How Baldur's Gate 3 Clinched the 2023 Game of the Year Title

If you’re looking to review one of the best things that happened in the gaming world recently, you’re at the right spot! Baldur's Gate 3 didn't just walk away with the 2023 Game of the Year title. This game practically did a victory lap at the Golden Joystick Awards, bagging the Ultimate Game of the Year and a swag of six other awards.

Back in 2020, the announcement of Baldur's Gate 3 was multiplied with a large dose of anticipation, all thanks to the nostalgia for their childhoods, coming from loyal fans but also RPG newbies.

Crafted by the wizards at Larian Studios, known for conjuring up some deep role-playing magic, this game had big boots to fill. And boy, did it deliver.

Our team of gaming fiends at Aucasinoslist can attest to Baldur's Gate 3 being a different breed of treasure. Boasting extensive expertise in online gaming, our dedicated team of industry professionals has thoroughly analyzed all contenders for the Game of the Year title and has prepared this comprehensive piece on what made Baldur’s the most prominent game of the last year.

In this article, we're not just tipping our hats to Baldur's Gate 3 for sweeping awards. We're diving into the dungeons to uncover why this game resonated with so many. It’s more than a game; it’s an adventure, a challenge, and a revival of a legacy that continues to enchant the gaming community.

Engrossing Storytelling and Deep RPG Systems

Baldur's Gate 3 combines storytelling, deep character build and detailed RPG mechanics that crown its many titles.

Its critical acclaim can be attributed to several key elements:

Immersive Narrative

The deep narration automatically connects the players to the story, elevating Baldur's Gate 3 beyond a typical RPG into a deeply personal experience. Each choice impacts the gameplay, creating multiple opportunities in a single click!

• Choice-Driven Plot: Player decisions instantly influence the game development and current gameplay options. Choices can forge alliances, create enemies, and even alter major plot points. This autonomy in storytelling ensures that each playthrough feels unique and tailored to the player's decisions, making their journey through the game distinctly personal.

• Diverse Character Backstories: The game features characters with rich histories, like Asterion, the vampire spawn, and Gale, the wizard with a consuming Netherese artifact. These backstories add layers to the gameplay, making each interaction meaningful.
• Dynamic Dialogue Options: Remember the saying, “It’s so realistic if it could only talk!”? Well, the creators of this game have thought about it all! Conversations in Baldur’s Gate 3 are next-level real. For example, a player's choice of words to say something will influence the NPC’s reaction. If it was said politely or rudely, teasingly, this will be noted by the game’s system! This system recognizes the player's character's tone and moral alignment, offering options ranging from compassionate to aggressive.

Complex Character Customization

Getting to know the multiverse of Baldur’s Gate 3 is a tale on its own. Knowing the characters and their race and ability is one thing. The game offers an extra touch of personalization for each character, allowing the player to add intricate personal and distinctive details (e.g. pink hair, piercing) to each character.

• Extensive Class and Race Options: In the game, players can choose from classes like Wizards, who harness arcane magic, or Rogues, known for stealth and agility. Moreover, you can create immersive combinations by pairing these with distinct races, such as Elves, Dwarves or Trolls, each with their own natural-born set of skills.
• Advanced Ability and Skill Choices: Each character class, like the combat-centric Fighter, comes with distinct abilities and skills (e.g., specialized fighting techniques or mastery of specific weapons). These choices influence everything from combat strategies to how players navigate the game's narrative and interact with the environment.

Tactical Combat System

If you’re a fan of strategy and tactics but also like to try out creative combat modes, Baldur’s Gate 3 is the perfect playground. Though you might need to plan carefully when choosing a character built by class and race, the interactive environment and hidden thrills will make you lean on logic and instant decisions.

• Turn-Based Mechanics: Players must consider the positioning of their characters, the environment, and their choice of spells or attacks in this game, which requires a strong sense of strategy. This system allows for tactics like flanking enemies for extra damage or using ranged attacks from higher ground for accuracy.
• Interactive Environments: The environment in Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t just a neat background mode. Got enemies chasing you? Lead them into a room filled with explosive barrels. Fighting near a lake? A clever ice spell could turn that water into a treacherous, slippery trap. So, eventually, it’s about turning the world around you into a tool for victory.

Rich World-Building

The game's world is a tapestry of detailed environments and complex NPCs. Each location is rich with lore and visual detail, while NPCs offer their own stories and motivations. This depth creates a world in which players can immerse themselves, making the game not just a journey in the heart of entertainment but an exploration of a living, breathing universe.

• Detailed Environments: From the treacherous Underdark to the vivid and color-splashing cities, the detail in the world-building is out of this world (literally)! Plus, players can uncover hidden snippets and feel even more attached to the game.
• NPCs with Depth: The non-player characters (NPCs) in Baldur's Gate 3 are individuals with their own motivations, backgrounds, and stories, and the player’s interaction with them plays an important role in the further narrative and evolving gameplay. This depth in character design makes the game's world feel alive and dynamic, as each NPC interaction can reveal new facets of the story or lead to unexpected developments.

The Role of Community Engagement

Baldur's Gate 3 has been a gaming phenomenon and a vibrant community epicentre. The players' interaction and collective experiences significantly enriched the game's overall impact.

• Online Discussion Platforms: On Reddit and Twitter, players actively shared tips and strategies, with some threads garnering thousands of interactions.
• Streaming and Content Creation: Twitch and YouTube channels dedicated to Baldur's Gate 3 flourished, featuring gameplay, guides, and character build discussions, attracting extensive viewership.
• Fan-Created Resources: The community compiled detailed guides and wikis, essential for navigating the game's complexities, highlighting the depth of player engagement and knowledge sharing.

• Community-Driven Events: Events like speedrunning contests and themed role-playing brought players together, adding a new dimension to the gameplay.
• Feedback Loop with Developers: Larian Studios' active engagement with player feedback led to game improvements and updates, reflecting a strong community-developer relationship.

Challenges and Rewards of Gameplay

Baldur's Gate 3 intertwines rigorous challenges with gratifying rewards, offering a rich gaming experience filled with specific, memorable moments.

• Strategic Boss Fights: Battles like the encounter with the Githyanki Rath require players to tactically maneuver their party and exploit weaknesses, testing strategic foresight and adaptability.
• Resource Management in Critical Situations: In the undercity's depths, players face scenarios where managing scarce healing potions or spell scrolls is crucial, especially when caught between multiple enemy encounters without a rest point.

• Exclusive Loot for Mastery: Defeating the Archdruid in the Druid Grove can yield unique items like the Staff of Crones, which offers powerful magical abilities, rewarding players for overcoming a tough adversary. This way is less familiar to the rookies and fresh players, so reading more about the game or even watching the series might come as added value.
• Narrative Branching for Key Decisions: Choosing to ally with factions like the Zhentarim can unlock specific questlines, such as “The Zhentarim's Lament,” offering unique story developments and character interactions not available in other paths.

Takeaways

Let's face it, Baldur's Gate 3 was a phenomenon in the gaming world that marked 2023. This wasn't your run-of-the-mill RPG. It was like stepping into a fantasy world that lived and breathed with your every move.

But what made it stand out? For starters, the storytelling was something else. We're talking about a plot that twisted and turned based on your decisions, with characters who felt more like old friends (or foes) rather than pixels on a screen. And let's not forget the combat – every encounter was like a chess match, but with fireballs and sneaky backstabs.

The real cherry on top, though? The community. This game didn't just have players; it had architects of worlds, sharing strategies, stories, and some pretty epic fails.

Baldur's Gate 3 wasn't just a high point of 2023. It rather set the bar for what an RPG can be, going beyond the screenplay and video gaming and entering our real worlds, breaking even the social barriers.

If you want to delve into the world of online gaming, we urge you to explore our comprehensive selection of new faces in Australian online entertainment. There is something in there for everyone. Happy gaming!