'A triumph': Brian Fargo, Mike Laidlaw, and other RPG architects weigh in on Baldur's Gate 3

19.08.2023 - 17:49 / pcgamer.com / Josh Sawyer / Alpha Centauri / Sid Meier / Mike Laidlaw

We've just given Baldur's Gate 3 one of the highest review scores ever awarded in PC Gamer's 30 year history, putting it in the company of just a handful of other games, including Half-Life 2 and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. It's an extraordinary RPG and already an all-time favorite for many on the team (though I doubt any of us except Fraser, who wrote our Baldur's Gate 3 review, have finished it yet).

Like all game genres, the «computer roleplaying game» is somewhat mushily defined, but as a direct D&D adaptation that gives you an achievement for making your character read 100 books, there's no doubt Baldur's Gate 3 inhabits it. And Larian's game is explicitly connected to CRPG history as the sequel to a 23-year-old game made by BioWare and published by Interplay and Black Isle, creators of Wasteland, Fallout, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale, and more.

Interplay founder Brian Fargo, who later formed InXile and revived the Bard's Tale and Wasteland series, hadn't had a chance to start Baldur's Gate 3 when we asked for his thoughts on it, but told PC Gamer that his first reaction has been jealousy that Larian landed a license he'd chased for over a decade and «made it an even bigger success than imagined.» The Belgian studio was «a very smart choice,» said Fargo.

We asked a number of other RPG designers, directors, and writers for their reactions to Baldur's Gate 3 so far. Alongside Fargo, we heard from former Dragon Age creative director Mike Laidlaw, Obsidian studio design director Josh Sawyer, former Bethesda lead producer Jeff Gardiner, former Obsidian narrative designer Lis Moberly, and Spiderweb Software founder Jeff Vogel. Here's what they had to say.

Past: BioWare, lead writer, lead designer, creative director Present: Yellow Brick Games, chief creative officer Next game: TBA fantasy action RPG

I never tire of having Karlach chuck half the room's furniture directly into the boss's face.

If you ask me, Baldur's Gate 3 is a triumph. The throughline of robust world interactions and fun turn-based combat is obvious from the Divinity: Original Sin games, and the way the team have managed to weave the themes—and even some of the characters—of the originals into an all new story is very impressive. I'm not actively playing [D&D] fifth edition, but this interpretation of the rules feels robust and lets me pull off some pretty cool stunts, mixing jumps and so on into combat, that makes the space feel very alive. That and I never tire of having Karlach chuck half the room's furniture directly into the boss's face.

The little details still get me, though: a cow who, thanks to my habitual use of speak to animals, reminds me I should “try the grass,” or the poor terrified chicken who just yells, “ESCAPE!”