Baldur's Gate 3

I've never experience as much freedom in a game as I did in Baldur's Gate 3. Almost anything you can think of is usually possible. There's almost always more than one way to solve any problem, from talking you way out of it, sneaking around, using the environment or nearby objects to kill enemies, or just brute force slashing your way through them. What's amazing is the game often acknowledges that you took a different approach than the obvious one. The characters are amazing. Depending on your own personality you might find some of them annoying, even grating, but the best part is depending on your interactions with them, how you participate in their own little side quests (or just sometimes bringing them along on main quests), their personalities change. Or, you can just kill them all and go your own way - the game doesn't care! No one is "essential" to the plot (though killing certain characters can lock you out of or into certain endings). The combat system rewards careful thought especially at higher difficulty levels. You'll often find it beneficial to try to think a few moves ahead, anticipate what enemies might do, and how you'd counter them. It's not a bug-free game, but the few I've encountered were usually easily resolved by a quick-load or something simple like that. Most are funny rather than game-breaking. I once accidentally dropped Shadowheart into the Underdark to her death because I went to camp while standing on a cliff and when I left camp she was in mid-air. Another time Lae'zel pretended I hadn't brought her to an important meeting even though the cut-scene had shown her standing right behind me. Larian has been hard at work patching the most troublesome bugs since launch and they show no sign of slowing down. If you're a fan of turn-based RPGs, games like the Divinity Original Sin series, or Dragon Age, it's worth checking this out.

I grew up playing the original Baldur's Gate and Fallout series. I've played a lot of RPGs, and I'm getting on a bit now. In my opinion, there isn't another game that comes close to this level of nuanced character relationships, especially coupled with the astounding variance of voice acting tone/delivery. It blows my mind with each and every playthrough. This is but one of the many highlights that I'd like to bring up, but it is so exceptionally well done I believe it transcends all expectations of the genre. It's an EA game, and I knew that coming into it, so the occasional animation and sound jank gets a forgiving pass, but with the last few patches released, it feels like the engine's rough edges are finally starting to look smooth. Larian aren't treating this game with neglect, by no means. If you've read the other reviews commenting on how this is Divinity: D&D edition, then I strongly urge you to take those comments with a grain of salt. Baldur's Gate 3 takes place 100 years after the events in Baldur’s Gate 2 and shortly after the events of descent into Avernus. With the EA you are only teased about the Gate, but, and without spoiling anything, all the stories in BG3 are tangibly connected to this central point. We are also only able to experience a small portion of the first act, with another two to follow after that. It does feature many new creations by Larian, and they are all brilliant. Those of you expecting some kind of "On the last episode of Baldur's Gate" direct continuation of the second game may feel slightly misled, so please head into this with an open mind. I've played through twice solo, and once with the family. My wife also has two solo playthroughs, and each time we are discovering something new, hilarious and always thought provoking. Do not hesitate to take the plunge into this jaw droppingly beautiful game. I highly encourage you to take your time whilst exploring, and make sure you engage with all the fantastic characters.

I spent 30 minutes just thinking about what to write to give an impression how great this game is, can't find the right words. Seeing other game devs speaking out that we should not expect games to be this monumental(I don't agree with them :D), that it's the anomaly, etc... kinda give it away. Thank you Larian. I will throw my money on you with passion next time you decide to make a game(Hope it's DOS3 :P). Excellent game, worth every single $. 40 hours in and I can already see the massive replayability and the sheer amount of choices that can lead you down the different path.

As a long-time lover of cRPGs, this one has to take the cake. It may be the greatest game of the genre created in the last 20+ years, no cap. If you liked the Divinity: OS series (also by Larian), it's definitely for you; all the detail and depth, but more streamlined and with better onboarding. Veterans of the cRPG genre know what they're in for, but if that confuses you, here's a comparison: it's like the fantasy story, setting, and characters of the first Dragon Age, but with a deep and challenging turn-based combat sort of like XCOM: Enemy Unknown, all of course with D&D flair. It's the first time in a long time I can say with total honesty: this is a game worth paying full price for. BUY IT! Then: save early, & save often! You won't regret it.

It's a great RPG, with a lot of replayability. The world feels reactive and combat is fun. It's not without fault however. There's a number of bugs still being patched, at least at the time of wrting, but I haven't experienced anything game breaking. And some of the combat challenges are a little iffy. Otherwise, I think this is easily my personaly game of 2023.