Info about Baldur's Gate 3:

Official game description:
  
Gather your party and return to the Forgotten Realms in a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power.  
Mysterious abilities are awakening inside you, drawn from a mind flayer parasite planted in your brain. Resist, and turn darkness against itself. Or embrace corruption, and become ultimate evil.  
From the creators of Divinity: Original Sin 2 comes a next-generation RPG, set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons.  
Choose from 12 classes and 11 races from the D&D Player's Handbook and create your own identity, or play as an Origin hero with a hand-crafted background. Or tangle with your inner corruption as the Dark Urge, a fully customisable Origin hero with its own unique mechanics and story. Whoever you choose to be, adventure, loot, battle and romance your way across the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Gather your party. Take the adventure online as a party of up to four.  
Abducted, infected, lost. You are turning into a monster, but as the corruption inside you grows, so does your power. That power may help you to survive, but there will be a price to pay, and more than any ability, the bonds of trust that you build within your party could be your greatest strength. Caught in a conflict between devils, deities, and sinister otherworldly forces, you will determine the fate of the Forgotten Realms together.  
Forged with the new Divinity 4.0 engine, Baldur’s Gate 3 gives you unprecedented freedom to explore, experiment, and interact with a thriving world filled with characters, dangers, and deceit. A grand, cinematic narrative brings you closer to your characters than ever before. From shadow-cursed forests, to the magical caverns of the Underdark, to the sprawling city of Baldur’s Gate itself, your actions define the adventure, but your choices define your legacy. You will be remembered.  
The Forgotten Realms are a vast, detailed, and diverse world, and there are secrets to be discovered all around you – verticality is a vital part of exploration. Sneak, dip, shove, climb, and jump as you journey from the depths of the Underdark to the glittering rooftops of Baldur’s Gate. Every choice you make drives your story forward, each decision leaving your mark on the world. Define your legacy, nurture relationships and create enemies, and solve problems your way. No two playthroughs will ever be the same.  
allows you to combine your forces in combat and simultaneously attack enemies, or split your party to each follow your own quests and agendas. Concoct the perfect plan together… or introduce an element of chaos when your friends least expect it. Relationships are complicated. Especially when you’ve got a parasite in your brain.
7 unique Origin heroes offer a hand-crafted experience, each with their own unique traits, agenda, and outlook on the world. Their stories intersect with the overarching narrative, and your choices will determine whether those stories end in redemption, salvation, domination, or one of many other outcomes. Play as an Origin and enjoy their stories, or recruit them to fight alongside you.
based on the D&D 5e ruleset. Team-based initiative, advantage and disadvantage, and roll modifiers join an advanced AI, expanded environmental interactions, and a new fluidity in combat that rewards strategy and foresight. Three difficulty settings allow you to customise the challenge of combat. Enable weighted dice to help sway the battle, or play on Tactician mode for a hardcore experience.
featuring 31 subraces on top of the 11 races (Human, Githyanki, Half-Orc, Dwarf, Elf, Drow, Tiefling, Halfling, Half Elf, Gnome, Dragonborn), with 46 subclasses branching out of the 12 classes. Over 600 spells and actions offer near-limitless freedom of interactivity in a hand-crafted world where exploration is rewarded, and player agency defines the journey. Our unique Character Creator features unprecedented depth of character, with reactivity that ensures whomever you are, you will leave a unique legacy behind you, all the way up to Level 12. Over 174 hours of cinematics ensure that no matter the choices you make, the cinematic experience follows your journey – every playthrough, a new cinematic journey.
With the looming threat of war heading to Baldur’s Gate, and a mind flayer invasion on the horizon, friendships – though not necessary – are bound to be forged on your journey. What becomes of them is up to you, as you enter real, vibrant relationships with those you meet along the way. Each companion has their own moral compass and will react to the choices you make throughout your journey. At what cost will you stick to your ideals? Will you allow love to shape your actions? The relationships made on the road to Baldur’s Gate act as moments of respite at camp as much as they add weight to the many decisions you make on your adventure.
so that when you hit ‘go live’, your stream isn’t interrupted by a bear, swear, or lack of underwear. Baldur’s Gate 3 has 3 different levels of streamer-friendly customisation. You can disable nudity and explicit content separately (or together), and you can enable Twitch integration to interact directly with your audience, just as we do at our Panel From Hell showcases! You’ll be able to stream Baldur’s Gate 3 without any problems, regardless of how you play, thanks to these options.

Release date: Aug 3, 2023

Categories: Action RPG, Turn-based Combat, Tactical RPG, Character Customization, Party-based Combat, Choice-based Narrative, Dungeon Crawler, Open-World Exploration


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Impactful narrative choices (weight 0.95): The game is praised for its branching narrative, meaningful choices, and consequences that significantly impact the story, companions, and endings. Players highlight the high replayability due to diverse outcomes and emotional weight of decisions.
- Deep character development (weight 0.74): Companions and NPCs are well-written with rich backstories, dynamic personalities, and emotional arcs. Players appreciate the depth of interactions, romances, and side quests that enrich the world-building.
- Strategic turn-based combat (weight 0.66): The turn-based combat system is lauded for its tactical depth, environmental interactions, and accessibility for newcomers. Players enjoy the creativity and strategic planning required, along with the seamless integration of D&D 5e mechanics.
- Engaging exploration and discovery (weight 0.44): The world is immersive and filled with secrets, side quests, and dynamic events. Players enjoy the sense of discovery and the depth of exploration, which keeps the experience fresh.
- Unparalleled player freedom (weight 0.42): Players highlight the freedom to approach gameplay in multiple ways, including character creation, playstyles (hero/villain), and creative problem-solving. The game rewards experimentation and respects player agency.
- Immersive visuals and audio (weight 0.35): The game features stunning graphics, detailed environments, high-quality voice acting, and an evocative soundtrack. These elements enhance immersion and contribute to the cinematic experience.
- Authentic D&D experience (weight 0.23): The game captures the essence of Dungeons & Dragons with rich lore, tactical combat, and a vibrant world. It appeals to both fans and newcomers, offering a gold-standard RPG experience.
- Strong modding support (weight 0.2): The game benefits from an active modding community that enhances replayability, fixes issues, and expands customization options. Mods are accessible and add significant value to the experience.
- Fun multiplayer and co-op (weight 0.06): The multiplayer mode is praised for its functionality and ability to enhance the experience through shared adventures. Co-op gameplay is dynamic and adds depth to the strategic combat.

Common complaints:
- Prevalent bugs and performance issues (weight 0.39): Numerous technical problems, including crashes, quest-breaking bugs, and optimization issues, significantly detract from the experience. Performance drops, especially in the third act, and AI glitches are frequently reported.
- Complex and unintuitive mechanics (weight 0.23): The game’s mechanics, including combat and UI, are described as overwhelming and punishing, particularly for newcomers. Players struggle with steep learning curves, clunky controls, and a lack of clear explanations for core systems.
- Rushed and uneven third act (weight 0.21): The final act of the game is widely criticized for feeling rushed, poorly optimized, and lacking meaningful content. Players report narrative inconsistencies, technical bugs, and a loss of engagement due to pacing issues and unresolved plotlines.
- Poor voice acting and dialogue issues (weight 0.12): The lack of voice acting for the main character and inconsistencies in dialogue delivery create immersion-breaking experiences. Dialogues are often described as long-winded, unnatural, or lacking emotional impact.
- Confusing quest and map design (weight 0.12): Quest layout and navigation are poorly designed, with unclear objectives, hidden endings, and a lack of guidance. Players report missing content due to opaque design and frequent bugs breaking quests.
- Poor camera controls (weight 0.09): Camera issues, particularly in buildings and combat, hinder gameplay. Players report tunnel vision, obstructive angles, and bugs that disrupt situational awareness.
- Simplistic moral choices (weight 0.09): Major narrative choices lack nuance, often boiling down to binary heroic or evil decisions. Players feel the game fails to react meaningfully to morally complex or extreme choices.
- Low level cap limits progression (weight 0.08): The level cap of 12 is reached too quickly, leaving players with limited progression options. This is exacerbated by excessive XP gains and a lack of meaningful rewards for leveling up.
- Limited character customization (weight 0.08): Character creation and customization options are described as outdated and restrictive. Players note a lack of facial variety, preset faces, and meaningful differentiation between classes and races.
- Abrupt and limited endings (weight 0.08): The game’s endings are criticized for feeling abrupt, lacking player freedom, and offering little replayability. Players express disappointment in the lack of long-term world impact or meaningful narrative conclusions.
- Unbalanced difficulty settings (weight 0.07): Difficulty levels are poorly balanced, with easy mode still being challenging for newcomers and higher difficulties feeling unfair or unengaging. Combat encounters are often too easy or overly punishing.

Gameplay feedback:
- Environmental interactions and creativity (weight 0.3): The game encourages creative problem-solving through environmental interactions, such as using terrain, spells, or items in combat and puzzles. Players appreciate the open-ended approach to quests and conflicts, rewarding experimentation.
- Dice roll mechanics for outcomes (weight 0.09): Dice rolls influence combat, dialogue, and skill checks, adding unpredictability and realism to interactions. Players appreciate the TRPG-inspired mechanics but note the potential for frustration due to RNG.
- Adjustable difficulty settings (weight 0.05): The game offers varied difficulty modes, allowing players to tailor the challenge to their preferences. This includes options for tactical depth, exploration-focused play, or harder combat encounters.

Performance notes:
- Companion and AI bugs (weight 0.15): Companions and AI exhibit erratic behavior, such as getting stuck, dying unexpectedly, or taking excessive time to make decisions during combat. These issues disrupt gameplay and quest progression.
- Save system and manual saving (weight 0.13): The save system is unreliable, particularly in Honour Mode, and players often resort to frequent manual saving to avoid losing progress due to bugs or crashes.
- Active patching and support (weight 0.12): Developers are actively addressing bugs and optimization issues, with improvements noted post-launch, though some problems remain unresolved.
- Minor but persistent bugs (weight 0.04): Smaller issues, such as duplicate inventory items, incorrect hit calculations, and movement processing delays, persist and contribute to a less polished experience.
- Hardware and platform limitations (weight 0.04): The game has demanding hardware requirements and compatibility issues with platforms like the Steam Deck, limiting accessibility for some players.
- Strong performance on high-end hardware (weight 0.03): Despite widespread issues, the game runs smoothly on high-end systems, achieving consistent frame rates even in demanding scenes.
- Crossplay and multiplayer issues (weight 0.03): Crossplay functionality suffers from crashes, UI bugs, and a complicated invite system, making multiplayer experiences frustrating for some players.

Recommendations:
- Must-play for RPG fans (weight 0.41): The game is widely recommended for RPG enthusiasts, D&D fans, and players seeking deep narratives, strategic combat, and immersive storytelling. It is praised as a modern masterpiece and a redefinition of the CRPG genre.
- Great for newcomers and veterans (weight 0.37): The game is accessible to both RPG newcomers and veterans, offering a polished experience that sets a new standard for the genre. It is recommended as a starting point for CRPGs or D&D 5e.
- High replayability and freedom (weight 0.24): The game offers extensive replayability due to branching narratives, multiple character builds, creative problem-solving, and freedom of choice. Players are encouraged to explore different paths and outcomes across playthroughs.
- Modding enhances experience (weight 0.09): Mods significantly improve the game by addressing quality-of-life issues (e.g., camera controls, performance) and extending replayability with new content. Modding support is a key feature for many players.
- Steep learning curve (weight 0.08): New players may face challenges with D&D mechanics and the game's depth. It is recommended to play without guides initially or revisit classic Baldur’s Gate games for better understanding.
- Hardware requirements (weight 0.08): The game requires a fast PC to run smoothly, which may be a consideration for some players. Performance improvements can be achieved through mods or SSD installation.
- High value for money (weight 0.05): The game is frequently recommended at full price due to its depth, replayability, and content. It is considered a complete and polished experience with strong developer support.
- Not for everyone (weight 0.05): While highly praised, the game may not appeal to players who dislike turn-based combat, difficulty spikes, or its specific design flaws. It is best suited for those seeking deep, immersive experiences.

Other player notes:
- Gameplay mechanics feedback (weight 0.02): Players provided mixed feedback on mechanics like frequent quick-saving and inventory management, citing both convenience and frustrations with quirks in the system.
- Game inspired creativity (weight 0.02): The game served as a source of inspiration for players, including sparking real-life daydreaming about dice rolls and influencing personal creative projects like writing.
- Game praised as Game of the Year (weight 0.01): The game received high acclaim, including recognition as a Game of the Year contender, highlighting its impact and quality in the eyes of reviewers.
- Outstanding sound design (weight 0.01): Reviewers frequently praised the music and ambient sound design, noting its immersive and atmospheric contributions to the gameplay experience.
- Modding extends game lifespan (weight 0.01): The modding community was highlighted as a key factor in extending the game's replayability and longevity, showcasing the value of player-driven content.
- Criticism of developer direction (weight 0.01): Players expressed dissatisfaction with the developer's focus and audience targeting, suggesting a misalignment between expectations and execution. This reflects broader concerns about creative decisions in game development.
- Desire for improved character editor (weight 0.01): Players expressed a strong desire for a more detailed and customizable character editor, indicating a demand for deeper personalization options.
- Pet interaction praised (weight 0.01): Players appreciated the ability to interact with pets, such as petting the dog and owlbear, noting it added charm and emotional engagement to the game.
- Request for natural animations (weight 0.01): Feedback highlighted a need for more fluid and natural character animations, suggesting this would enhance immersion and realism in the game.
- Suggestion for delayed release (weight 0.01): Some players felt the game could have benefited from a later release date, implying concerns about polish or content completeness at launch.
- Critique of industry profit focus (weight 0.01): Reviewers criticized the gaming industry's prioritization of profit over creativity, reflecting broader concerns about the state of game development and innovation.
- Alternative gameplay path suggestion (weight 0.01): Players proposed an alternative gameplay path involving spoilers, indicating a desire for more narrative or mechanical diversity in the game.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.19): Players experience frustration due to a combination of technical issues (bugs, crashes, performance problems) and design flaws (unintuitive mechanics, poor UI, camera controls). Many also cite unfair or inconsistent gameplay elements, such as unpredictable dice rolls, difficulty spikes, and poorly balanced systems that disrupt immersion and progression. Additionally, repetitive or tedious gameplay loops, like inventory management and backtracking, exacerbate burnout.
- Excitement (weight 0.13): Excitement stems from the game's depth, replayability, and freedom of choice, which allow players to explore diverse storylines, character builds, and tactical combat strategies. The immersive world, meaningful narrative choices, and environmental interactions create a sense of discovery and engagement, particularly when uncovering hidden secrets, modding possibilities, or unique gameplay moments in each playthrough.
- Joy (weight 0.08): Joy is derived from the game's engaging storytelling, emotional depth, and creative freedom, which foster memorable interactions with companions and the world. Players highlight the humor, camaraderie with friends, and satisfying moments of problem-solving or tactical mastery, such as overcoming challenges or discovering new dialogue and secrets that enhance immersion.
- Disappointment (weight 0.07): Disappointment arises from unmet expectations, particularly in narrative execution (e.g., rushed Act 3, shallow character arcs) and technical shortcomings (e.g., bugs, poor optimization). Players also express frustration with design choices like limited customization, lack of real-time mode, and underdeveloped RPG mechanics, which fail to live up to the hype or legacy of the series.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.07): Satisfaction comes from the game's rich narrative, deep customization, and well-designed combat and exploration systems. Players appreciate the freedom to shape their story, the emotional payoff of companion arcs, and the sheer volume of content, which rewards creativity and replayability. Overcoming challenges and discovering new paths or endings also contribute to a fulfilling experience.
- Admiration (weight 0.06): Admiration is directed at the game's craftsmanship, ambition, and depth, which set a new standard for RPGs. Players praise the attention to detail in storytelling, world-building, and character development, as well as the developer's commitment to player freedom and post-launch support. The game is often described as a masterpiece or genre-defining achievement.
- Awe (weight 0.04): Awe is evoked by the game's vast scope, emotional impact, and the sheer number of possibilities it offers. Players are impressed by the depth of storytelling, cinematic presentation, and the way the game adapts to player choices, creating a living, reactive world that exceeds expectations in both scale and quality.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.04): Nostalgia is triggered by the game's callbacks to classic RPGs, its emotional storytelling, and the memories it creates—whether through shared experiences with friends, references to past games, or the bittersweet feeling of completing a long journey with beloved companions. The soundtrack and themes also evoke strong personal connections.
- Gratitude (weight 0.03): Gratitude is expressed toward the developers for creating an immersive, high-quality experience that resonates personally with players. Many appreciate the game's accessibility, localization, and modding support, as well as its ability to introduce new players to the genre or provide comfort during difficult times.
- Amusement (weight 0.03): Amusement arises from the game's humor, chaotic gameplay moments, and unexpected interactions, such as accidental romances, absurd companion backstories, or creative (and often ridiculous) combat tactics. Players enjoy the unpredictability and lightheartedness that add charm to the experience.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Appreciation is shown for the game's strong aspects, such as its art direction, voice acting, mature themes, and environmental storytelling. Players also commend the developer's transparency, dedication, and the game's impact on the RPG genre, particularly its faithful adaptation of D&D mechanics.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger is directed at perceived disrespect to the source material, unfair gameplay mechanics (e.g., excessive RNG, action economy issues), and technical problems like multiplayer connectivity or lost progress. Players also express frustration with design choices that limit agency, such as content locked behind specific characters or unresolved bugs.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game stems from its emotional depth, character variety, and the strong connections players form with companions and the world. The game's completeness, refinement, and ability to evoke strong emotions make it a deeply cherished experience for many.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance is caused by clunky UI, poor camera controls, and forced narrative elements (e.g., romance subplots). Players also cite balance issues, unclear mechanics, and repetitive or tedious gameplay loops, such as slow combat or inventory management, as sources of frustration.
- Immersion (weight 0.01): Immersion is achieved through the game's film-like storytelling, well-written dialogue, and atmospheric world-building. Players feel like active participants in the narrative, with the game's coherence and attention to detail enhancing their engagement and sense of presence in the world.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness is tied to the emotional weight of character arcs, endings, and the bittersweet feeling of parting with companions after a long journey. Players also express disappointment in the studio or feeling left out if they struggled to connect with the game while others enjoyed it.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom arises from repetitive or tedious gameplay elements, such as long battles, generic character backstories, or forced storytelling. Players also cite lackluster progression systems (e.g., meaningless spell upgrades) and unengaging combat mechanics as reasons for disinterest.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise is felt when the game exceeds expectations, particularly for players initially skeptical of its turn-based combat or familiar story elements. Many are pleasantly surprised by the depth of strategy, narrative choices, or their enjoyment of a genre they typically avoid.
- Relief (weight 0.01): Relief comes from resolving difficult situations, completing the game, or finding solutions to technical or mechanical issues (e.g., mods for camera problems). Players also feel relief when the game's story or mechanics finally 'click,' making the experience more enjoyable.
- Curiosity (weight 0.01): Curiosity is driven by the game's freedom of choice, multiple narrative paths, and the desire to explore different strategies or outcomes. Players are intrigued by companion backstories, world lore, and the potential for unique playthroughs, often leading them to try other games in the genre.}