I don’t need to explain what Baldur’s Gate 3 is since it’s one of those games you hear about endlessly, whether you want to or not, because it remains a universally acclaimed phenomenon. PC Gamer’s Fraser Brown gave it our highest score ever in his review, a positively covetable 97, and everyone I know who’s played it did not stop once the credits rolled. But if you’ve yet to take the plunge, now might be a good time: it’s the cheapest it’s ever been on Steam.
Granted, that’s just 30% off, but it’s still a historic low which takes the game down from $60 to $42. That’s 28 Costco hot dogs, and I can personally say I’ve gotten slightly more enjoyment out of Baldur’s Gate 3 than I would get out of 28 Costco hot dogs. In the following paragraphs, I will try to advocate for why that is.
For one, BG3 takes Dungeon & Dragon’s fifth edition and turns into a buildcrafter’s playground—its turn-based combat is a meticulous recreation of the real thing that combines 5e’s RAW with Larian’s trademark elemental field combos and prop destruction, lending the improvisational feel which characterizes tabletop play. The purchase of 28 Costco hot dogs prescribes a very specific sort of evening that invariably ends in physical agony.
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BG3 is also a compelling bit of fantasy fiction in its own right, with an action-blockbuster story that’ll have you battling otherworldly horrors, adjudicating the fates of entire towns, and falling in love with your troubled companions. Its sense of choice and consequence is shocking given the 100+ hour scale of its campaign, offering you the agency to become a paragon of virtue or an angel-murdering psychopath. 28 Costco hot dogs, on the other hand, only offer you one choice: sitting on the commode until your legs go numb.
On top of all that, BG3 is eminently moddable: you can turn the game into a roguelike, supercharge your player character for a solo playthrough, or try out that fancy new third-person camera to pretend you’re playing a wayward Dragon Age spinoff. Admittedly, the hot dogs are pretty competitive in this category, as hot dogs famously allow for a variety of toppings. I’ll call this one a tie.
Anyway, BG3 is quite a good RPG that feels like a bold step forward for a very old style of game. If you like 5e, there’s not a better way to experience it in a videogame, and if you don’t like 5e or are unfamiliar with it, it’s such a solid fantasy game in its own right that it might just make you a believer.