2023-09-05 18:48:16
After twenty-two years of waiting, the famous series “Baldur’s Gate” sees itself endowed with a third episode. LARIAN STUDIOS
For technical reasons, the role-playing video game can only hope to approach the experience of its august elder, the tabletop role-playing game, which is practiced with partners and a game master, and which can sometimes be similar to improvisational theatre. Outre-Quiévrain, Larian Studios, known for its two Divinity : Original Sintackled in 2017 following the prestigious Canadian series Baldur’s Gatewhose two main episodes date from 1998 and 2000.
The license remains adored for having successfully transposed the rules and the medieval fantasy universe of Dungeon & Dragons, the undisputed reference in tabletop role-playing games. After a conclusive early access phase (three years during which the most impatient might finance the development by trying out a preliminary version of the title) and a growing enthusiasm, Baldur’s Gate III arrives in its final version this summer (available on PC since August 3 and on PS5 from September 6). Undoubtedly, the gap between the two worlds, that of paper and screen, has never been so reduced.
A real race once morest the monster
The protagonist – customizable from head to toe, from his race to his class, from his past to the timbre of his voice – finds himself embarked on a galley in the form of a great headlong rush. In his head and in those of the companions he meets over the course of the adventure has been implanted a parasite that threatens to transform them into sprawling monstrosities at any moment. The group is therefore urgently looking for the providential healer capable of carrying out the saving ablation. The company quickly realizes that salvation is likely to be found in the city of Baldur’s Gate, the permanent horizon of this epic and the nerve center of the political issues that are emerging in the background.
Everyone has their little worries Baldur’s Gate III. Astarion, the vampire offspring, hopes to emancipate himself from his master. Karlach, an adorable force of nature with demonic airs, would like to repair his overheating mechanical heart. Everyone except you, the player. You do exactly what you want. And it is in this unreasonable freedom that lies the magic of the title. In theory, it is possible to use any strategy to solve a problem: violence, cunning or diplomacy.
As in Dungeons & Dragons, dice rolls are legion: you must regularly throw a virtual twenty-sided die, which rolls before your anxious eyes, deciding, depending on your score, whether your action is successful or not. So you’ll know if the patter of your avatar is enough to slip a convincing canard or if his intimidation can drop the weapons of the belligerents before you even have to take out his own. The magnitude of the perspectives literally makes you dizzy and is a tour de force.
Dice rolls are central to the game system of “Baldur’s Gate III”. Passing or failing these tests can drastically change the nature of the reactions you will get. LARIAN STUDIOS
The pleasure of experimentation is all the more intense as the smallest character, from the fighters who accompany us to the most obscure merchants, benefits from charming animations and particularly successful dubbing. Some may act theatrically and bombastic, it’s true, but others, like most goblins, have the most flowery Cockney accent.
A delirium of insiders
With its narrative versatility, its artistic mastery and its dozens, even hundreds of hours of play for the most passionate, what can we blame this behemoth of Baldur’s Gate III ? Fights that may be too long, never easy to tackle. For sure, they will be able to please the tactical aficionados, fed with the strategic guides. However, their complexity and the glaring lack of pedagogy of the game will drive away those who cannot afford such an investment of time and energy. Those can nevertheless take refuge in the easy mode rescuer which offers lighter battles.
The game tells you in advance if a line of dialogue will go through the cruel law of the dice roll. LARIAN STUDIOS
This difficulty in teaching the tricks of a system, that of Dungeons & Dragons, is also found at many levels. The menus are far too often filled with lengthy explanatory texts. These annotations are regularly written in a sabir that is very difficult for the neophyte to grasp. As for the choices offered to advance the skills of his character, they are so abundant and varied that they become intimidating.
However, it is impossible to blame Larian, who has already made many efforts to accommodate the rules, that of the basic role-playing game, which have evolved without worrying regarding video games for half a century. And if the question of the merits of the adaptation of such a monument can always arise, the Belgian studio is not far from having realized the full potential of this Herculean task entrusted to it.
The clashes can range from a simple duel to a pitched battle with dozens of opponents on the screen. LARIAN STUDIOS
The Grandfather of Pixels
We liked:
the incredible number of branches, possibilities, personalization of the epic; the impressive realization; the dubbers in VO who give everything and who cannot leave indifferent (special mention to the narrator); the subtitles in French without burr.
We didn’t like:
the fights can seem endless and cruel for the uninitiated; the clumsy ergonomics, which has difficulty in effectively exploiting the concepts of the game.
It’s more for you if:
you are delighted by the perfect comeback of the Dungeons & Dragons license.
It’s not for you if:
you have other titles on the go: this is a full-time game.
The Pixels Note
[Test de persuasion facile] : 16. To which we add a bonus of +1, which therefore makes 17/20
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