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coyotino [he/him] @beehaw.org

What is up with Baldur's Gate 3?

This is not a criticism - I love how much attention this game has been getting. I'm just not understanding why BG3 has been blowing up so much. It seems like BG3 is getting more attention than all of Larian's previous games combined (and maybe all of Obsidian's recent crpgs as well). Traditionally crpgs have not lit the world on fire in this way. Is it just timing of the release? Is it a combo of Divinity fans and new D&D fans and Baldur's Gate oldheads all being stoked about this release for their own reasons? Or something else?

Note:I have not played it yet myself, just curious what folks think?

59 comments

  • My understanding is that it is a complete game with no microtransactions to shove along with it. After that I believe it is because it is really really good and not a common genre to get the spot light. Mainly the first part.

    • I think its based on timing with the state of the game industry being fascinated with various versions of P2W and how to squeeze more out of gamers through monetization of both 'nice to have' and 'need to have.' Larian and BG3 are a breath of fresh air when all the others are prioritizing greed over quality.

      If we could just overcome our addictions and vote with our wallet, EA, Blizzard, Activision, M$, etc. would eventually learn, but we can't, and this is the true sad part of the story.

      • Vote with your wallet anyway. McDonalds sells a lot of burgers but few would say they are the best.

      • It's just a really good game. It's complete, unlike the majority of things being released these days. The lack of monetization is really nice, but ultimately the fact that it's basically an automatic dungeon master for 5e with compatibility for up to four cooperative players makes it the easiest entry point into Dungeons and Dragons in general. You can enjoy it by yourself solo and have a wild campaign that's totally different than the group campaign you play with your friends.

        I've always hesitated stepping into the dungeon master role because I've always wanted to help tell a story, but this negates the need for me to lead anything and I can bring friends with little to no experience and we have a blast. I can focus on helping people with the mechanics rather than having to focus on running the campaign.

      • See I've been seeing this take in the headlines, but this doesn't seem like enough to me. Folks have been sick of microtransaction-heavy games in the same way for at least 2 years now, and most studios (outside of the ones you listed) have been releasing games that are light on microtransactions. The System Shock Remake is a good comparison point - it was a modern release in a traditionally niche PC genre, it reviewed very well, and to my knowledge it has no DLC. I guess it didn't release on console yet, so maybe that's a key difference?

  • I think what isn't being discussed enough is how many fans of games like Dragon Age Origins this game is pulling in.

    What this game does is straddles the difference between classic CRPGs like the original Baldurs Gate and modern, cinematic RPGs like Dragon Age Origins and Mass Effect, whose games began to veer into very action-oriented cinematic style as opposed to classic three-quarter-overhead-view turn-based style. It also brings the cinematic aspect to romancing companions as well, something that was also pioneered in DAO and ME. Other games had ability to romance as well, but not deeply like DAO and ME made it, with their cinematic style allusion-to-sex scenes.

    This game does both and so it is grabbing the attention of people who loved classic CRPGs like Baldurs Gate, Fallout and Neverwinter Nights, but it's also grabbing the attention of more "normie(?)" players who cut their teeth on Dragon Age Origins through Inquisition.

    It's a "best of both worlds" approach that has solidified success because it appeals to the people who loved classic CRPGs as well as the people who wanted the cinematic beauty as well as ability to cinematically romance companions. It has beautiful cinematic detail as well as a fully fleshed out CRPG system and non-linear CRPG story. It's giving players of all types what they wanted out of an RPG.

    Also, excellent console controls directly help this. Old CRPGs required a mouse and keyboard, but I can play this game split-screen with my SO who only ever played the Dragon Age games and who I struggled to get into D&D previously.

    My SO fucking loves this game, and she wouldn't have ever been opened up to such a style of game without the excellent cinematic graphics alongside the top tier classic CRPG gameplay. There is no way in hell I could get her to play a strictly top-down no-cinematics classic CRPG. This game opened her up to the genre. It's essentially the perfect modernization of a classic CRPG.

  • I’m a crpg fan, and a D&D/PF fan. For me, the thing that makes this game so fun is it feels like a streamlined D&D session. Sure, you can’t do as much as you would like in a D&D session, but you can do 99% of what you would typically want to do.

    The other thing is the game is extremely polished. So many recent games have been underproduced, unpolished garbage with DLC/MTX shoved in and a $70 price tag. BG3 is a breath of fresh air. It’s not perfect, but the care and dedication that went into it clearly shows.

    I feel what makes this game so popular is the fact that the game is just really well made. The story is great, the classes are much better balanced than 5e, and the amount of interesting solutions you can use to solve any problem is just fun. Add co-op, and the game becomes a blast to play with friends.

    Considering the recent rise in trrpg popularity and fans of older titles in the franchise, Larian’s existing fans, and an early access that showed off the game as being fun and promising, I’m not surprised it ended up attracting a lot of players. If you have a large enough player base at launch, and an amazing game, I don’t think it is a surprise the game is lighting the world on fire.

  • It seems like BG3 is getting more attention than all of Larian’s previous games combined (and maybe all of Obsidian’s recent crpgs as well).

    Legendary brand name which the game actually lives up to.

  • It's not perfect or anything, but it feels like a release with very pure intentions and people seem to resonate with that. No micro transactions, no DRM (not even Steam's is implemented), no release day DLC, fast hotfixing, and maybe with the promise of classic expansion packs. The sort of practices that people want to encourage, packaged with a formidable and generally well put together game.

  • The game is really, really good.

    Genuinely, it’s just a really fucking good game and I think thats most of it.

  • The Baldur's Gate IP has a solid fanbase, D&D is really popular now, and also Larian knocked this one out of the park.

    It's also refreshingly consumer-friendly, like others have said.

  • I'm being peer-pressured into playing it with friends, it's an ok game. The quality is there, it's full of content, though I wouldn't say my lack of hype was misplaced - I'd still rather play some other niche games in my library.

    What rubs me the wrong way is it's GPU load even with lower graphical settings, and the hundred gigabytes of mandatory high-res textures and whatnot;
    I find the UX clunky and infuriating at times, which is not ideal but acceptable for the genre.

    What I really respect BG3 (and Larian) for is that its overall a very solid game and it's making the AAA industry seethe, apparently.
    It's also DRM-free, but I would definitely buy it rather than Steam-Familying it if I were into its subgenre (and if it wasn't a GPU hog).

  • Marketing. It generally being a good game and part of a beloved series, set in a beloved franchise (D&D). WOTC has been marketing and growing the Hells out of D&D lately. The recent movie and this game are part of that.

  • On top of some of the commentary here, I'd like to add that I think there's a real chance that WoTC's put some money behind getting it heavily reviewed/boosted, and so more articles about it and wider attention. That is not to undercut its quality, just that I think its a layers of support. (I'll admit there's more than a little bit of my distrust of WoTC in that. Like after all their other scandals they need a win to try and suck newbies into the game after so much messing up. And I don't even mean in the last year or something, their release quality for 5e has been abysmal for a long time.)

    Additionally Larian played the early access thing very well. Not only did they listen to their ongoing players, and even netted some "tried it didn't like it" people back, it gave time for everyone who was perhaps too into the older isometric BG1&2 titles (like me) to realize the game didn't seem quite like it was for them and not pick it up. So you get clear, mostly good(if outdated) information out there for people to use in researching if they wanted to buy it, helping to avoid a lot of the knee-jerk hate that stuff like Fallout 4 and 76 got from misplaced expectations that could dull the release.

  • As I see it, it's a confluence of things which have captured the zeitgeist:

    • Larian D:OS games have been very well received.
    • Baldur's Gate and the Infinity Engine games are beloved.
    • Final Fantasy XVI, the big JRPG for the year, is squarely an action game and some view that as off-kilter. Baldur's Gate 3, the big CRPG for the year, is squarely an RPG.
    • D&D is a big property and new D&D games often gain a fair bit of attention.
    • People seem to appreciate having no in-game purchases.

    These five things, in my opinion, have pushed Baldur's Gate 3 to the front of media outlets and, in turn, to the forefront of conversations.

  • It’s a combination of good timing, a perfect product and going against the direction of most AAA-studios.

    Though BG2 is more than two decades old, a lot of us still considers it one of the best games ever. I think quite a few of us have been eager to return to forgotten realms. That’s one group.

    Then there’s a group of Divinity fans (some overlapping the old BG group) waiting for Larians next RPG.

    Those two groups would be the critical mass for creating hype. Would the game live up to the old games? Would it be as good as Divinty?

    Then comes the first reviews and people get to play the beta, and though the first few months were rough, once we got close to release it was clear, that BG3 would not only live up to its expectations, it would smash through the roof.

    Now you have your core fan base talking about how good this game is, how do you sell this to people who normally don’t play this type of game?

    Well, talk to them in a language they understand. This game is complete from day 1. No DLC. No ingame shop. Just a complete game that you can play over and over again with new ways of completing it… oh, and you can co-op with your friends. Even on the couch in split screen.

    There are simply not anything of major significance to criticize about this game. You may not like it, or the genre is not for you, but as a complete product it’s simply perfect.

    As a player you get the feeling that Larian focus on the game first where others focus on money first. That may not be the whole truth, but it’s the feeling this is creating, and hopefully other studios will acknowledge that there are other ways to do things.

  • It's hype.

    I hate tabletop RPGs, so I know no matter how good everyone says it is, I know it's not for me.

    • My nephew whom is mainly an FPS player and said that BG3 was not for him has recently picked it up and is loving multiplayer with his friends.

      As a previous player of the BG series and others like it, BG3 is a far cry from any of its predecessors. I'm not stating your opinion isn't fair, but wanted to also give another account of players that don't consider this their type of game and are surprised to like it.

      • That's fine and fair.

        I know I'm just getting downvoted by people emotionally hurt by me stating I dislike tabletop RPGs. But my opinion is also being informed by my past experience with Larian's other celebrated game, Divinity Original Sin 2. No matter how hyped it was, or how clearly polished it was, I didn't think that game was fun either.

  • Side question:

    Is it worth playing if you're not into dnd? I saw lots of replies mention how it perfectly implements dnd 5e but that has 0 value for me. Is the game itself good not counting the dnd association, lack of anti features, release anticipation etc?

    • If you like RPGs in general, I think it's worth playing. No need be a fan of DnD.

    • You'll be fine. It'd be different if you were familiar with and disliked D&D.

    • tldr: This is a great game if you enjoy rich storytelling, compelling character arcs, and actual consequences. This is also a great game if you enjoy turn-based, environment-aware combat of the likes of Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics. Overall, it's a well-oiled machine, with polish in all the right places to make it very welcoming to dnd newcomers and veterans alike. If you have played Larian's older Divinity: Original Sin games (which was not based on the dnd ruleset), there's a lot of quality of life updates that fix a lot of the gripes that I had with those games.

      My wife and I are loving it (individual saves, although co-op is supported in this game). We are not dnd tabletop players; the extent of my experience is the recent dnd movie that came out. I don't know the difference between 5e and 3e, but I do know I'm having an (eldritch) blast playing this game. I bought it on a strong recommendation from my friends (although, these friends do have dnd experience), and I can confidently say it's a fun game.

      The most overwhelming experience you might have as a newcomer is during character creation, where a healthy amount of reading is involved to understand what classes, races, subraces, spells, and cantrips are (among other things). They provide very neat tooltips that provide the information you need, when you need it, without getting in your way - there is no pause-every-5-seconds-for-a-tutorial-notification deal here. You can get involved as much (or as little) as you wish. If you've ever made a character in a game like Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, or Dragon Age: Origins, and messed around with the relevant skill trees, it's around that level of involved.

      If you do get overwhelmed with character creators, fret not - you can choose one of the pre-built characters that come packaged with their own personalities, builds, and stories. Speaking of stories: I personally feel like the writing is compelling and is leagues better than previous Larian titles, if that means anything to you. Make no mistake, this is a fantasy story and you'll have your fantasy tropes in this game, but I've yet to encounter a moment or twist in the story that feels cheap or unearned. It depends on how much you like this sort of genre. There are times when it takes itself seriously and times when it doesn't, but it has never felt out of place.

      Besides the narrative, the other major part of the game is combat, and I think it shines there too. From a non-dnd perspective, it's a turn-based, environment-aware tactics game. It doesn't feel exactly like any one type of system I've played before, but I feel a lot of different aspects that get utilized in ways that mesh well. Unit placement on the field matters. Typically your party's makeup plays a role in how you approach encounters. I've never felt like my party couldn't figure out their own way to solve a situation, and it never felt like it was just handed to me. The encounters are flexible enough to allow multiple approaches without depriving them of the depth each approach needs to remain engaging.

      Just so you can gauge how well my suggestions will apply, I love playing tactics games but don't always have a lot of time, so I typically adjust the difficulty when possible to emphasize story progression over tactical difficulty. I'm not a maddening-difficulty Fire Emblem: Three Houses player (more power to y'all out there); I just casually enjoy combat puzzles. I think games like Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Final Fantasy Tactics, Advance Wars, Tactics Ogre, Brigadine, Battle for Wesnoth, etc., are fun to play, and I don't necessarily need to "win" every combat encounter to feel like I had a good time either. I really enjoy is a story that presents fresh ideas, even if it means remixing some old tropes here and there; Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age: Origins, etc. - any game that gives you characters who mesh well (or "contrast" well) with one another usually can maintain my attention.

59 comments