game. They’re as complex as the
player character, and in the case of
the multiplayer mode they are all
player characters, the heroes or
villains of their own story – but for
the time being the half-elf cleric
known as Shadowheart is a light
evening snack. As Vincke drinks, he’s
able to give into his craving, or he can
pull back before sucking her dry,
leading to a D20 being rolled at the
centre of the screen. Luckily he
passes the roll, as failure would have
ended Shadowheart’s story
prematurely. Even with the roll,
however, he’s not out of the woods.
The party could discover his secret,
which seems pretty plausible given
that tadpoles give their victims a
psychic connection.
He likens the parasite to the
Bhaalspawn legacy from the earlier
games. It’s a power that can be
tapped, but it comes from a
dangerous source. “Every single time
that you use it, you give into it,”
Vincke warns. “And as you give into
it, things start happening when you
encounter other people with
tadpoles, and you might not be so
resistant. Eventually you’ll find mind
flayers, and if you use the tadpole,
you might find that it’s really hard.”
turn-based.Explorationhappens in
real-time,andplayersorcharacters
notinthebrawlcancontinue to
movenormally,butwhenthe swords
areunsheathedthingsgettactical.
“I’mcriticalofreal-time-with-
pausebecauseIthinkthatitlooks
messy.It’slikeamiss,pause,give
threeorders,amiss,pause,”says
seniordesignerEdouardImbert.
“Also,Idon’tbelievethatsticking to
theoldsystemcanexpandto a
greateraudience.Thethingwith
turn-basedlogicisthateverybody
understandsit.It’smyturn,it’s your
turn.Andwehavethisexperience
withit–itworkedforuswith
Divinity:OriginalSin,itworked for us
withDivinity:OriginalSinII,and
D&Disturn-based.
“Yourcharactersarethetools
you’llusetosolveapuzzle,and the
puzzleismoremessyifeverything is
movingatthesametime.”TOP: Yep, Larian still
really loves fire.
ABOVE: This place
isn’t welcoming, but
it’s handy for making
fire arrows.Conflict in Baldur’s Gate III stems
from conversations just as much as
combat. The game is constantly
making skill rolls and dialogue
checks, pitting your arcane
knowledge or religious know-how
against the whims of the dice. During
one chat, Vincke tries to pilfer a toe
ring from a goblin, which he’s able to
do by gingerly kissing the gobbo’s feet
while employing some sleight of
hand. Thanks to the close-up
conversations and mo-capped
animation, you can get a real good
look at the makeout session, made
even steamier by the detailed
description. Vincke leaves the
encounter with some new jewellery,
while the goblin leaves with a smile.TURN IT UP
Fights are bound to happen, of
course, and unlike the earlier games,
Baldur’s Gate III’s brawls are all