Larian has finally shown off some Baldur’s Gate 3 gameplay, via their panel at PAX East today, and as you might have already read in our preview, it is very impressive.
But, impressive as it may be, there are still plenty of questions for Larian to answer. It’s self-publishing the game, which is quite remarkable given its scope and reputation. It’s one of the first major games to be releasing simultaneously on Google Stadia and other platforms – at this point just PC – and there’s been an assumption amongst some that this would mean Google would have some kind of say in things, akin to a first-party relationship the likes of Sony and Microsoft have with some games on their own platforms.
And then there’s, you know, the actual game itself. Larian’s Divinity: Original Sin and Original Sin 2 garnered a reputation for brilliant turn-based action, but Baldur’s Gate is known for its real-time with pause system, so how will they bridge that gap? How will they manage the darker tone when Divinity has been as much a comedy, in recent years, as a heavier fantasy drama? And will there be a Dungeon Master mode, what with Baldur’s Gate being driven by the rules of Dungeons and Dragons itself?
You can read our conversation with Larian’s David Walgrave, executive producer on Baldur’s Gate 3, about all of that and more just below. And if you haven’t already, be sure to run the rule over our detailed impressions of the game in our big Baldur’s Gate 3 preview, based on a good three hours of live, hands-off gameplay that went on a little while longer than what you’ll have seen from Larian’s reveals so far. It also features a gallery with lots of pretty pictures from the already gorgeous “pre-alpha” build of the game, too.
13 Things You Need To Know About Baldur’s Gate 3 – BALDUR’S GATE 3 GAMEPLAY Watch on YouTube
How’d you feel the gameplay presentation went? Happy? There was a lot of chaotic energy…
David Walgrave: Yes! When we do these presentations, we have the script in mind so that we cover everything that we want to cover. Because it doesn’t look like it, but we do have a plan with it. And then you enter the chaos factor Swen Vinke, and as a developer your heart stops every time he does something. He goes like, “Oh but I could also try this” and you’re going “No! You can’t!” [laughs].