Baldur’s Gate 3 and a “newbie”

If there is a game that has given so much to talk about among so many recognized IPs in 2023, it is good Baldur’s Gate 3. And it’s not that Larian Studios is an unknown saga, no, but it is obvious that its characteristics make it a proposition that is not suitable for all audiences. Hence its enormous merit in becoming a more “general public” product, reaching an unusual number of actors. This is due to the very high level of each of its sections, and his GOTY proves it.

And after a while, in this article I would like to reflect my experience with the title Larian in its Xbox version. Like many, I have always been oblivious to the saga until now, not out of ignorance, but because of its characteristics. It is a slow and demanding video game for the player, where choices constantly predominate both on a narrative and playable level. We will then describe the experience of Baldur’s Gate 3 from the perspective of a beginner player.

Interaction with the world

One of the things he stands out most for Baldur’s Gate 3, is due to the high degree of freedom it grants to the player. Although it is a less conventional title, Larian allows us to experience practically everything Everything around us. Regarding physics, these influence more than one might expect, even when we are not in the middle of combat. Crossing a different surface, such as an area partially bathed in water, slows us down, and generates an effect on our character as long as he does not exit it. This happens repeatedly.

But I think that without a doubt, adapting to the way the world of Baldur’s Gate 3 This is the hardest thing for me. This is also due to the amount of possibilities that exist and the fact that the world itself invites you to experiment, to try different things. Some tutorials don’t even suit me. On the one hand, by pressing the right analog, it is possible to identify the main elements of interaction around me, but there is always more than what meets the eye, and it is not clear how to cover everything.

A clear example of this is that early in my playthrough, after escaping from the nautiloid, I found a trapdoor in an isolated area of ​​the map. Items like this emerge along the way, as well as the exploration options themselves; You can use weapons like the bow to cut a rope holding a counterweight, causing a hole in the ground and opening an entrance to a ruin. But… what next? It’s overwhelming, and What is pleasant on one hand can also be overwhelming. to deal with certain situations. If you are more casual players, know that here you have to think a lot about each movement. Sometimes I didn’t really know where to go.

The Baldur’s Gate 3 fight; you will love it or you will hate it

Leaving aside the complexity of its world, I think that in terms of combat things are more accessible than they might first appear. Obviously, it’s still a different game from any other conventional RPG, but Its turn-based system was much more dynamic than it seemed. Of course, its accessibility is one thing and its mastery is another. When you fight with our characters, each has the same radial menus, where their different abilities are presented. Skills that will improve or change as they level up.

Combat management matters a lot here, we have to choose carefully according to our movement points each turn. To this we must add the characteristics of our class, so I chose to make a scout elf, one of the most versatile and accessible. It’s something that is learned little by little, depending on the enemies and terrain you encounter. In the hours that I was able to play at this stage, I experienced very vertical confrontations, where size really affects (like you would in real life).

Once again, combat invites experimentation, and you can even push an enemy up high to finish them off quickly. This, added to the success percentages, the number of enemies and the skills themselves, constitute a series of elements that the player must control. It’s a matter of practice and practice, but I won’t deny that it’s been difficult for me. SO, Continuing cooperation with our partner Kevin, I discovered details such as using the environment to damage enemies.in addition to “shortcuts” in mechanics and menus that I was unaware of.

Talk to everyone

The open world concept of Baldur’s Gate 3 It presents us with different explorable areas loaded with content. Within each of the zones, I discovered that despite a main mission, The game invites and almost forces you to immerse yourself in secondary schools. This is partly due to the number of characters there are everywhere, able to speak to each of them to activate a new plot. I would say that this is the most addictive thing about the game, because knowing how many lines of dialogue there are for each character, it is tempting to find out what everyone is waiting for.

You have surely read or seen somewhere that it is also possible to speak even with animals, as is the case with the famous squirrel that we met at the start of the adventure. In my case, I couldn’t understand her, but I tried to study her attitude and managed to avoid a more confrontational situation (I could have kicked her for trying to attack me ). These simple actions that seem insignificant can actually become a huge problem in the future., in another mission that apparently has nothing to do with this. I love it, and the different dialogue options constantly make me wonder what the right thing to do is. This internal conflict over what to do in each moment is great, and it always works, hence what is remarkable about his story.

There were also times where the dialogue didn’t work, and I had to resort to combat, or find another way to access certain missions. This is why the game becomes demanding, and sometimes generates this feeling of little progress after three or four hours of play. The fights themselves and their strategic component also reinforce this idea. So if you enter Baldur’s Gate 3, patience. It’s essentially a tabletop role-playing game brought to the screen.

The dice, still present in Baldur’s Gate 3

I can assure you that despite the simplicity of this mechanic, you will pray as much or more than me every time it appears on the screen. Before talking to you about the story and the elections, well, Much of this depends on the luck of the dice.. Like a good tabletop role-playing game, here we will constantly play our destiny through the dice. So you have to save the game every time.

As you can see, having to constantly save is also a chore, but that’s part of the game and the design of the dice. Because? very simple, as happens to me and most players, you will die constantly. I didn’t know to what extent this circumstance occurs, but I have already discovered that it is normal. Danger lurks at every step.

A few hours after starting my game, a side adventure occurred in which I decided to help a goblin imprisoned in the Grove. This place was inhabited by other demonic-looking humanoid beings, but they didn’t really pose a danger to me. However, after this goblin’s suggestion to find a certain treasure, I risked my neck to free her. This meant a very high roll where I couldn’t get past the minimum the game required of me, so I failed and reloaded the game.

This same example applies to any other situation, such as a simple dialogue or a seemingly harmless action. If our dialogue depends on a high result, it is very likely that we will lose and end up failing in our intentions or, directly, dying instantly. And that’s it Even our perception of the world depends on the dice.since in many cases the throws are automatic, which speeds up the game. However, it becomes tedious for those who are less used to it.

You must experience it

As you see, talk about it Baldur’s Gate 3 This is already a difficult task in itself. In this article I wanted to highlight some of its main features, but I still left out a lot of things. Without wanting to repeat myself, I must remind you that It’s a very, very demanding game. with the player. There are virtually no markers on the map, nor a clear guide on where to go. To this must be added the constant failure during the game, whether in the form of failure in the plot objective or direct death.

It’s a slow game, which has been difficult for me since its beginnings, but once I delved deeper into its mechanics and narrative options, it captivated me more and more. However, I must clarify that in my opinion and due to its characteristics, I find it more fun to play it cooperatively and spaced out. Of course, if you like the genre you will be happy to enjoy it every day, but for less conventional users like me I think the best option is to deepen it in more distributed sessions and with friends. This makes it more bearable and enjoyable.but as always, everyone is free to experience it in their own way, which is ultimately the beauty of this title and others like it.

It’s still a niche game, but if you’re patient enough and give it a chance, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Baldur’s Gate 3 as I have done so far. If you want to know more about him, you have an analysis on our site.