Even with members of the team at Larian Studios expressing that the title isn't meant to "raise the bar" and hold other RPG releases to unrealistic standards, it's hard to argue against Baldur's Gate 3 being one of the most important role-playing games in recent memory. Not only are the original two games in the series held aloft as two of the best CRPGs ever made, the team behind Baldur's Gate 3 has already proven itself capable through its work on the amazing Divinity: Original Sin series. With the title's 6-year long development cycle at its end and release right around the corner, it will be interesting to see how the reception of Baldur's Gate 3 impacts BioWare's next releases.
As the original steward of the Baldur's Gate IP and developer of the first two games in the series, BioWare is undoubtedly one of the most important Western RPG developers. In fact, it was the studio's work on Baldur's Gate that earned it the Star Wars license and the opportunity to create one of the best RPGs ever made -- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. BioWare has gone on to make incredible franchises of its own with both Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and the passing of the Baldur's Gate torch to Larian now places the ball in BioWare's court for each series' upcoming releases.
Baldur's Gate 3 Looks to Reinstate Old Genre Staples
For all the ways in which many Western RPGs move the genre forward, Larian's approach to Baldur's Gate 3 is refreshing in how it looks to the past in terms of the game's mechanics and storytelling. Ahead of the title's release, there's been a considerable amount of conversation regarding the game's length and amount of cutscenes, reigniting a debate over these features that had been long-dormant as the genre became increasingly modernized. In its attempt to retain all the nuance and painstaking detail found in the best Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, Baldur's Gate 3 appears to be providing players with one of the most pure role-playing experiences in years.
This should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Larian's previous work, as the studio already has another incredible franchise under its belt in Divinity: Original Sin. Character customization, build craft, importance of choice, and multiple outcomes to every situation are all important elements from the Divinity games that Larian is now able to implement and improve upon under the Dungeons and Dragons license and using the iconic pen and paper RPG's genre-defining rule set.
How Baldur's Gate 3 Could Influence Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and Mass Effect 4
Baldur's Gate 3's unique approach of being a "classic" style RPG built in a modern engine might influence BioWare's next releases to embrace their roots instead of abandoning RPG tradition for modern convenience and accessibility. While the Dragon Age franchise has always held a mirror to BioWare's past as a developer and its iconic work on the Baldur's Gate games, the Mass Effect series is a different entity entirely. Each game in BioWare's landmark space RPG gradually shifted more toward the "action" side of being an ARPG.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf should hopefully be in a place where BioWare will reveal more information about it soon, meaning that any impact of Baldur's Gate 3's release and reception would be minimal, at best. Mass Effect 4, on the other hand, arguably has the weight of the franchise resting on its shoulders and is likely still in the early stages of development. With BioWare being one of the most talented Western RPG developers and having an incredible library of titles under its belt, Baldur's Gate 3's confidence as an RPG might cause Mass Effect 4 to follow suit.
Baldur’s Gate 3 releases on August 3 for PC and September 6 for PS5. An Xbox Series X/S version is in development.