Baldur’s Gate 3 is not only hilarious, but is also full of touching moments and gestures.
Baldur’s Gate 3 touched many of us deeply emotionally. But one fan has a particularly loving connection to the best role-playing game of 2023: Development studio Larian has included an NPC who pays tribute to his father, who suffers from Alzheimer’s.
Game designer Rachel Quirke (who wrote Bardin Alfira, among other things) shared on X, formerly Twitter, how the studio responded to a thank-you letter from the fan.
What exactly is Alzheimer’s? This is a degenerative disease of the brain that can lead to forgetfulness, amnesia, but also severe physical complaints and even death. It primarily affects, but not only, older people and is currently not curable. The exact causes are also unknown. You can find information and help for those affected and their relatives, for example, at Europe Alzheimer Society.
The story of the ancient mind flayer hunter
So fing alles an: In 2020, user Solfalia wrote in Run-Forum a message and thanked him for the extensive early access to Baldur’s Gate 3, which had just been released at the time. It says:
I am an avid gamer. My dad got me into gaming from a young age and we played so many hours of Baldur’s Gate 2 together. Since the announcement of BG3, we have been looking forward to playing together, reliving old memories of role-playing games together and embarking on a new adventure (…).
Unfortunately, he was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and I’m not sure if he’ll be able to play the entire game with me when it comes out. That worried me because he was really looking forward to it.
And then you release this early access. Not a game with tons of bugs or a skeleton of a game, but a complete Act 1, with a limited number but well thought out classes and a good, long storyline.
This early access means I can go on an adventure with him one last time this Christmas and I know he will enjoy it. The fact that the big bads are mind flayers is just icing on the cake.
1:45:23
Middle finger to the AAA industry: Baldur’s Gate 3 was no coincidence
An unnamed Larian employee then contacted Solfalia via email and asked whether they could include a tribute to the father, who suffered from dementia.
Fast forward a few years: Baldur’s Gate 3 is finished and has taken the throne of the best RPGs of all time. Solfalia asked where the small tribute could be found – and instead of a small note, she discovered a complete NPC with its own little story.
It’s a character named Golbraith, who you can meet in the third act of the game. Formerly a mind flayer hunter, he now writes down his accumulated knowledge so he won’t forget it and help the next generation of heroes.
Solfalia thanked him profusely in the forum and said that dad Solfalia can no longer play the game himself because he is in a nursing home. But he loves listening to stories from it and is very happy about the NPC created for him. He particularly likes Golbraith’s monocle and his secret weapons cellar.
Larian employees, including author Quirke, commented on Twitter: There wasn’t a dry eye in the room when they read the news. Studio boss Swen Vincke has clear words about Alzheimer’s and dementia: “These are shitty diseases. My father and my grandmother had Parkinson’s. You can find the tweets here:
Link to Twitter content
Larian’s beautiful gesture touched many at X and Co. In the comment columns, fans exchange information about their relatives who are also affected by similar illnesses. The role-playing game addresses many difficult topics apart from classic fantasy hero stories: trauma, abuse, but also the healing effect of real companionship.
