Although it still follows the general formula of theDivinity:Original Singames,Baldur’s Gate 3brought Larian Studios to a brand-new level of presentation, benefiting from the biggest budget the studio has ever had for a title.BG3is the best-looking Larian game thanks to its engine (Divinity 4) providing current-gen visuals, and the performance capture technology allows the title to present characters in a more life-like way than ever before. Most of theDivinitygames stuck strictly with the isometric, top-down view, butBG3brought cinematics and close-ups to the studio’s RPGs.
Future Larian titles will likely use theBaldur’s Gate 3formula of more cinematic dialogue and minimalistic UI during interactions, and directorSwen Vincke’s comments regarding future projectsimply that the studio will stick to splitting its titles into distinct acts. This formula has been successful for the studio since the firstDivinity: Original Sintitle, allowing Larian to tell its stories in an open yet structured way. Despite everything thatBG3andDivinityshare, however,BG3shows how far Larian has come, and it’s changed the way I look at going back through Larian’s library.
BG3’s Cinematic Presentation Ruined Divinity For Me
BG3’s Upgraded Look Makes It Tougher To Fall In Line With Original Sin 2
Divinity: Original Sin 2is one of the best games to come out of the 2010s, in my opinion, and it’s everything that I wanted out of a CRPG. With strong and charming storytelling, intriguing world-building, and brilliant turn-based mechanics, especially when it comes to the elemental environmental effects,Original Sin 2has it all. In many ways,Divinity: OS2was as much of an inspiration forBG3as the otherBaldur’s Gategames, from its story-telling structure to its charmingly written narrator, andthis obvious similarity inspired some criticism ofBG3before its release.
Larian decided to makeBG3turn-based, despite the priorBaldur’s Gatetitles being RTS games.
As great as followingDivinity: Original Sin 2’s formula has been for Larian, it does make going back to the game quite difficult.Divinity: OS2is the harder game, being far more punishing for less than stellar builds, although some mechanics are considerably more exploitable, like using telekinesis to drop extremely heavy boxes on enemies (which I lovingly call the Obi-Wan build). Still, returning to the game after all the improvementsBG3made, especially with its presentation, is difficult, and it’s the reason why I haven’t spent much time in the world ofDivinityafterBG3’srelease.
I don’t take much issue withDivinity: OS2’s gameplay, since that still holds up very well. I’d actually argue thatDivinity’s combat is more fun thanBG3’s, or at least more chaotic.My primary issue is thatBG3’s presentation is so good that it’s hard to go back toDivinity’s more simplistic, text-based storytelling, especially with how Larian uses it. The gap is a sign that the studio keeps pushing itself to improve on its winning formula, but it’s also annoying that I can’t get back into a game that I love.
The Character Work And Performances In BG3 Are Unmatched
Lohse Or The Red Prince With The Baldur’s Gate 3 Treatment Would Be Amazing
Baldur’s Gate 3shines through its characters. The party companions are some of the best in not only CRPGs, but RPGs as a whole, spawning their own massive fan bases.This is helped by some incredible performances, which I personally didn’t expect out of a CRPG. Now that I’ve seen it inBaldur’s Gate 3, however, I miss it in similar titles.
Before working onBG3, Larian was going to make anotherDivinitygame,Fallen Heroes, but the project was put on indefinite hiatus.
That’s not to say that the performances inDivinity: Original Sin 2are bad. In fact, the voice acting is stellar, with many actors returning to work with Larian again in BG3. Tamaryn Payne plays Lohse inDivinityand Mizora inBG3, while Amelia Tyler came back to narrateBG3after playing Malady inOriginal Sin 2. Likewise, much of what makesBG3’s character work so good, like overarching questlines that evolve the characters over the game’s acts, comes fromDivinity.
At the end of the day,Baldur’s Gate 3just presents its story better.The performance capture and more cinematic nature elevate the strong voice actingand contribute to the story’s emotional effectiveness. The ability to have more characters in camp, rather than just the four characters that can fit in the party, also makes the story experience richer in a single playthrough.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Honour Mode Ironically Taught Me To Fight Dirty
Baldur’s Gate 3 may call its hardest difficulty Honour Mode, but in my experience the best way to get through the campaign is by fighting dirty.
I keep thinking that if Lohse, The Red Prince, Sebille, Ifan, and Fane (not Beast) hadBG3’s cinematic qualities,these characters would come across as fleshed out asBG3’s cast, especially The Red Prince, who has Gale’s arrogance and Astarion’s snarky charm. A part of me wouldn’t mind seeing aDivinity: Original Sin 2remake in the Divinity 4 engine, although it’s better if Larian keeps moving forward onto new projects. With the size of its current playerbase, Larian could take another giant leap forward, and its next project could make it hard to go back toBG3.
I’m Waiting Patiently For Larian’s Next Project
And Am Desperately Hoping It Is Divinity: Original Sin 3
Despite all the inconsistencies of modern developers, it seems like Larian will be a constant.The studio has the license to take CPRGs further than other studiosthanks to how popular it has now become, and my eyes are fixed on whatever it plans to do next, despiteBaldur’s Gate 3awaiting its eighth patch. As great asBG3still is, it feels like we’re surrounded byDungeons and Dragonscontent, and I would love to dive back into the world ofDivinitywith the studio’s current level of presentation.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Modder Delivers The First Chapter Of A Custom Campaign Inspired By World of Warcraft
A creative Baldur’s Gate 3 modder shares the first chapter of what’s shaping up to be an exciting World of Warcraft-inspired custom campaign.
Seeing someone like Malady benefit from close-ups and performance capture likeBG3’s characters would be a dream for me, especially sinceOriginal Sin 2was the game that got me into CRPGs. I also loveDivinity’s classless system of making builds, and withBG3-style cosmetics and character creation,the nextDivinitygame could be everything I want out of a CRPG, provided that’s the route Larian wants to go down. The studio is working on two projects, withone new title being code-namedExcalibur. My hope is that one of them isDivinity: OS3.
BeyondDivinity,Baldur’s Gate 3has ruined other CRPGs for me as well. In light of its unmatched production value, I find it hard to go to other CRPGs for a fix unless they are drastically different, likeDisco Elysium. Still, with Obsidian seemingly moving away from traditional CRPGs and using thePillars of Eternityworld forAvowed, it is good to know that Larian is here to help the genre thrive. Whatever Larian’s next project is, I’ll be there playing it, but I really hope that theBaldur’s Gate 3studio isn’t done with theDivinity IP.
