I recently got into Dungeons & Dragons for the first time. I don’t really know what I’m doing as all the skills, feats, and character-building statistics go over my head. But rarely understanding the mechanical sophistication of the game world doesn’t matter when the act of playing is so much fun. Our dungeon master (Editor-in-Chief Stacey Henley) has created a compelling world and all I’m asked to do is sit back, listen, and use my imagination. Every now and then I’ll need to roll a die and moves things forward, but otherwise it’s all about how and why I build my character into the person I want them to be. Which is a badass Sea Elf.
This burgeoning interest in D&D alongside recent media like The Legend of Vox Machina or Nimona have me re-examining the sort of fantasy worlds I enjoy. I grew up with RPG games like Final Fantasy and Star Ocean, meaning I’ve always had an irrational distaste for Western executions of the genre like The Lord of The Rings and Dragon Age. But I almost treasure those oddities now I’m falling in love with Western fantasy for what feels like the very first time. First Dungeons & Dragons, and now the upcoming Baldur’s Gate 3.
I’ve had the early access version on Steam since its release, but as someone who isn’t most fond of PC gaming or the ways in which RPGs are controlled on the platform, I’ve decided to cast the game aside until the console versions arrive. They’re finally coming this September, just days removed from Starfield. Sorry, Baldur’s Gate 3 - but you’re going to lose this battle.
I hate to sound like a dumbass, but Baldur’s Gate 3 is going to take more effort on my part to enjoy. Not because it’s going to be a worse game than Starfield or will end up dragging out a bunch of needless lore and characters, if anything it will be the opposite. Larian Studios came out this week alongside the revised release date to tell us that Version 1.0 will feature 172 hours of cutscenes spread across its extensive campaign, and that’s without taking into account the time taken to not only play the game, but take on side quests, absorb the world through my own role-playing perspective, and get to grips with a type of game I don’t play all that often. It’s a daunting proposition, and I fear it’s ultimately going to get left behind amidst the rush of other big releases.
Starfield is going to be the biggest RPG of the year, and I don’t think that’s a bold statement to make. Skyrim remains a cultural touchstone over a decade on from its release, and while we weren’t as warm on Fallout
4, it still had Bethesda strutting its stuff in a way that was both warm and familiar. We were given great mechanics, satisfying gameplay, and a huge world to explore that didn’t ask much from the player at all. Just time and an itchy trigger finger.
While Starfield is a new IP in a new world with new ideas, from the recent gameplay preview alone it’s clear that Bethesda isn’t abandoning its formula, but merely expanding upon it. You can still play from a third or first person-perspective, and the primary goal is to explore where in the open world tickles your fancy while taking on the main quest. The narrative pushes us forward eventually, although I know most of my time will be spent traipsing along the stars to my own tune.
Baldur’s Gate 3 seems more driven, and will require a very specific mindset for me to fall into it and refuse to walk away. Maybe I’m wrong, and it will suck me right in, even if games like Starfield, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and god knows what else during the same time period will draw my attention first either thanks to my personal tastes or a desire to remain a part of the unfolding conversation as part of my job.
Baldur’s Gate 3 feels more like a treat, or a palette cleanser, or an experiment. An example of me dipping my toes into the pool of Western fantasy to see if I can be fully converted. It’s just a shame Larian has decided to save its own skin by avoiding Starfield’s release through bringing its PC release forward, while console peasants like me are left in the lurch because we aren’t the primary audience for a game like this; it’s the millions of players savouring the early access build and combing over every new detail set to arrive in 1.0 who are. I’ll be among them one day, but for now I’m happy to admit this masterpiece will continue to elude me.