Genre: RPG
Publisher: Black Isle/Bioware
Summary: You have been raised amidst the bookish halls of Candlekeep by your foster father Gorion, but upon leaving he is murdered by a mysterious figure in armor. Can the current iron crisis somehow be connected?
Gameplay: As a Dungeons and Dragons game, gameplay is naturally based on that system (3rd edition.) You start at level one, and there is a real danger that a diseased gibberling might kill you with a sneeze. With experience and knowledge, on the other hand, you can solo the game on the hardest difficulty. Thanks to multiple difficulty levels and character classes, there is enough variety to satisfy many different play styles.
Style: The isometric graphics are nothing spectacular, although some backgrounds are pretty. The portraits for your party members are a nice way of showing character tiny sprites can't. I also quite like the stone bars off bordering the sides and base of the screen which contain the buttons and icons. I've seen lots of games that just have those floating in front of the action (or wherever you'd like to drag them) but there's a neatness to having them all off in their place with the main action in the middle I really appreciate. And the overall style of written scrolls and stonework nicely matches the medieval feel of the Sword Coast.
Story: The story for Baldur's Gate is actually somewhat complex, although easy enough to follow (too easy, in some places. The game throws you multiple signposts when you first get to the city of Baldur's gate. It's okay to just let us explore the new region for a bit!)
There are distinct chapters, each beginning with a dream. These are surprisingly effective and eerie considering they're just narration and a still image. They also change a bit depending on alignment and how some main quests were completed.
The Sword Coast is nicely spacious, with plenty of sidequests and other random encounters to stumble upon and explore. I'm pretty sure, in over a decade of playing this game, that there are still probably a few quests I haven't done (to say nothing of the multitude of mods available that add more.)
Then there are the characters. Bioware's famous quirky party began here, although this early on characterization is somewhat thin. The villains also have some interesting shades.
Conclusion: Despite its age, this is still an excellent roleplaying game, offering many opportunities for adventure and characterization, as well as a rich story. And there are plenty of mods that add to the experience, as well.
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