Last year, Baldur’s Gate III made history by winning Game of the Year. That victory and the success of the Dungeons & Dragons movie and Critical Role officially returned the classic tabletop game to the mainstream. DnD has always been an enormous influence in gaming, going back to the days of the first Final Fantasy for the NES. However, the earlier entries in the series tend to get overlooked, with Baldur’s Gate 2 being no exception.
This is a tragedy, as the game is not only one of the best from DnD but is among the best of the fantasy, RPG, and PC gaming spaces. Here is a rundown of why Baldur’s Gate 2 deserves more respect.
It is a Classic D&D Adventure
The first reason to love Baldur’s Gate 2 is that it is a classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure. When one thinks of a “fantasy quest,” one usually thinks of a group of adventurers crossing an entire continent to save the world from the dark lord. While BG2 certainly has its high stakes, it is far more personal. Our custom hero must venture through a moderately sized nation to discover his dark heritage.
Along the way, however, the “DMs” over at Black Isle perfectly captured the feeling of a tabletop session. In general, the story is “segmented” between various discrete arcs such as the Drow city infiltration, the siege on the asylum, and doing various odd jobs through the city of Amn. In general, this captures the feeling of a multi-part quest where the DM develops new chapters as he goes along. Ultimately, it makes the game authentic rather than poorly written. When looking at the endlessly branching writing of Baldur’s Gate 3, one can see where the inspiration came from.
Baldur’s Gate 2 Has an Engaging Story
Despite capturing the feeling of a true DnD session, Baldur’s Gate 2 by no means fails to deliver a proper fantasy epic. The story follows the Bhaalspawn demi-god as he is captured by the evil sorcerer Irenicus on his nefarious schemes. Soon after, they must rescue their adoptive sister, Imoen, on a cross-national journey. It’s a tale that surprisingly reflects the nature of power and heritage. While not as philosophical as its sister game, Planescape: Torment, it’s a worthy epic.
Joining the Bhaalspawn is an array of characters who have all become iconic in one way or another. Some standouts include the barbarian Minsc, the mage Edwin, the Drow warrior Viconia, and others. Many of these characters even returned for Baldur’s Gate 3 for the fans. As such, looking back at this game will give you much-needed context for the eponymous city where the game takes place and its classic cast.
It is A Time Capsule of the Era
Finally, Baldur’s Gate 2 has become a time capsule of everything that defined PC gaming for yesteryear. Nowadays, most gamers are used to state-of-the-art, realistic graphics and exploring state-sized maps. However, this classic title sends a gamer back to early PC gaming when these titles were still distributed on CDs. The game’s verbose nature also laid the foundation for later fantasy epics such as the Dragon Age series made by the game’s alumni.
This old-school nostalgia extends to the art direction as well. The game’s portraits, UI, and sound design all evoke the feeling of an old game book. Furthermore, the game’s early 3D art and hammy voice acting add another layer of campiness to the adventure. As epic as Baldur’s Gate III was, it came off as another epic fantasy RPG from its period, in a post-Game of Thrones and Witcher era of fantasy, even having a dash of Stranger Things’ cosmic horror. Baldur’s Gate 2 takes players back to a more lighthearted, Tolkienesque version of the tabletop franchise.
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