The game has a very good sandbox despite the apparent lack of elemental reaction that their predecessor (Divinity Original Sins 2) had. I played it with my friends and the campaign lasted almost a year. Whereas when I played by myself, my campaign lasted 2-3 weeks. There are several creative ways to solve problems and a good variety of spells, weapons, armor and side quests.
I give it a 9/10. The lack of a cape, the lack of weapons in certain weapon branches and the technical problems I had disappointed me but did not prevent me from enjoying my experience with BG3.
I'm waiting for mod support, to be release in september 2024.
I have tried playing this game so many times, trying to have fun with it but I can't. I have tried playing different races, playing with party members, playing solo and all that happens is me hating this game. I finally made it to act 3 and the game literally game me a panic attack walking into the first town. I hate everything about this game, the fight mechanics, the story, the dialog, the characters, I don't even care about the scenary or the graphics. I hate how the game pushes you to have sex with every character you meet, I hate how slow the combat is and how limited your actions are, I hate having to roll for so many basic actions. I have installed and uninstalled this game three times and this is the last. If I never hear or see another thing about baldurs gate again I will be overjoyed.
With Larian Studios restricted to the worldbuilding and art style of Dungeons and Dragons they have built upon DOS2 without the overbearing sense of humour. It's fun for what is in early access.
Just like Baldur's Gate was for 2nd edition and Neverwinter Nights was for 3rd edition, this will be the definitive depiction of the 5th edition rules in video game format. BG3 does a great job telling a quinessential Forgotten Realms story that anyone playing 5e modules will feel at home with. That being said, it is a great place for newcomers to jump in and learn or for people that don't have the time/ability to play tabletop games to fall in love with the system and world(s).
I've plunked over 100 hours into this game and we're still not even out of the beta. I am basing this review on what i've played and on the assumption that we will get more of the same as updates continue.
I have played many many hours BG1 and BG2 more than 15 years ago and BG3 is a worthy modern successor. Too bad it is still crashing randomly to desktop for no reason. The Larian launcher then wipes my all my settings and resets the tutorials, nope thanks, will never use the launcher ever again. Also I thought Larian would make D&D rules more approachable, but instead the game throws (harhar) everything all at once at you and overwhelms with dicey (harhar) stat mechanics. How do know which spells to choose or feats to learn? It's just so much stuff going on that at some point I just gave up and played on a whim. BUT: besides all that the game is still great, feels far more complete than other 60$ AAA budgeted titles and I hope Larian gets a hold those freakin crashes.
