Baldur’s Gate 3 is a huge success and is now considered one of the best video games of all time. This places it well alongside its predecessors, which were already regarded as masterpieces. But are the ancient role-playing games still worth it today? Fans have a clear opinion on that.
These are the predecessors:
- Just like Baldur’s Gate 3, the first two parts are classic CRPGs set on the Sword Coast, in the world of Dungeons & Dragons.
- Baldur’s Gate 1 was released in 1998, and part 2 came out shortly thereafter, in 2000. There are already remasters for modern devices, which have made it back onto our list of the best role-playing games on Steam.
- However, the predecessors were not created by Larian, but by BioWare – the studio you know today for Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Anthem. BioWare recently created Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
This is what the fans say: On Reddit, a user asks whether Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 are still worth playing today. He doesn’t care about the old models and textures as long as the gameplay and story are as good as in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Many fans in the comments respond that they have difficulty answering this question objectively. One always views these ancient games with a certain nostalgia, which makes them seem better than they may actually be.
The comment with the most agreement comes from the user grousedrum:
Lore/Story/Background – yes, incredible, definitely worth it. Gives you a lot of context for the Origin/Dark Urge story and for Jaheira.
Gameplay – absolutely different, real-time with pauses and uses much older D&D rules, which can feel restrictive and counterintuitive.
The user zoonose99 is even more radical and says: Baldur’s Gate 3 is top-tier but not “better than anything that came before.” Baldur’s Gate 1, on the other hand, was better at the time than anything that had come before.
“Baldur’s Gate 1 was revolutionary”
zoonose elaborates that Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 are must-play games for anyone interested in game design, especially regarding CRPGs and dungeon design: “They are fundamental to the genre and part of the literature for game developers.”
Whether the games are really as revolutionary as zoonose claims is already being hotly debated in the comments. However, the fans agree that anyone interested in CRPGs should take a look at Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2.
However, do not expect the same gameplay as in Baldur’s Gate 3. Fans explain: especially Baldur’s Gate 1 has an open world that enhances the feeling of discovery. And the combat system in the predecessors is entirely different.
Here you can find more games like Baldur’s Gate 3 that don’t have a turn-based combat system
If you enjoyed the gameplay of Baldur’s Gate 3, there are significantly better and modern alternatives. The best match is probably Divinity: Original Sins 2, the direct predecessor from Larian. The two games are very similar in terms of gameplay mechanics.
Alternatively, you have Solasta, a current CRPG set in the world of D&D, and the Pathfinder games, an early offshoot of the pen-and-paper system. And for those who want to look into the distant future after so much fantasy, there is a strong, modern title with Rogue Trader: If you love Baldur’s Gate 3, I have an RPG here that does 4 things even better
