Lovingood Review: 'Baldur's Gate 3' is a 10 out of 10 experience that raises expectations from developers

TL/DR NOTES

Review Grade: 10/10

Pros: Provides a comfortable entry-level experience for non-Dungeons & Dragons players to enjoy a D&D-style campaign along with stunning visuals, voice acting, gameplay, story direction and dialogue options.
Cons: Way too low of a level cap, several glitches could make the experience less fun, the third act is arguably exhaustingly long (user experience varies), soundtrack left much to be desired (though there are a few ear worms)

Parental Guidance: Rated M for mature: This is a game I wouldn't let anyone younger than 17 years old play this game There's cursing, nudity, gore, sex and extreme violence, including murder. There are also witchcraft/demonic elements in this game if you find that inappropriate for your kid.

Gameplay Time: 100+ hours

Difficulty: Balanced

Platform Experience: PC

Intro

I'm just going to flat out say it: 'Baldur's Gate 3' has it all. I typically don't play CRPG games but this one has made me change my viewpoint of the genre, especially with the rather large offering it provides. The amount of detail in the game's dialogue, story direction, and combat style blows my mind. Personally, I believe it's the 2023 Game of the Year (which I'll explain why in another article) but let me explain what makes this gem so special.

A Captivating Story

After creating a character (I chose a Half-Orc Sorcerer for my game) to play through the campaign, you start on a flying ship that is infested with iconic mind flayers. They've infected you with an Illithid tadpole (squirmy little brain worm) and are trying to turn you into a mind flayer, though you find out very quickly that you're not turning as quickly as expected.

As you progress through the early part of the story, you find yourself on solid ground and must find a way to remove the tadpole threatening to turn you. Along the way, you're introduced to a cast of characters that have unique personalities that will more than likely stick with you, including Asterion, Lae'zel, and Karlach. Now, I'm going to say something that will shock many people who've played through the game already: I didn't meet Karlach on my first playthrough. A sin, I know, but I was genuinely just progressing the way I thought felt right. I messed up, I know.

The game is split into three different acts, and as you keep playing, you'll begin to make decisions that will carry on between acts and ultimately play into how your ending culminates. I took a path in which I chose to portray myself as being a steward of a dark entity - the absolute - but I wanted my character to only play the part but never be serious about it.

I'm aware there is another path you can take where you are a brutal killer who can pay penance for the harm you've caused, and I've heard this is a path that feels like the "real" way to enjoy Baldur's Gate 3, but there's no real one way to play. That's what makes the game great.

Ultimately, your character and friends are trying to stop the world from being taken over by the Mind Flayers. There's a lot more going on there, but it truly is an experience you're best understanding if you play yourself.

Dungeons and Dragons and So Many Decisions

I have never played a game that gave me anxiety about the choices I made until this game. As my friend, Chanel, put it: this is the most gray area game I've ever played. When your character is presented with dialogue options, you likely think, "Oh, if I choose this, I bet this is what happens," only to be thrown for a loop. This happened many times.

I wish I could say I kept track of every single choice my character made, but there were so many I couldn't keep up. That's not a bad thing though! I quickly became immersed in the game because of how real the situations felt once you've chosen your path.

I practiced the art of save scumming-- in which you save your game before deciding and then loading that game in the event you didn't like your choice's outcome. I wanted to know as much of the "unknown" in the game during my playthrough because I knew it would be a while before I picked it back up for a second campaign. There are lots of other games out there to play!

Gameplay: A smorgasbord of whatever you want

As I mentioned, I played as a sorcerer, and the number of choices of spells you're given felt overwhelming, but in a good way. I typically try to play mages who can do heavy damage from afar to avoid close-range battle, which wasn't an issue. The issue was trying to figure out the best layout that worked for my character, if you can even call that an issue.

You can also switch up your character's class mid-game if you don't feel like you're vibing with the choices you made up until that point, though I haven't taken advantage of that option. I felt comfortable with what I chose for my character and the members of my party I met along the way.

One element I'm not accustomed to was having an environment where you really must pay attention to all aspects of it to take advantage of combat and exploration. For example, there's a part in the game where you're infiltrating a stronghold and some of the NPCs inside are drunk. My friend told me in her playthrough, she placed rotting meat inside of the alcohol barrels and it poisoned the enemies and made for an easy experience for him. The game created such an immersive experience that you can’t help but put your mind in that D&D space and live out a very polished choose your own adventure experience.

In that aspect, I want to mention the way the acts of the game are laid out. There is a total of three and it feels like they allow you to either breeze through or take your time complete every side quest before you're ready to move on to the next act. I finished the first act too soon and – as I mentioned earlier – I never met Karlach. Like, at all. She's been a crowd favorite since the game was released, but I suspect I'll meet her during my second playthrough.

Possible improvements in the future

I really didn't have a whole lot to complain about in this game except maybe it felt like at some point there was a little too much to do. Act Three is by far the longest in the game and admittedly it felt like a slog; however, this is completely subjective. Some people have said they spent their first 100 hours in Act One of the game. That's how in depth it is.

I might suggest in a future game to better balance out the options of plot between each act, so one doesn't seem incredibly longer than the others, or perhaps streamlining some of the narrative to remove what felt like filler at times.

This is ultra minor, but I would also like to hear a bit more variety in the music that plays. My friends and I would occasionally sing the song "Down by the River" in our chats because it felt like it played so often. The soundtrack gamers got was just fine, but nothing wrong with a little more variety.

Lastly, inventory organization feels like it could have been slightly more polished.

'Baldur's Gate 3': My 2023 Game of the Year

Overall, Baldur's Gate 3 is a stunning experience. The last time I felt so engrossed by a game was when I played Elden Ring last year, which was the 2022 Game of the Year. Whereas I used to steer clear of games that play like Baldur's Gate 3, this one had so much to offer than welcomed me into the fold and even got me learning a little more of Dungeons & Dragons lore as I began to see how the game was involved in the D&D universe.

The game is a 10 out of 10 easy. Whereas I haven't played the multiplayer aspect, I've heard nothing but great things about its experience. I have friends who have started multiple campaigns and can't put it down months after its release. If you want a high fantasy experience with choices galore, Baldur's Gate 3 is that game.

What this game has done is set a new standard of expectations from developers. Too often many triple-a experiences from some developers feel half-baked or a straight up money grab. Baldur’s Gate 3 is the whole package with no gimmicks. You buy the game, and you get a full 100+ hour experience. To the developers that released games that are not up to snuff by the time it’s in the hands of gamers, you’re on notice. Larian Studios proves studios with hundreds of employees can do more and do it well.

Parental Guide

Whereas I fully enjoyed this game, I don't think Baldur's Gate 3 is a title parents should just give to their kids under the age of 17 and let them play without knowing what's in it. There are demonic images in the game as well as gory parts. The game is incredibly violent at times and has plenty of swearing that might make you wince.

I used to work at a video game store and this is a game I would definitely take a full 10 minutes to explain why a parent wouldn't want to buy for someone under 17. It has a lot of adult themes, including sex and nudity. It’s a little too mature for most kids. If you insist on purchasing this title for your child, I highly recommend watching video reviews to understand the graphic nature of this game.

Lovingood Screenshot Gallery for Baldur’s Gate 3

WARNING: some of these photos have big spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3!