As readers probably know, I’m incapable of shutting up about Bioware’s 2003 game Knights of the Old Republic. I’ve written about it more than the average writer should in 2023, but it was a hugely formative game for me and made me fall in love with RPGs as a child. I remember getting lost in the game for years on end when I first got it, and I’ve returned to it many times since then. I’ve been chasing the high of getting so sucked into a game that I fall completely in love with ever since, and I’m glad to say that Baldur’s Gate 3 might be that game.
There are obvious parallels between the two. The original Baldur’s Gate was made by Bioware, and both are turn-based RPGs based on d20 role-playing game systems. What I loved most about Knights of the Old Republic is that it was the first game I’d ever played where my choices mattered and had consequences. The things I said and did would make my companions see me differently and act differently towards me, as well as change the world around me. Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3 is that, but on steroids. Every choice matters in a way I can’t even begin to anticipate. My companions have opinions on everything I do, whether that’s who I choose to help and ignore or the exact words I choose to say.
The companions I have are just as important to me as branching narrative paths, and both games are chock full of them. In Knights of the Old Republic, I immediately picked my favourites according to their classes, but also how annoying they were. Bastila and Juhani were powerful Jedi who immediately made it on to my team. Carth annoyed me, so I tried to avoid using him if I could. I loved having besties Mission and Zaalbar around, but they didn’t serve me very well in combat. Jolee came in a bit too late for me to care to work past his grumpy exterior, but I appreciated him all the same. Disappointing these characters hurt, and I found myself wanting them to be proud of me. (I was a very validation-starved child.)
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I feel the same about Baldur’s Gate 3’s characters. I am constantly itching for complex characters I can get fully invested in. I want to develop relationships with them organically, take their viewpoints into account, and learn about their lives before we met. BG3 takes this to the maximum – every character is fully voiced and motion captured, and every one of the companions is deeply written. I, like many people, immediately fell in love with Karlach’s brash, honest attitude towards me and wanted to know everything about her. Lae’zel scares the shit out of me, which is pretty impressive for a game. I want to punch Astarion in the teeth, but in a loving way. It’s been so long since I’ve rooted so hard for a game’s characters. The last time was when I first played Knights of the Old Republic.
I also loved the side missions in Knights of the Old Republic, because every one of them felt like they mattered. You won’t find endless fetch quests here, but missions that have you curing diseases, rescuing kidnapped teenagers, acting as a defence attorney, and more. Baldur’s Gate 3 does the same, giving you a huge variety of quests to follow up on that encourage you to explore the area around you and talk to people. Every quest builds the story up in some way, never making you feel like you’ve wasted your time. Being a completionist is endlessly satisfying because the story rewards you with a more fleshed-out world by the end of it.
I didn’t think Baldur’s Gate 3 would be the game to fulfil my long-standing desire for a new KOTOR-like experience, and yet it surpassed my expectations in every way. I’ll probably always yearn for the KOTOR remake we were promised, but for now, Larian’s game is doing everything I’ve been craving in games for decades.