Baldur’s Gate III
Developer/publisher Larian Studios Format PC, Stadia Origin Belgium Release TBA
If life were a D&D campaign then 2020 would’ve rolled a one: a critical miss. But for those playing Baldur’s Gate III the year didn’t seem that bad. Not only did this chunk of early-access adventure provide a distraction from the outside world, it also gave a lesson in its unfair hardships. Rare is the encounter in which you aren’t required to throw a die to pass a skill check. The rolls are cruel, the results often worse: children killed by snakes, friends driven mad, and one exceedingly unpleasant moment of foot kissing. Did 2020 ask you to suck a goblin’s toe? No? Consider yourself lucky.
Larian’s decision to show the roll on screen taps into the clattering drama of tabletop games. And if the temptation is to save scum, such do-overs only serve to skip the work of writers striving to make failure as interesting as success. Where many RPGs follow branching dialogue to similar destinations, the Heartlands of Faerûn are stuffed with reactive tissue. Whether settling territorial disputes or placating opposing allies, consequences snowball. Consider how one act might impact on future events and it’s dizzying.
Then there’s the most pressing fate of all: your own. Devils can’t be trusted, but they are handy for a plot synopsis. Explains one: “One skull, two tenants.” Yes, your brain has a housemate, an Illithid tadpole set on turning you into a Mind Flayer. It grants you the power to telepathically dominate others, but the more you engage it, the stranger your dreams become, with violent new powers manifesting when you wake. If you won’t deal with your personal demon, others will: druids, witches, devils and healers propose fixes, turning this part of the game into a gauntlet of temptations. And who’s to say your companions aren’t making pacts of their own, especially if controlled by fellow humans? As an engine for confrontations we can name few more exciting.
Larian is in familiar territory when things do get physical, with the turn-based tactical combat of Divinity: Original Sin providing solid foundations for D&D rules. Baldur’s Gate III has simpler movement/ action delineation, but even the trip to level four (the maximum in early access) sees the clear-cut classes blossom. And if there’s less room for battlefield alchemy, it’s made up for with deeper stealth. In fact, avoiding combat demonstrates one beneficiary of the game’s time in early access. A recent patch added experience gain when negotiating peaceful solutions. Throw in less eye-rolling from one of your surlier companions and we see a game setting out its stall for 2021 in a more flexible, kinder way. Just don’t drop your guard around goblin toes. The dice aren’t done with us yet.