BALDURS GATE 3 - Review

This review contains spoilers for the game in the companion section

Story/world:

The story and the world is very enjoyable and dynamic. It's no surprise that Act one starts off the game very strong with some of the most immersive storytelling i have ever seen in a video game. Characters and NPC's all seem to have unique things to say about you regarding your class and race more so often than the other Acts in the story. I can understand why so many people including myself replay Act one for all the different dialogue the game has.

I feel as if this game is an excellent way to introduce people into the world of Dungeons & Dragons. It makes me want to sit down and play the tabletop game with my friends. For me personally one of my biggest struggles with Dungeons & Dragons that i have is figuring out what to say. Baldur's Gate 3 has made it a lot easier for me to pick dialogue that fits my custom characters. For example in my Dark Urge play through i was more selfish and made choices that came off more rude or arrogant.

I also played my character in a much more intimidating way than i normally would. My favorite character was a Lolth-Sworn Drow Sorceress who did what she wanted and wasn't afraid to start fights with even godlike enemies. On the other side of the character creator I had a Tiefling Druid who was the complete opposite and was naive, innocent, and compassionate. She wanted to help anyone and everyone she could. Even if they turned out to be an evil swamp hag.

Act two: can be a little bit of a slog at times. The map is quite large and honestly a bit intimidating. The villain of Act two however really carries the story for that segment.

Act Three: is nice when you finally reach the actual city of Baldur's Gate. If you prefer more storytelling and less combat this segment of the game has a lot to provide. The city is rich in interesting characters and opportunities for side content. Examples include the circus, meeting a mummy lord, or getting a sexy mermaid dress.

Companions & their Questlines:

Lae'zel: She is hands down my best friend. I love her to death. I was not a fan of her or other Githyanki at first but she definitely grew on me over time. I love her attitude, her sass, and the fact that she is never afraid to whoop some ass. Her storyline ends in a very satisfying way if you choose to have her rebel against her very way of life and revolt against her leaders. 10/10

Astarion:

He is very attractive and charming but annoying at the same time. Making him a good person by working through his personal problems and helping him overcome his trauma is very sweet and worth it. He is arguably the most well written character in the game. His romance scenes are also incredible. 9/10

Wyll: I love this man. Although his romance isn't very spicy he is a very sweet person and the most wholesome companion. He's a black man in a game without many important characters who are people of color so i appreciate him. I will fight anyone who says that Wyll is boring. He has such a strong determination to be good and help others which is something i really love. One negative I have is his appearance. It's no secret that video game companies find one new black hair style, and they plaster it on ALL their black characters. There are so many black hairstyles that they could have given him instead of just cornrows. Hell, his concept art even had the Killmonger dreads, and even though that hairstyle is being overused nowadays, I still would have preferred it over the extremely boring cornrows. 11/10

Gale: I thought Gale was extremely boring and annoying at first. He talked too much and was quite frankly a huge nerd. But then I got to his first romance scene and boy did I eat my words. I started to really like him and thought him talking a lot and being nerdy was genuinely cute. I have yet to complete the game with him on my team but am excited to do so. 8/10

Karlach: There is not much negative to say about Karlach. She is a giant, sweet fiery teddy bear that likes to just have fun. I think her story is a bit disappointing and short as her only focus is to kill Gortash and then go to Avernus or die but overall, I really like her. 9/10

Shadowheart: I'm going to be honest, I don't care too much for Shadowheart. I think the memes for her are funny and she is a cute girl and interesting companion but I have played the entire game 3 times now and have not once used her for more than 20 minutes. I think her combat kind of sucks as when I do use her, she misses over 70% of her spells or melee attacks. All in all, don't have much to say. 5/10

Halsin: Oh man, there is a LOT to say about this absolute unit but I will keep it short and PG13. He is very pretty on the eyes and a very sweet individual. His romance scene and kiss make me go absolutely wild. Oh, how I would give anything to be lost in his arms for just 10 seconds.. 10/10

Minthara: I recently got her after the patch allowed you to have her even if you side with the Grove and boy oh boy is she worth it! Like Lae'zel, she is a very no nonsense woman, who speaks her mind and is not afraid to throw down. I absolutely love women like this. Also, she kind of has a sweet side to her as there was a time in the city she expressed to my character that if someone crossed her, she would not be afraid to take a limb instead of their life. She justified it by explaining that her taking their limb (instead of their life) would be a learning experience for them and that everyone deserves a second chance. I find this extremely sweet coming from her. Overall, I just love confident yet deadly fictional women. 10/10

Jaeheira & Minsc: I never really used them in my playthroughs but I like Jaheira more. Minsc I feel is a bit boring and I never cared for him. 4/10

Character creator: I'm not the biggest fan of pre made faces. I understand it but i just don't like it. The worst thing is there are no black faces for half elves. Which means on PC i have to use mods to obtain a black face i would want. As a black woman i also wish there were more black hairstyles. I will say this until the day i die. For how many White/Asian hairstyles there are there should be an equal amount of black hairstyles. I'm talking about more than just cornrows, a tiny afro, and one genuinely good black hairstyle. You can easily look up textured hairstyles online and find so many references along with interesting styles. Half of what the game has to offer are honestly stupid or too similar. I do not care about the argument people make to justify why game developers don't make more textured hairstyles when modders can do it just fine. I understand it takes a lot of work but it's still worth it. People deserve to have proper representation in media beyond just a handful of hairstyles. All in all the character customization for me without mods is a 6/10.

Game play: I typically do not play games like this and i lean more towards faster paced action. The turn based game play was pretty easy to pick up on and i found myself actually enjoying it quite a bit. I really like the amount of tactical diversity all combat situations have to offer. Overall thoughts: I absolutely adore this game and it might just be one of my favorite games of all time. I just wish there was more black customization options and brown nipples. 9/10 stars