Review of a classic RPG with a deep storyline – Baldur’s Gate 3

The RPG market is oversaturated. Generics, clones, superficial attempts to flirt with themes of choice and morality. But Baldur’s Gate 3 breaks the inertia of templates. Here, freedom is not promised — here it is implemented at the gameplay level. The third part brings back the forgotten: controlling the character’s fate through real decisions, not scripted dialogues. Already in the introductory mission, the player faces the consequences of choice — to save a fellow party member or survive alone. For fans of the series, we have prepared a review of Baldur’s Gate 3.

Game Architecture

The plot of Baldur’s Gate 3 is built on intertwining motifs. The campaign branches out through dozens of quests with nested structures. Dialogues adapt to each variable: race, class, past. Even the method of killing affects the perception of the character in the plot.

The three acts are independent chapters, each with its own goals, moral traps, and crises. The finale does not impose morality. It summarizes. At the same time, the review of Baldur’s Gate 3 emphasizes: no choice feels “right.” This is where the drama lies.

Review of the Combat System in Baldur’s Gate 3

Larian uses D&D 5e not as a basis, but as a support. The combat system provides a true tactical constructor. Combat consists of environment, skills, initiative, and audacity. A kick into the abyss is more effective than a fireball. By the third act, artificial intelligence begins to anticipate behavior.

Tactics require attentiveness. Discovering a barrel of gunpowder can shorten a battle with elite guards to 10 seconds. But the same skills work differently depending on the landscape. In the rain, lightning is amplified, in the sands — suppressed.

An analysis of Baldur’s Gate 3 confirms: each battle is unique. Artificial intelligence reads weaknesses, uses cover, combines spell effects.

Review of Characters in Baldur’s Gate 3

Each companion is not just a character, but a pressure factor. Astarion hides a monster, Shadowheart fights a cult, Lae’zel embodies military fanaticism. Companions argue with each other, sabotage actions, leave the group.

Psychology works at the script level: the reaction to an action is not formal but stems from the story. Characters in Baldur’s Gate 3 do not play roles — they act based on motivation, not the writer’s assignment.

Freedom of Choice: Not an Illusion, but Actual Code

The format of freedom here is not decoration. An NPC can die in the first act and not appear in the finale. A quest can be unexpectedly completed — blow up the entrance, poison the guards, blackmail the informant.

Choice affects not only the consequences but also new variables. A conversation with one merchant opens the way to a secret location. Sparring a random enemy leads to a new ally. Every element of the world resonates in the future.

Review of the World of Baldur’s Gate 3

The game world is a complete organism. Cities live, change patrols, react to the player’s actions. An unused potion in the basement becomes part of a side quest five hours later. Nature obeys the weather and cycles. Temperature affects monster behavior.

Fantasy is not built on dragons but on the logic of magic existence, its legal and ethical consequences. A mage under the protection of the law cannot cast spells near the market. Violation is punished by guards, and repetition — by exile.

Character Progression and Skills

Levels here do not automatically give power. Each upgrade is a balance change. Unlocking a new spell may weaken the current build. Skills require interaction: ranged attack + blindness = critical damage.

Progression is through completion, not grinding. Bonuses come from quests, discoveries, rare dialogues. The maximum level is reached not through repetitive battles but through exploration.

Hero’s Path

Creating a hero sets the character’s starting point, not just a visual style. Origin, worldview, class — each choice affects available phrases, quests, relationship development with NPCs. An executioner from Tier will have a different route than a sorcerer from Shadowfell.

The review of Baldur’s Gate 3 proves: even a manually created character feels like part of the universe. Hundreds of voice lines adjust to the biography, creating a unique gaming experience. Once chosen, a race can block an alliance, and a personal trait can start a bar fight.

Each character is surrounded by stories. Companions are not shadows but triggers. Their requests and fears form secondary branches where the main character can become a judge, ally, or traitor.

Quests Interwoven in the Plot

The quest system works like a multi-layered map. Tasks intersect, influence each other, transform the plot. A side quest can restart the main scenario if it involves a critical NPC.

Some quests are hidden behind non-obvious actions. For example, searching a broken carriage by the road launches a mission to investigate local corruption. One choice reveals a layer of the world, another erases the possibility of interaction.

Players do not seek markers but encounter events — and decide whether to react or pass by. The review of Baldur’s Gate 3 emphasizes: quests do not compel but invite.

Player Impressions

By 2025, player impressions have stabilized. Over 600,000 reviews on Steam, with 96% positive. The level of immersion invites comparisons with Planescape: Torment and Divinity: Original Sin 2.

On Reddit, players describe situations not found in other RPGs: seducing an enemy for diplomatic avoidance of combat, sacrificing an ally to save a city, failing a quest that transforms the ending. The review of Baldur’s Gate 3 repeatedly underscores how highly the freedom and depth of the project are valued.

Hundreds of hours of gameplay are not perceived as time-stretching. Progression is built on events, not repetition. On average, one campaign takes 75–100 hours, with each new attempt revealing different facets.

Review of System Requirements for Baldur’s Gate 3

The system requirements for Baldur’s Gate 3 match the project’s scale, but the optimization deserves a separate evaluation. At minimum settings, the game runs smoothly on GTX 1050 Ti, 8 GB RAM, and i5-9600K. Visually, it maintains a high level of detail and interface readability.

For ultra settings, an RTX 3070, 16 GB RAM, and SSD are required. Loading between scenes takes 3 to 7 seconds. Support for DirectX 11 and Vulcan allows adapting the game to different systems. The version for Steam Deck offers full compatibility without cutting features.

The review of Baldur’s Gate 3 also includes stability details: bugs are minimal, update frequency is high, and large patches refine mechanics without breaking the structure.

One of the Most Influential RPGs of the Last Decade

Formal statistics rarely reflect the essence, but in the case of Baldur’s Gate 3, each number confirms the scale. The project has united the audience, critics, and genre veterans on a wave of recognition.

1. Metacritic — 96/100.
2. OpenCritic — 95/100.
3. Peak active player count — 875,343.
4. Sales in the first year — over 10 million copies.
5. Awards — “Game of the Year 2023” by The Game Awards, BAFTA, Golden Joystick.
6. Average time for one playthrough — 90 hours.

These indicators demonstrate not only popularity but also the enduring value of the product. Baldur’s Gate 3 has ceased to be just a game — it has become a benchmark for the industry.

Conclusion

Baldur’s Gate 3 marks a shift in the RPG genre paradigm. The game not only brings back classic elements but adapts them to a modern audience — without sacrificing depth. Here, every choice matters, every battle requires thought, every impression is unique. The game turns interactivity into a work with architecture, dynamics, and consequences. It is not just an RPG; it is a platform for morality, strategy, and true freedom. This is not nostalgia. This is a new generation of the genre.