I waited to play this game until after the 8 major patches, the closest thing to getting a definitive edition. I did almost everything that can be done in a single playthrough, to the point of even trying every dialogue option in every interaction just to see what would happen. I tried some fights more than once to get different outcomes based on different decisions. Here are my thoughts:
PROS:
- In every game that gives the player differents paths in the story there's a level of illusion of choice.
Baldur's Gate 3 is no exception, but the amount of real different branches, the number and weight of actual consequences of your decisions is OBSCENE. No other game comes close.
- The main and secondary characters are very well written and developed (There are a couple of exceptions). Many of them are truly memorable.
- The art and graphics are a feast for the eyes. This game is GORGEOUS!
- The combat system is deep and rewarding. It can be as challenging as you want it to be and it encourages player creativity. This world is your playground.
- The amount of content is RIDICULOUS. After 700+ hours there's still a LOT of stuff I haven't seen! The general quality of main and side quests is really high!
- The overall story is very good. A couple of problems bring it down a little bit though.
- Awesome music! The soundtrack is outstanding and there are two magnificent songs, one of which is very creative!
- You can tell there's a lot of passion behind this game, that's why it's so good.
CONS:
- The impact Act 3 has on the performance is so different from the first two acts that it feels like you started playing a different game. Technical problems, crashes and the like happen way more often and a certain area (just one for me, it can be more for other players) forced me to deactivate stuff in the settings temporarily. The game running smooth in the first two acts is no guarantee of having a good performance in the last one.
- It's good to see some old characters again, but the depiction a couple of them have here is… problematic. In both cases the developers opted for a one-dimensional interpretation that only serves to elevate new characters and piss off fans of those old ones. They work in the narrative, but they
are way less interesting than their canonic versions from Baldur's Gate 1 and Baldur's Gate 2. Most veterans will have three possible reactions: they will hate this, they will be disappointed or they won't care. The most positive effect will be indifference. I haven't seen anybody that really likes these changes, so this must be a tiny minority. What was the point then? these characters don't need to be here, the story doesn't require them. Their roles should have been played by new characters.
- I understand that the "3" in the title makes sense from a marketing standpoint, but given that this game isn't connected to the previous games in the same way they were directly connected to each other, I would have preferred a subtitle instead of a number, something like: "Baldur's Gate: The Tadpole Attack!".
- A revelation at the end falls into a boring trope that I hate, but it's easy to ignore and it doesn't actually impact the story in a significant way. This revelation does not change at all the events that unfold afterwards and what the characters must do. So, nothing serious but still completely unnecessary.
This game is a masterpiece. It's a worthy successor to the first two installments and it's not only an essential title in the genre, but also one of the best video games in history.
P.S: I love you Lae'zel :D
