What is the definition of adventure?

I could just go on Google and copy and paste the meaning of adventure according to the dictionary. But I feel I can go beyond simply describing the semantics of a word. I can show you where you can synesthetically experience what adventure is. Learning through experience The answer is obvious; after all, you're reading a review of Baldur's Gate 3.

In less than two weeks, I had already reached 50 hours of gameplay, even when I was at work. This means that I was swapping a few hours of sleep to be able to venture through the Forgotten Realms in the Dungeons & Dragons universe in Baldur's Gate 3. This game is the definition of adventure. If someone asked me what an RPG was, I would point to this game.

I've always liked traditional fantasy RPG themes, especially those inspired by the D&D universe. But until then, I'd never had contact with a game of this genre that enchanted me and made me feel affection for the work. Except for Tibia, which was part of my childhood, Baldur's Gate 3 is the only role-playing game that I constantly dreamed I was playing. The soundtrack sometimes plays over and over in my head. More than that, the campaign has so many paths and ways to be played, so many details and contents to be explored that add so much to the journey, that I'm sure that even when I finish my campaign, I'll build several new dolls just to be able to experience everything the game has to offer. It's surreal how this game marked me...

Anyway, let's get to the details.



What's your adventure like?

This is an interesting question to ask someone about to start playing Baldur's Gate 3. After all, you really can write your own story any way you want, depending on the context, of course. At the start of my game, I hadn't yet understood how free you can be. If you want to go it alone as a lone wolf, you can. Or you can be a ruthless killer and kill all—literally all—the characters. But no, you're nice and full of crap, so you want to avoid combat as much as possible and win everyone over with charisma, and of course you can too! Sometimes you even end up getting lost in deciding where to go and explore with all the freedom you're given in the game.

One thing I'm sure of is that as well as being able to choose what your story would be like, you also want your adventure to be full of plots, with an incredible narrative that guides you through mysteries, adventures, and dramas. Well, Baldur's Gate 3's narrative is incredible and passionate: the main story is extremely well constructed and captivating; each character you come into contact with has a very well-developed plot that clashes with your main journey, turning them into obstacles or aids; these characters that you can party up with have a pattern of behavior and a very well-developed personality, so as you progress, make decisions, and say certain things, your relationship with these personas changes, for the worse or better. These aren't just souvenirs or decorations; they're things that add to and change the way your journey is written.



I'm very fond of interactive campaigns, where the story unfolds according to your choices and dialogue. It makes me immerse myself in the plot much more because I relate to the story and make it as much my own as possible. In this case, Baldur's Gate 3 puts the power of choice in your hands in many ways and does it masterfully.

What's the fun of an adventure that you know the end of?

Still on the subject of narrative and the construction of the universe: firstly, as I've already said, the story progresses incredibly and sucks you into that world. Secondly, it's incredible how they've developed a living, dynamic universe, which is very similar to tabletop RPGs, where the imagination flows and there seem to be no limits to how it can be built. There were several moments when I was walking around and exploring the map, and I was tense, just as if I were in an action or horror game. That's because Baldur's Gate 3 creates a scenario where not everything is interactive and visible. Not everything is as you would like it to be. In this respect, the environments always have hidden interactions and actions that will depend on the skills and mastery of the characters you are using to appear; this ranges from enemies ambushing you to hidden magical traps that explode and throw you off the cliff. This all creates a very fun and addictive atmosphere in which you can be surprised, either positively or negatively, at any moment.



Another issue that enchants me is the world design and how it relates to the developing lore. As I said before, the universe feels alive, and there are secret passages that will open up different paths. What's more, as you progress through the story, the world changes and expands too. As I said, it's a unique experience.

The game's technical aspects

Now, leaving the subject of narrative and lore, I'd like to talk about mechanics, gameplay, and combat.

Starting with the mechanics, I think it's interesting to keep in mind that the game is a turn-based tactical RPG. And the cool thing is that the whole scenario is interactive, so combat can be taken in an extremely creative way. In this sense, it's not always the character with the most life or damage that wins the battle. This is very cool, as it allows you incredible freedom when it comes down to it. You can eliminate your opponent by hitting a chandelier and dropping it on his head. Or you could throw a bottle of water at a group of enemies and unleash a lightning skill, electrocuting them all. Maybe you just want to put everyone to sleep with a spell and throw them off the precipice one by one. All of this is allowed, and you can certainly explore more options, especially as it's a turn-based game, which allows you to think and come up with different strategies.



I'd never experienced anything set in the D&D universe, only been inspired by it. So all the gameplay was very new to me. It was great to see how combat is conducted through Main Action, Extra Action, and different skill modes. Although, at first glance, it ends up being a lot of information and seems a little complex to those who have never had contact with it, as you become more familiar with the gameplay, it becomes a combat system with multiple possibilities for development.

While I'm on the subject of how the mechanics overwhelm you with information at the start, I think it's also worth mentioning that the game is a bit punishing when you start. After all, as well as having to deal with a lot of new information, you'll come across scenarios at the start of the game that already present you with real danger. You can die from simply walking and stepping on a mine, which throws you into the abyss. This extends to combat: at the start, any damage is already a significant value for your doll, so for those who aren't used to games of this genre, be prepared to go back to the save a few times.



How about an artistic adventure?

Let's talk a bit about the game's art. Baldur's Gate 3 doesn't disappoint us one bit when it comes to visuals, and even less so when it comes to audio. The map is very large, with different playable regions bringing you into contact with different biomes and landscapes. Overall, they are all beautiful, stunning, and very enjoyable. The world design of this game is surreal and beautiful, and there's not much to say about it. The characters have very beautiful and striking artwork, so it's very difficult to confuse the names and dolls because each one has a well-built identity. The playable or main characters, for that matter! When it comes to spells and abilities, the visual effects are very cool, with colors, particles, and animations very well done. Overall, the game's visual artistry is to be congratulated, too! - Even the nude scenes are very well done and add to the narrative.

As for the sound art, the game also does its job masterfully. The sound effects, both for the environment and for the skills, are splendid and have an incredible ambiance. As for the soundtracks, some that I had to listen to for a long time had me humming along after I left the game. Not to mention the musical moments where the compositions are beautiful and fit in perfectly with the adventure you're going through. Finally, it's also essential to mention the quality of the audio dubbing: it's surreal that practically all the characters—I'm not going to say it without knowing for sure—are dubbed, and none of them are of dubious quality. The game puts you in dialogue with different characters all the time, and the dubbing is always excellent. More specifically, the main characters are of excellent quality.



To end the review, I'd like to make it clear how much I enjoyed the game. It may have sounded like a sales pitch, but it's not; it's my completely honest opinion. After all, this game made an impression on me, and I'm sure it will leave great memories in the future.

Finally, in my opinion, Baldur's Gate 3 is the best RPG game I've ever played, by far. More than that, it's the campaign mode game that has most marked and captivated me in recent years, perhaps in my lifetime. It is with great affection for the game that I recommend it to anyone looking for an adventure, whether they like RPGs or not.

For this review, Baldur's Gate 3 was played on the Windows platform (PC) via Steam.