Trigger Cut Game Reviews

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a once in a generation game with a level of quality and innovation that is rare for the video game industry. This is a game that advances the industry and hopefully will influence future video games.  I see countless games being marketed as giving the player choice; however, these games mostly present the illusion of choice that in actuality has little or no consequence to the larger narrative.  Larian gives you full control over the narrative in both micro and macro ways. You are constantly presented with decisions that can and will impact the larger narrative.  There were multiple times where I made what I thought were minor decisions but it ended up having a huge impact on how the narrative unfolded. Larian does a great job playing with moral ambiguity. Most games that have choice typically present something binary such as doing something good or something bad.  There were several times where I thought I was doing something good, but it turned out to be a disaster.  I do not think this ambiguity stems from a lack of communication from the developers of what is considered good or bad in this world. I think it is an intentional way of reflecting real world decisions which at least in my opinion often exist in a grey area.  You may be helping one faction but completely screwing over another one.  I have never felt guilt through a game’s narrative as strongly as I did in this game.  My choices led to the deaths of multiple central companions, characters hating me, and refusing to join my party, and areas becoming completely inaccessible  The game not only presents narrative choices but also presents a myriad of ways to approach a quest.  There are at least 2 to 3 different ways to approach a quest.  This may sound minor but Larian gives you these different approaches to almost every single quest both minor and major. While the narrative and choice is some of the best I have ever experienced in a video game, the combat is no slouch either.  The combat is turn based and is extremely challenging, at least at first.  You will get your ass kicked in this game in the beginning however, you will gradually grow more powerful, get more skills, and eventually you will be a force to be reckoned with.  This game is not a power fantasy since the combat remains challenging throughout the entire playthrough, however, the more you learn about the game, the more successful you will be.  The amount of classes and customization in this game is ridiculous.  I played as a mage and there were several subclasses I could utilize to further hone my build.  The sheer amount of spells I had access to was impressive.  I played this entire game with my partner and she played a warrior class which had the same level of customization that I did.  I couldn’t not mention how great of a couch co-op game this is and my partner loved how she was not tied to me the entire time like many other couch co-op games. As long as you are on the same map, your co-op partner has the freedom to explore, complete quests, and engage in combat by themselves.  The game can be glitchy and a bit janky at times but I forgive it given the sheer amount of ambition on display here.  Baldur’s Gate 3 is a rare masterpiece that is not to be missed.