In a world where we are all counting the days until Starfield, it’s hard to believe the storytelling juggernaut that is Baldur’s Gate 3 would come out and wow even the most hardened and discerning RPG skeptic. Larien Studios’ ambitious RPG is basically a big budget Dungeons and Dragons simulator. While a myriad of RPGs have been released in recent years, Larien’s latest offering is a throwback in a way complete with stat checks, dice and honest to goodness classes that all feel surprisingly different. The turn-based gameplay might look pretty standard for a turn-based RPG, it is the presentation of everything else that truly propels it as a masterpiece in design. Its lavish and spectacular cutscenes are enough to melt eyeballs, along with some truly impressive voice acting. It’s the kind of detailed, well-written word play that will make D &D afficionados glee with absolute joy.
The opening of the game, after witnessing an epic intro complete was a freaking dragon, saw an Elven Monk fighting his way out of the underworld after being captured by a Mind Flayer and infected by an other-worldly parasite. After a violent shipwreck, my small party on the hunt to rescue a missing Druid, and also searching for a healer for the rest of the party. Before finding a healer however, I was distracted by some haunted singing I heard in the distance and my party was drawn into an encounter by a group of murderous Harpies. Everyone was ultimately killed.
Death trap aside, this was some masterful storytelling, environmental and otherwise. Larion Studios had a "aw shucks" sort of attitude when it came to BG3 moving their release date to not conflict with other recent upcoming releases such as Starfield and Spider-Man 2. It might not have been necessary, with PC Gamer giving it 97 percent, its highest rating in 15 years.
What does this mean the RPG in the room, Starfield? XBOX fans and Microsoft alike are hoping that it will be will be the epic Genre-defining RPG it needs to be. While Bestheda games are widely regarded in the RPG space, they also usually come with a host of technical problems, and even in the Starfield Direct the characters models didn't appear too different than their previous offerings. An opinion piece by MMORPG.com insists that the game doesn't offer anything "next-gen" or new. (Poorna, p.3). With the recent failures of games like Redfall, and many of its games being delayed or cancelled the pressure is on.
Starfield has a high-bar to clear with Baldur’s Gate 3 delivering a Game of Thrones level of writing, presentation and characterization. While this is an interesting debate, it might not be a fair comparison. While one game is a turned based fantasy tale, the other is clearly the opposite—a single player sci fi affair. Its reminiscent of the release Breath of the Wild and Horizon Zero Dawn, two similar games that ultimately one type of gamer will gravitate more than the other. Time will tell if there can be more than one RPG king of the mountain.
(2022, 21 June). Poorna, S. Opinion: Starfield is Not Next-Gen. MMORPG. https://www.mmorpg.com/editorials/opinion-starfield-is-not-next-gen-2000125337
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