Baldur’s Gate 3, the long awaited journey from Larian Studios into the city of Baldur’s Gate and the surrounding areas is finally here. The game in a word? Incredible.

This D&D reimagining is nothing short of spellbinding. 

Similar to the games that came before, Baldur’s Gate 3 is set within the Forgotten Realms world of Dungeons and Dragons. However, unlike the earlier titles created by BioWare, known for their insanely popular Mass Effect and Dragon Age series, this new adventure by the Belgian studio Larian embraces the fifth edition D&D ruleset. With just a few personalized modifications, it remains a faithful interpretation. Even if you’re totally new to the world of D&D, there’s no need to worry – the game handles all the intimidating calculations for you.

And if you’re one of the players who’s finding their way back home to the city of Baldur’s Gate, don’t worry, the ruleset employed is both robust and diverse, offering both satisfaction and ample room for creative personal expression.

Let’s talk character creation, because, trust me, you’re going to spend a lot of time on this screen. The options are nearly endless, though I do wish that the studio had included a color wheel for skin/hair selection, as well as sliders for facial shape and features. Though the voice, hair, and skin tone options are filled to the brim with great choices.

And all the familiar faces are here: you’ve got half-orcs, tieflings (my personal favorite), elves, humans, dragonborn, half-elves, and more. As well as the classes and subclasses that you can find in the table top setting of D&D. And yes, you can romance your party members. 

Once you’ve created your character, the game starts with an epic chase through different dimensions. There are dragons, Mindflayers, and a ship that seems to be alive as it darts through different dimensions. The graphics can’t be called anything short of stunning, the scene playing like a movie set to an epic score. All of this culminates in your first mission: get out alive. 

Over the course of 30 hours, I have made it to level four. Here are my thoughts.

The game is beautiful. Hands down, one of the most breathtaking games I’ve played (and I have played a lot). The dialogue options run from sweet and kind to straight up cold blooded, making stops between. I do wish that there were more appearance modifications, as well as the ability to edit your character after game play has started. However, the lack of those things seem small in comparison to the immense care that has been put into each party member’s back story, and the ways in which they react to their party and the world around them (I will neither confirm nor deny whether or not I teared up over Astarion talking about Cazador). 

There have been minor graphic glitches and tears, but nothing that isn’t to be expected in a game that just launched last week. Will it improve? I have tons of faith in Larian’s team. Especially now that they’ve teased massive updates. 

There is constantly something to do, and at some points, that can feel overwhelming. This map is on par with Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and Elden Ring, with more side quests than you can count. And the loot? Literally everywhere. But the turn-based combat mode is more fun than anything else and the battles, while ass-kicking, are incredibly engaging – even if you have to start them over a few times to stop Astarion from getting kicked into a chasm. 

What’s most remarkable, and honestly, endearing, is that Larian never seemed to be interested in setting a standard With Baldur’s Gate 3. But if I were one of the bigger developers, I’d be ready to step up my game. Because Larian, and Baldur’s Gate 3, whether they meant to be or not, is the new standard in narrative gameplay. 

Happy adventuring! Oh, and remember: save often!