Baldur’s Gate 3 review (PS5)

After a lovely holiday break, we’re back – and what better way to start 2024 than to shine the spotlight on what is arguably the best game to be released last year: Baldur’s Gate 3. We played through the PlayStation 5 version of the game, which was released back in August, after the PC version first marked the triumphant return of a legendary CRPG series. Larian Studios has produced something that sets a new benchmark, surpassing even Larian’s own Divinity: Original Sin 2 – which was already an excellent RPG.

Set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, Baldur’s Gate 3 invites players to an epic fantasy tale that involves elements of friendship, betrayal, sacrifice, and survival. The narrative unfolds with remarkable depth and complexity, offering an unrivaled level of immersion – though at a relatively slow pace that console users might not be as familiar with as PC gamers are. Players can create a character from a selection of 12 classes and 11 races, each with its own unique background, or choose an Origin hero with a hand-crafted story instead, which is how we played the game.

The game’s expansive original story takes you through the fabled Forgotten Realms, a world brought to life in great detail here by the Divinity 4.0 engine. From shadow-cursed forests to the magical caverns of the Underdark and the titular city of Baldur’s Gate itself, every location is gorgeous to look at and offers a wealth of freedom to explore them. This makes the game world extremely immersive, and the verticality of the environment is an integral part of that as well, letting you climb around to get a good vantage point or be sneaky and elude your enemies.

The game boasts an impressive 600 spells and actions, providing near-limitless interactivity in a hand-crafted world where exploration is richly rewarded, with an incredible amount of gameplay styles at your disposal. If the game wasn’t so incredibly rich and long in terms of content, it would be the kind of experience you dive in again and again to discover different ways of playing it.

Standout aspects extend to the relationships and romances within the game. The looming threat of war and the mind flayer invasion (you’re also infected by one, giving you abilities) adds complexity to friendships and relationships, creating a narrative that goes beyond the main quest. The characters, especially the core group of companions, are meticulously designed with memorable personalities and stories that interact well with each other. For those who don’t just want to play as the “good guys”, there’s a “Dark Urge” character as well, aligning yourself with a much more evil side of the game world.

Combat, which is based on the D&D 5e ruleset, is a highlight of Baldur’s Gate 3. Turn-based encounters are brilliantly executed, featuring elements like having team-based initiative, advantage and disadvantage, and roll modifiers – familiar elements to D&D fans. The AI, environmental interactions, and fluidity in combat reward strategic thinking and add depth. The game’s mechanical complexity successfully translates the tabletop ruleset into an engaging video game format, providing players with a satisfyingly deep and tactical combat experience even when you’re a die hard tabletop player.

The PlayStation 5 conversion was very well done and delivers a visually stunning experience that is very close to what a powerful gaming PC can deliver. The game offers two modes on the PS5, including a Performance mode that runs at 60 frames per second and a Quality mode. And while some performance drops occur in busy areas in quality mode, the turn-based nature of the game mitigates any significant impact on the overall experience and we preferred playing it with the bells and whistles turned on. Control adaptation to the DualSense is commendable as well, although they’ll take some getting used to if you’re coming from the keyboard and mouse input of the PC version.

The auditory experience in Baldur’s Gate 3 deserves a special mention, as it significantly contributes to the game’s immersive atmosphere. The orchestral score dynamically adapts to the unfolding narrative and environments, enhancing emotional beats in the story and intense combat encounters. The sound effects range from the eerie whispers to the loud clashes in combat, while the voice acting is exceptional. The diverse range of accents, tones, and emotions in the delivery adds depth to the characters and storyline, and as such the audio in Baldur’s Gate 3 plays a crucial role in elevating the gaming experience.

In conclusion, Baldur’s Gate 3 stands as a landmark RPG that deserves all the accolades it received with its expertly written narrative, unparalleled depth, incredible characters, and intricate turn-based combat. The game’s immersive sense of fantasy adventure make it a must-play, and while it’s a stunning adaptation of D&D, you don’t need to be a D&D veteran to enjoy it either. Baldur’s Gate 3 emerges as the best game of 2023, setting a new standard for CRPGs coming in 2024 and beyond.

Score: 9.7/10