Baldurs Gate III is a new game from Larian Studios, the developer and publisher of Divinity Original Sin I and Divinity Original Sin II. It is also a sequel to the Baldur’s Gate series of games from over 20 years ago. The first game came out in 1998 and the second one in 2001.
It is going to be an RPG, and it takes place around 100 years after the events of the second game in the series. It is an incredibly unique title with a lot of nostalgia for some players, but it is like a combination of two games. It is scheduled to be released in August on PC and September on PS5.
The game will try to satisfy any Baldur’s Gate fan as well as a Divinity fan. Some fans think this game is a spiritual successor to the Divinity franchise. It’s like a Divinity Original Sin III because of the similarities in the gameplay mechanics. However, the main difference is the world of Baldur’s Gate and the Dungeon and Dragons mechanics implemented in the game.
How Is it Different from Divinity?
The main difference is the randomness of it all. Everything is a dice roll, a gamble, like in a casino or like you are playing Bitcoin slots at Joe Fortune. Fate rules it all, and you never have full control of what you will roll and what the outcome of the roll will be. It will be familiar to any Dungeon and Dragons fan because it uses a modified system from the fifth edition of DnD.
Another difference is the universe the world is set in. It is no Divinity anymore, there is no Source, but it is a Baldur’s Gate universe. A somewhat similar environment with lots of fantasy elements, magic, classes, etc.
How Long to Finish Baldur’s Gate III?
The game will supposedly last for about 80-100 hours if you are just doing the story at your own pace, however if you want to explore everything and do all the side quests available in your playthrough it can last up to 200 hours.
In addition to that, the game offers 12 classes:
- Barbarian
- Druid
- Fighter
- Ranger
- Rogue
- Sorcerer
- Bard
- Monk
- Warlock
- Paladin
- Cleric
- Wizard
All of the classes have at least 3 subclasses, with Wizard and Cleric having seven and eight subclasses respectively. Considering that you might want to beat the game a couple of times, this might be a title for thousands of hours over the years.
There are also Origin characters like in the Divinity series, which have their own stories, personalities, and more. So, if you create your own character and pair, it up with up to three Origin characters you will need at least two playthroughs to see all 6 Origin characters’ stories unfold.
Another difference is the turn-based fighting system that was not present in the original Baldur’s Gate games. There was a real time gameplay with the pause option to prepare for the upcoming strategies, here everything is turn-based system like in the Divinity series developed by Larian in the past.
The Gameplay Experience
It will be a turn-based isometric strategy game with tons of interactions. If we go by what Larian Studios created with Divinity Original Sin II in particular, we can expect tons of interactions, and ways to beat the game and individual quests.
There will be countless ways of interacting between items, characters, objects, NPCs, etc. You might beat one quest by slaying a character and getting a quest item, or by using stealth and stealing from them or by doing a quest for them to get that item, or by just talking to them with your charisma, by turning them into chicken, by flirting with them, and many more options.
If there is an ability that allows you to interact with game mechanics in some way, it is most likely there to allow you to freely approach the game. Of course, some quests will be more linear with limited options but the key aspect that made Divinity so great is the freedom player is given, so here we can expect the same or even more!
Audiovisual Presentation
When it comes to graphics the game looks gorgeous. Character models, landscapes, maps, and spells all look stunning. The only thing that looks a bit wonky are the mouth animations when some characters speak, however it is still a long way above any other turn-based game. You can get immersed in the world quite easily.
In addition, there is a great soundtrack in Baldur’s Gate III, and voice acting is on point, especially the narrator’s voice who accompanies you through the entire game in many various places. We will not go over the story due to potential spoilers, but it is also something that is shaping up to be intriguing based on the first Act that was available in Early Access. One of your first goals is to get rid of an infestation that is spreading inside your character, and the rest will remain a mystery until you discover it yourself!