The successful early access period ofBaldur’s Gate 3has positioned the game as one of the most-anticipated releases of 2023 in what is already shaping up to be a star-studded summer release schedule. Developer Larian Studios has applied its skill at crafting compelling RPG narratives along with captivating combat from itsDivinity: Original Sintitles and applied it into the classic Dungeons & Dragons setting of the legendaryBaldur’s GateCRPGs. The recentDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thievesfeature film set in the Forgotten Realms, which was received positively by both critics and fans, has more to offerBaldur’s Gate 3than just bringingD&Dback into the zeitgeist.
Part ofHonor Among Thieves' success comes from its reverence for andadherence to theD&Dsource material, including featuring several prominent locations from the Forgotten Realms such as Icewind Dale and Neverwinter. But the other - and perhaps more important - component to the film’s success is arguably found in its comic relief, providing plenty of laughs to go along with the adventure and excitement typically found in aD&Dcampaign. As a property that has a serious facade belying the inherent joy and humor found in role playing games,Baldur’s Gate 3would do well to incorporate the lighthearted side ofD&Din its narrative.
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Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 Struck a Tonal Balance
Thefirst two games in theBaldur’s Gateseriesare often considered as two of the best CRPGs and were two of the first games developed by the talented team at BioWare. Despite being remembered as “serious” games that faithfully adapted the setting and rule set ofDungeons & Dragons, the games were notorious for their regular use of humorous dialogue or absurd characters as a form of comic relief. Players ofBaldur’s GateandBaldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amnlikely have fond memories of Boo, the “miniature giant space hamster”.
Suffice it to say that one of the key characteristics of theBaldur’s Gategames was their ability to seamlessly shift between a lighthearted and humorous tone and dark, foreboding storytelling without it feeling out of place.Larian Studios' ownDivinity: Original Sinseries is one known for its often humorous tone, sometimes uncharacteristically so for a CRPG.Baldur’s Gate 3should hopefully continue the trend of balancing humor and intrigue from the first two games in theBaldur’s Gateseries as well as from Larian’s previous work onDivinity.
Dungeons & Dragons Finds Relevance in Pop Culture by Leaning Into its Absurdity
It’s somewhat of a surprise to see theDungeons & DragonsIP see mainstream acceptance in pop culture given its somewhat controversial history. Once seen as a gateway to Satanism and witchcraft as a result of the moral panic gripping the US in the late 1970s and early 1980s,Dungeons & Dragonshas more recently found mainstream acceptance and acculturation thanks topopular series likeCritical RoleandStranger Thingsbringing awareness to the brand as well as showcasing just how fun an RPG campaign can be with the right party. Perhaps a key component to mainstream culture’s embracing ofD&Dcan be found in realizing the silliness and absurdity that can often accompany a good play session.
The success and positive reception ofDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thievescould potentially be due to its positioning not as a fantasy movie with comic elements, but rather a full-blown comedy set in a fantasy realm. By leaning into humor while also balancing the mystery, suspense, action, and horror that can also be found in a typicalD&Dstoryline,Dungeons & Dragonscan appeal to more than just dedicated fans of RPGs. ForBaldur’s Gate 3to live up to its hypeand see true mainstream crossover success, one could hope that Larian has kept this fact in mind with its crafting of the game’s narrative.
Baldur’s Gate 3is currently in Early Access and releases on August 31 for PC and PS5, with an Xbox Series X/S version still in development.
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