Reasons Baldur’s Gate 3 Still Feels Like the New Standard for Modern RPGs

Baldur's Gate 3 hit the gaming scene with two powerful names behind it, as it was the long-awaited third entry in one of the most beloved entries in RPG history, and was a big-budget adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons, at a time when the game was at the height of its popularity.

That being said, there were still reservations from some longtime fans. Baldur's Gate 3 was being made by Larian, which had no connection to the previous games, and the Dungeons & Dragons lore had skipped ahead a century, meaning many of the characters and conflicts from the Bhaalspawn Saga were no longer around.

Thankfully, Larian proved everyone wrong by releasing a genre-defining game that fans are still gushing about years later. Baldur's Gate 3 is an incredible experience, one that may have single-handedly revived interest in RPGs.

Baldur's Gate 3 launched in 2023, and fans are now seeing how its influence is shaping the industry and how its choices have set a bar so high that other games may struggle to reach it.

10 Its Reactivity to Player Actions is Still Unmatched

All It's Missing is Casting Magic Missile at The Darkness

One way in which video games can never match a tabletop RPG campaign is in the limitless possibilities that can happen through a flesh-and-blood Dungeon Master. If the player wants their character to quack like a duck when they meet Strahd von Zarovich for the first time, then they can do it, and the DM will need to think of how the lord of Barovia will react.

Baldur's Gate 3 comes as close to replicating the Dungeons & Dragons experience as a video game can get, with the game accounting for all kinds of bizarre solutions that players come up with for each problem.

The developers of Baldur's Gate 3 went just beyond the Pacifist/Murderer routes seen in games like Undertale, with NPCs reacting to all kinds of player strategies, as well as safeguards put in for those who try to break the story.

Every run of Baldur's Gate 3 is truly unique, rewarding player ingenuity, and giving the sillier characters some unique responses for when they go off the reservation and try using Wild Shape to go through the game as a cat.

9 Few Games are as Elevated By Their Voice Acting

AI Slop is for the Tadpoles

On the surface, the party members of Baldur's Gate 3 are an absolutely wretched bunch who can be extremely rude and dismissive to each other. It was so bad that Larian actually toned down the party members during the Early Access period because they were too unlikable in their original form.

In the launch version of the game, the Baldur's Gate 3 party members are still an unlikely bunch of rogues, with a ravenous vampire, a priestess of the evil goddess of darkness, a noble warrior who sold his soul for power, a barbarian who escaped from the arenas of hell, a wizard who could cause a cataclysmic magical explosion if he doesn't eat magic items, and an unrelenting Gith warrior who is ready to kill everyone else if they start turning into a Mind Flayer.

In any other game, the party members of Baldur's Gate 3 would be villains, but they have become some of the most beloved characters in video game history, practically becoming the new faces of Dungeons & Dragons. This is due to the voice actors, who provide excellent performances across the board and gradually reveal the true natures and vulnerabilities throughout the story.

There's a reason the Baldur's Gate 3 voice cast has all become huge stars in the industry, as other studios want a piece of that same magic for their characters.

8 It Proved Video Games Can Still Have Secrets

Mew Was Hiding Under the Truck By the S.S. Anne This Whole Time

Some video games became the subject of online urban legends thanks to their launch at just the right time. Games like Pokémon Red & Blue, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy 7, and Super Mario 64 all became the subject of countless fake secrets because they launched around the time the Internet became commonplace worldwide.

Over time, dataminers thoroughly debunked all the old urban legends. Mew was never under the truck, Aeris stays dead, Luigi isn't playable, and the Triforce isn't above the Unicorn Fountain. Indeed, fans now live in an era where games have no secrets, as anything hidden is found within nanoseconds of the official launch.

Baldur's Gate 3 proved to be the exception to the rule, with gamers finding secrets to this very day. Baldur's Gate 3 is so dense, and there are so many ways to play the game that people keep finding new stuff.

The hunt for new interactions in Baldur's Gate 3 proved that games can still hold secrets, with hidden content that keeps players engaged as they look for new ways the world reacts to their actions.

7 Turn-Based RPGs Never Stopped Being Fun

Who Cares What Square Enix Thinks

Turn-based RPGs used to be the most common form of RPG, especially if a game wanted half-decent graphics and frame rates that weren't in the toilet.

As time went on, trends changed, and gamers gravitated to action RPGs. Companies like FromSoftware were releasing genre-defining games, while Square Enix's Final Fantasy series pivoted away from turn-based and morphed the series into something closer to Kingdom Hearts.

Baldur's Gate 3 proved that turn-based games can still be amazing, drawing on its Dungeons & Dragons roots, while bringing in environmental factors from the Divinity series to give the battlefield a bigger role in combat.

Baldur's Gate 3 isn't the only game that has elevated turn-based battles, as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 also proved that the old-school Final Fantasy/Dragon Quest approach can still be exciting, especially with some quick-time events thrown in. Still, Baldur's Gate 3 had a huge role in reviving interest in turn-based combat, which will hopefully be reflected in the next generation of RPGs.

6 Old Franchises Can Be Improved Upon Revival

The Bhaalspawn Saga Can Live In Its Bubble

Much like the movie industry, video games love their remakes and distant sequels, with nostalgia rife throughout the industry. As with movies, there has also been backlash against companies needlessly bringing back older titles, such as Star Fox 64 getting another remake.

Baldur's Gate 3 faced similar skepticism before launch, with fans wondering why it even had the name, considering the Bhaalspawn Saga ended long ago. There was a feeling that Larian was just using the Baldur's Gate name for clout, and the final product wouldn't resemble the old Black Isle titles.

Larian proved that they could not only make a game worthy of the Baldur's Gate name but also exceed expectations and create something even better. The connection to the older games was also more than just a name, with Bhaal's influence felt throughout the tale, and returning companions feeling like a natural part of the story.

Games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake have struggled to fully recreate what made the original so magical, but Baldur's Gate 3 proved it could be done, and there are tons of opportunities for old franchises to return.

5 Video Games Can Be Adult Without Being Gratuitous

The Bear Scene Was the Best Advertising a Game Could Get

Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn launched in an era when Wizards of the Coast was still working hard to keep the franchise as family-friendly as possible, even though the Dungeons & Dragons satanic panic was long over.

In the North American style, Baldur's Gate 2 was full of violence, bloodshed, and all manner of dark deeds, but there was little romance and barely any hint of adult content. Though, to be fair, the primitive graphics of the era weren't exactly made for titillation.

Baldur's Gate 3 went all in on romantic content, with many of the love scenes happening during the story's early hours. While some have labeled the infamous bear scene as existing solely for shock value, it at least came from a well-written romance option.

Video games have often shied away from nudity or love scenes, thanks to a long history of stores refusing to stock them, but Baldur's Gate 3 may have brought that era to an end. One of the most acclaimed video games of all time was filled with all kinds of freaky stuff, and the industry has taken note.

4 Replayability Keeps a Game Alive

It's Always Time to Go for Another Ride on The Nautiloid

Some of the best video games ever made have only one path through the story, which the player sees to the end and will likely never experience again. Sure, there are different party compositions or items that can make the combat play out differently, but in the end, the story and character interactions are all the same.

Baldur's Gate 3 throws tons of options at the player straight away, with their Tav able to choose from a wide variety of classes and species, which are further refined and improved over the course of the game. The player can also choose to experience the story as one of the Origin characters, like Astarion, for a fresh take on the story.

The character choices can drastically alter the experience, such as some characters refusing to trust a Drow elf or a Druid having a greater understanding of the situation in Act I. There are also various factions and characters to side with, offering multiple playthroughs that are drastically different.

If anything, Baldur's Gate 3's options are a problem, as many people struggle to get through Act I and want to go back to see how things play out differently. This has helped keep the game alive, as there's always an incentive for one more run.

3 It Took the Best Bits From D&D

Nothing is More Satisfying Than Rolling a 20

Baldur's Gate 3 took the mechanics from Dungeons & Dragons 5e, tailoring them to fit the video game format and altering some character abilities that are hard to implement, like many of the Ranger powers.

There are plenty of Dungeons & Dragons video games that have bought the name and used some iconic characters/locations, but didn't bother to use any of the rules.

Baldur's Gate 3 relishes in its source material, with dice rolls coming up on screen, giving players an undeniable thrill, as they wait to see what number it lands on. It would have been easy to hide these numbers from the player, but Baldur's Gate 3 puts it right there on the screen for the player to stare at.

Baldur's Gate 3 clearly loves Dungeons & Dragons, which is why it emulates it so well. Going forward, there will be more titles that try to match that feeling, putting the mechanics front and center in the experience.

2 Evil Playthroughs Can Be Nuanced Without Devolving Into Grand Theft Auto

Alfira Is Fine — She's Just Sleeping

Many video games have offered good and evil playthroughs, where it's clear that the developer clearly wants the player to be the hero. Most evil routes involve little more than shaking down peasants for quest rewards, and being able to kill NPCs with glee.

Baldur's Gate 3 may have dropped the Dungeons & Dragons alignment system, but it has some very clear good and evil paths, with the player able to master the power of the Mind Flayers, side with the denizens of the underworld, or wield the divine blood of the God of Murder.

While Baldur's Gate 3 offers cruelty on the scale of a Grand Theft Auto character, it doesn't mean the villains, nor a villain protagonist, are one-dimensional characters. An evil run can be just as fulfilling as a good one, especially if the player walks the path of the Dark Urge.

It's easy to get squeamish and bail on an evil playthrough in many RPGs, but Baldur's Gate 3's darker take on its own story doesn't feel like an afterthought. The evil routes are fascinating to watch play out, proving there's potential for them in future games.

1 Games Don't Need Greed to Survive

Who Gives Away Free Subclasses In This Economy?

Many incredible video games have been spoiled by greed, with developers ruining their product by reaching further and further into the player's pocket. One only has to look at how damaging DLC is to fighting games, as the competitive scenes get upended by new paid fighters, who temporarily dominate the scene, all to drive sales.

Larian Studios has taken the opposite approach, earning a tremendous amount of goodwill from the players. This has involved giving away tons of free content, such as subclasses for each class, and even making Alfira playable during a Dark Urge run.

Not only has Larian given away free content, but the studio has also given fans modding tools that will allow them to support the game for years to come, ensuring people will keep buying Baldur's Gate 3.

Larian has become a beloved studio, and fans will be flocking to play its next game. Hopefully, the industry will learn something from this, as nickel and diming fans only leads to resentment, in an industry where players have countless options to jump ship to the competition.