'Baldur's Gate 3' Xbox Version Impressions
Last week, on the same day that it was crowned Game of the Year at The Game Awards, Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 finally landed on Xbox Series S|X. While it launched on PC and PS5 earlier this year, the Xbox Series version was delayed due to some development challenges in getting split-screen co-op on both Series X and Series S systems. After an agreement was reached between Larian Studios and Microsoft, split-screen co-op was dropped for Series S in favour of launching the game this year on Xbox platforms.
In between exploring worlds in Outer Wilds, I’ve dipped my toes in this new adventure set in Dungeons & Dragons’ Forgotten Realms on the Xbox Series S. While I’m not that familiar with that universe, the amount of praise that Baldur’s Gate 3 received since it launched (it even received a 10/10 in our official review which I highly recommend to check out!) piqued my interest enough to take the plunge.
While it is a game of massive scope with a range of branching paths and an impressive level of freedom that result in a runtime of over 50 hours, the fraction of what I have experienced has held up to the hype so far. It offers a compelling, narrative-driven experience that is shaped by your individual choices and exploration in a cohesive way. I was relieved that I didn’t have to play Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2 to enjoy the third instalment as it focuses on new characters; and even with my limited knowledge of the Forgotten Realms, Baldur's Gate 3 quickly got me hooked in this fantasy-infused universe.
In terms of performance, the game holds up well on the lower-end Xbox Series S system, running at a steady 30fps. There are no options to toggle between performance/quality modes but the game looks visually impressive with no discernible compromise on the textures and detailed environments. As the Xbox version includes Patch 5, the experience is smoother than when it launched. However, there have been complaints about lost save files. I haven’t encountered such issues myself, but it might be worth keeping in mind as some players might experience these.
While split-screen co-op is available only on the Xbox Series X, you can still play cooperatively online. That said, it is a title that can very much be enjoyed as a single-player experience. If you are a fan of narrative-driven games, then you shouldn’t miss out on Baldur’s Gate 3 as narrative-driven titles don’t get any more compelling than this. If you are holding off because of the D&D-inspired mechanics, there is a slight learning curve to the controls but it easily grows on you, even if you don't have little to no experience with tabletop RPGs. I sure am enjoying my adventure in the Forgotten Realms and will be forging ahead in this universe for the foreseeable future. Now that the game is available on more platforms, there’s little reason for you to not do so as well.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Official GBAtemp Review
