I have no idea what will come in the future of gaming. I am just glad I was here to experience BG3.
The thing that I personally find the biggest upside about BG3 is that.... for once, I am not putting a video on in the background to listen to while I play for fear of missing something important.
I've been in a dissapointment state with games for the last 5 or 6 years. I bought Diablo 4 and haven't been able to finish it because I get soooo bored after just 20 minutes playing.
I never heard about Baldur's Gate until a couple of weeks before release so I started looking for gameplays and man, since launch this game is the only thing I play and think about. It's so amazing how a game can bring you back the joy for videogames.
I finished the game and now I'm in a second playthrough with a couple of mods on it and I feel like I'm playing for the first time again, feeling great to know that after I finish this one I'm gonna have another one with the same feeling because new mods will be avaible and there are new choices to make or even secrets to be discovered.
Thank God for Larian doing this with love.
Thank you for your content.
I'm so grateful two releases gave me the feeling of being lost in the game this year and I'm glad to hear others were equally as engaged with one (ff16 and BG3)
I loved this. I feel the same way. A casual gamer that started with Phantasy Star early mornings before the school bus and then later when I was older, Final Fantasy 2 (American) swept me into another world. Thank you for this.
BG3 makes me feel that I am experiencing my own adventure and that is a true achievement. I am almost 80 hours in and currently exploring the gauntlet of Shar and again and again I am entering places where I am literally sitting there, mouth open, and uttering "wow, what is that?". It's magnificent.
You could not have said it better, and I totally agree with you. Just started playing on PS5, and this is the first game in AGES that is stirring emotions in me. The pure dedication really shines through, and makes it more than a game, its a LIFESTYLE! Brilliant review. 👌
Playing this multi-player is so incredibly fun. To be in a combat and discuss strategy, to survey the field and figure out who's going to do what, it's amazing.
at about 21 mins into the video what you were saying made me ask: What would could Cyberpunk have been with a studio like Larian behind it and a few years of beta to iterate refine and fix their ideas. It might well have been the magnum opus we all thought it would be. Love the vid and man its cool to see how much you love this game. instant like and sub.
You have done a fantastic job in doing the impossible. Capturing the essence of this game, something I have found difficulty with when trying to explain to people just how fantastic this game is. Well done!
This is indeed very heartfelt. I cried 4 times during this 23 minutes video, as manly as I could.
Everything you said, the things you yearn for, the thing that seem to be missing... inside. I'm sold. I will go out to buy a new SSD card and buy the game and the little extra dlc tomorrow. Thank you for this review, I needed this.
Hey, I'm glad it resonated with you. Enjoy the game :)
I love your videos brother and watch every one you put out. Please keep making great content and once the BG3 train slows down, I’d love to explore other CRPG’s you have enjoyed.
Playing Baldur's Gate 3 now makes me feel like I did playing Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect over a decade ago. I remember rushing home so I could play them, spending weekends and holiday breaks in my room obsessing over them, falling in love with the worlds and rich lore and the amazing characters. I feel that its a high that I've spent so much time chasing, but no games could ever scratch that itch.
Just like back then, I look forward to getting home from work every day and playing Baldur's Gate. I haven't really gone out on my weekends because I want to keep playing and exploring. I'm playing one character and still thinking about all the other character and class possibilities and dialogue permutations that I'm missing out on.
I play Ranger and I was able to use my Raven twice to interact and help and complete quests. This game truly embraces creative freedom.
I've started multiple playthroughs, one with my wife, one with my father-in-law, one with some buds, and one solo. I haven't gotten out of Act 1 in any of them yet, and not a single playthrough has been the same. And we're talking fairly drastic differences both in gameplay, and in terms of how events played out.
My wife and I ended up assassinating various character in the goblin castle and it was really fun and challenging. With my father-in-law we ended up double-crossing the bad guys, and having a massive epic battle back at the druid grove. Because of that one of the factions became the "real heroes" as they helped fight off the goblin horde. Just an insane level of detail when it comes to storytelling in a video-game, my jaw drops on the regular.
In my solo game I ended up stealthing in and finding my way into the prison. From there I found a secret path which led to where they were storing one of the bad guys spider pets. With a lucky Animal Handling check I actually released the spiders into the castle and found yet another drastically different approach to the whole thing. I'm certain there are many others still - and this is just one part of Act 1.
They not only made an awesome video game, but they clearly understand what D&D is at its core and put so much love and attention into transcribing that TTRPG experience into BG3. As a huge fan of D&D, a DM myself, and long-time BG player (played the first one when it was brand new and ran through BG2 multiple times), they not only lived up to the Baldur's Gate franchise but truly brought it into a new era of gaming and surpassed all expectations I had. GotY without a doubt.
Luke, your writing is amazing! I love your content. I am also a casual gamer. I also try to "multi-task" while gaming, but the immersion in Baldur's Gate 3 makes that difficult. The facial mocap on this game adds so much to the immersion. I am generally a "1-and-done" gamer and rarely see value in replaying a game or new game+. However, I feel I may replay BG3 a few times, just to see how the game reacts to different character types and the different ways I tackle each encounter.
One of the greatest gaming experiences of my life. I’m just grateful to have been able to play this absolute f$&@ing masterpiece!
I just don't understand all the praise. It was so fucking boring
I'm a seasoned gamer, my first computer based games were the "Pool of Radiance" series put out by SSI in the late 80's and my first truly online game you could play with other humans was Quake - I've played so many different kind of games from FPS's, RTS's, RPG's and MMO's - I had never really gotten into turn based games much - until now! BG3 is hands down the best CRPG I've ever played and one of my top games of all time. Larian has turned me onto to a whole new mode of gameplay I didn't know I would love - This game has become an instant classic and has quickly become a touchstone of what gaming could and should be.
This has been the only game for at least 10 years that I've stayed up all night playing, it's definitely a work of art and one of the best RPGs ever.
I felt the same as Ian in EverQuest 1999 and the early 2000s. I walked into a new area, and the words "What is THAT?!" come flying out of my mouth. And it wasn't just the land. *Take this example:* You play a druid. Maybe a Halfling. Your adventures take you to Freeport. The guards like you and everything's chill. You gain a few levels and you can turn into a wolf. Because you move much faster, you stay in wolf-form all the time. Your adventures take you to Freeport--where the guards f*cking KILL YOUR ASS. Why? Because you're a !@%$! wolf! What else would they do? "Oh, we have women and children in this city. Let's allow this wild wolf to run in. NOT!"
Compare that to Age of Conan, which is graphically a far superior game. You play a Stygian Necromancer. You go to Conarch, a Cimmerian village. Cimmerians are northern barbarians who fear magic and strangers. You show up there with a small army of zombies following you, and the guards...don't react. "Right, in you go. Our women and children love the recently deceased."
If EQ designers had made AoC, you would not have set one black toenail in Conarch Village!
I have never felt so afraid in an MMO as with EQ back in the day, because it was *hard* and death sucked! No maps except what you printed out. No "!" above a quest-giver's head. Game Designers today are so afraid of losing subscribers they make their game as easy as possible. Do a 5-minute quest, and get a full epic suit of armor. Two of the greatest moments I had in EQ was getting the materials for J-boots for my necro, and my bard's epic instrument. To this day, the music crushes me.
I think they know about it and the fixed in in patch 2 because I am running out of camp supplies and not alot of potions in the wild. I had to not rely on supplies in chests and boxes, and had to look for the minute items like wine bottles, fruits, and also started making potions because they no loner sell them in camps
There are also the fact that even when you "fail" a dialogue skill check you still advance the story somehow, be it another character intervention, a new dialogue option or by just fighting and I agree 90% of the quests are related to the main scenario, I think in Act 1 the Gnolls quests is the only one that is not related to Main, in Act 2 is the vengeance/revenge guy that summon the woman spirit and in Act 3 the Artist and probably the Hag that you meet in Baldur's Gate.
There's loads of quests all over unrelated to the story
@@EKensai Yeah, especially in Act 3 once you're in the city. Some quests even seem like they're not related to the main story, but end up being so.
I love exploring in this game. It's so easy just to run off and see what's in X random spot and end up finding a cave entrance, or a secret way into an important building. Hell, even getting arrested was great for me because it allowed me to help an important NPC escape without violence (though I had to use my tools creatively to manage it). Splitting the party to explore actually feels good in this game, too, because it adds challenge when Gale is sneaking around on his own after using magick to get somewhere no one else could.
These visual cues of where to go is exactly why I dont have the same feeling with Starfield that I had with Skyrim. As soon as you started Skyrim, you wondered what it was like in High Hrothgar, or what was on the snowy mountains north east or over the vast plains to the west. In Starfield you just don't have that feeling as it's not in view, it's in a menu.
This review is an absolute treasure and work of art. Well done, my friend. I love it. Thank you! I appreciate you!
I expected this to be a great game but oh boy, what a GREAT game is. I personally love the exploration side of the game. The tiniest character on the opposite side of the map may have a quest for you. You can find a letter in a vase that starts a quest. You want to explore, and you are rewarded for exploring.
I bought this after playing Diablo 4. I have put... More hours than I care to admit into Diablo 2 over the last 20 years. I have dabbled in other RPGs and a wide variety of games over the years. I asked in a comment section if a nearly 40 father of 3 could casually play BG3 and still enjoy it. Universally it was "yes". I have about 50 hours in and I have really enjoyed it for much the same reasons you discuss. I appreciate the pace. I was really worried the turned based combat was going to be lame, but it is very well done. Larian did a hell of a job.
I really enjoy how the character relationships evolve. It isn't just "go here and save X character because it is the right thing to do". Maybe they did something nice for you, maybe you know how much they mean to other characters, or maybe they were a jerk so you let them die. Very few characters feel like place holders because you learn very quickly these random NPCs could be far more important than anticipated. There is an interconnectedness and intentional design that really shows the level of love and care that went into it.
My husband doesn't enjoy the style of turn based combat games, but he has been watching me play BG3 and is just as invested in the story as I am. He has been so adamant that some story beats happen for role playing purposes and it amuses me because he rarely shows this sort of passion for story line. I already know of several different runs and playstyles I would like to try. I want to create a different main character with their own vibe to romance each available character.
I have been doing nothing but getting off work, playing this game, and going to bed too late since I got it. I feel kinda like a teenager again. 😅
BD3 feels like the most amazing dream ever; you were so happy, surrounded by interesting people, people who care about and love you. You experienced so much together.
Then your heart aches when you realize it was just a dream.
It's almost impossible to go back to sleep and have that dream again, but at least with Baldur's Gate 3 I can just turn up PC and get right back at it!
No, I haven't eaten or slept much in two weeks. Yes, my eyes are permanently red now 😭💀
I'm on my 4th playthrough (170h together) and I still get surprised by new things/locations/NPCs I find. Also old stuff still surprises me, like the first meeting with Raphael being in 3 completely different areas and timing (broken bridge south of the gnolls, my camp and inside the goblin fortress)
As Ocarina of Time, being my GGOAT I totally resonated with what you said in this review as picked up BG3 last week. I have never been so immersed and warped back in time to the Golden era of gaming As I have playing this game. A masterpeice !!