Let me preface my review with the fact that there will be a bias given that I have been waiting for this game since the trailer first dropped in 2019. As someone who wasn't familiar with DnD but loved Larian's previous title Divinity Original Sin 2, this game has exceeded the majority of my expectations.


I would say the prominent issues of how easy the game was to get into (from people I've both played with and heard from) boiled down into two main categories:

1. Turn-based combat system
   
2. Larian's implementation of the 5e system (action economy, spell slots, etc)

Personally, I love turn-based combat but I can understand how it's slower-paced approach might be a deterrent to those who preferred the faster-paced Real-time combat (with pause) of Baldur's Gate 3's predecessor's. This was probably the main deterrent/issue that came with people who said that they just could not get into the game. And you know what, that's fine, it's not for everybody.

Now, coming into Baldur's Gate 3 with no prior experience of DnD, the whole action economy and spell slot stuff felt scary. Like what do you mean I only had an expendable amount of slots for spells and could only use certain actions one per short/long rest? It made me far too cautious with my abilities, consumable items, saving them for that grand battle that would never come (I'm looking at you Runepowder Barrel). The system feels intimidating and something you gradually get accustomed to the more you play.

Overall, I would say the main hurdle of the slower-paced Turn-based strategy combat with the need to methodically plan out your turn would be hard for some people to get into. But if you can get past that, the game itself is actually quite the immersive experience that draws people in with it's amazingly story telling, world-building, and charm.


I think one of the main things that sets this game apart from other CRPG's is just how good the character creation is. The amount of customisation for your character is phenomenal. Take Pathfinder for example, Owlcat does a great job, but I rarely ever find myself that invested in my character personally as they just don't feel definitive to me and me alone. With Larian, they make me WANT to make the effort to push my character forward, to develop and invest in their story because of the effort I went through to make them. Larian just does a great job of letting me create the fantasy character I want to be.

The graphics throughout the game are just amazing and gorgeous, I did notice that there is a noticeable fall in quality during the cut-scenes though. Especially during Act III where some scenes honestly look cheap and unfinished. But besides that, the game is beautiful, with each act feeling aesthetically distinct and unique. From the vibrant florescent Underdark to the Temple of Lathander, each part is distinct and lends itself a glimpse into the wonderful world of the Forgotten Realms.


Borislav Slavov does a great job, if you've played Divinity Original Sin 2, you would be familiar with his work (as some of the music from DOS2 has been transposed into BG3). The Soundtrack for Baldur's Gate 3 is great! Tell me true, where you expecting

A few of my favourite moments where the music really adds to the experience is the transitions between the Harpy Song and Lead Your Fight in Act I. Where if you break the Harpy's concentration the music just transitions from this slow alluring ethereal song to this fast heavy hitting trumpets that just gets you hyped. It's a brilliant moment showing how much the music of a game can add to your experience.

Overall, the music for the game is perfection and as someone who usually mutes the music in games so I can play songs over it. I just couldn't do it for this game, every piece added to the moment, it helped shape the scenes and gives me shivers. Hats off to you Borislav Slavov, you did amazing! Also it was funny watching my friend progressively get more annoyed by "DOWN, DOWN, DOWN BY THE RIVER~" when we making our characters for an hour.


As someone who has finished honour mode and gotten all the achievements, let me tell me you. The game gets progressively easier the longer you play and find out what works and what doesn't. Unfortunately, I think this is where the game falls off, at a certain point the game just becomes too easy and everything becomes trivial. Larian's previous title DOS2 is honestly much harder, especially in the later acts of the game. I don't think it's fully Larian's fault given that they have to work within the 5e system that is more beginner friendly I've read. But still, I wish there were more challenging aspects to the game later on. I do hope that if there is a definitive edition/goodie-bag drops updates that they took a look at revising the boss battles (especially for honour mode).

But yeah, it can be overwhelming at first but as you play once you get an understanding of the how the game works it becomes easier to the point it's trivial.


On release, the game had a few immersion breaking bugs. But the devs have been working hard to fix them. Although there is a prominent bug as of patch 5 that includes the recruitment of a certain companion that makes it annoying to recruit them. Most of the bugs that I've been aware of have been fixed though thankfully and Larian have been working diligently to fix them alongside adding much-requested content. There's still bugs to fix but Larian have shown themselves capable and I have faith in their capability.



Reactivity is something that is often brought up among the praise of Baldur's Gate 3, and it is often there for good reason. Your choices matter, what race, class, subclass, background, and choices you make can all make your experience unique with additional dialogues. It's honestly amazing.

Something about Baldur's Gate 3 that I adore is the ability to reward creativity and innovation to clearing obstacles. A clear example of this being Using Arcane Lock on Ethel's escape so she can't leave the teahouse like that's genius! Why didn't I think of that?

Combat too is incredibly fun once you find out what synergies there are, you can feel like a god at times, especially when you find that one item or hit that level that just makes you god.

Overall, the gameplay is just stellar and great with how Larian has implemented various ways to clear obstacles.


The story and world-building Larian have created with Baldur's Gate 3 is impressive, it pulls you straight into it from the moment you step out of your pod. As you collect and form bonds with your party you feel yourself drawn into this world. That said, it's not within it's problems. I found the interactivity between companions lacking at times (most especially at camp, the banter while out an about is just fantastic! Loved every moment of it). The most jarring problem for me with the story is the final battle as it just feels like it's missing that finale factor, the grandeur, the accumulation of our epic for this last battle, the climax of our story.

The ending on release was bad, I'll be honest, but Larian have made improvements and the epilogue gave me shivers just hearing the stories and lives my former companions had without me.

This is one of those games where you wish you had the opportunity to just experience the game for the first time again. A defining game of it's genre and I can't wait to see what Larian does moving forward.