With the launch of “Baldur’s Gate 3” back in August of 2023, the video game community was taken by storm. A revolutionary type of video game that won The Game Awards’ Game of the Year, “Baldur’s Gate 3” allows gamers to play through a “Dungeons and Dragons”-style adventure. With a focus on player choices and the turn-based combat style, “Baldur’s Gate 3” creates an adventure for everyone. It’s even multiplayer, so you can enjoy the chaos and adventures with your friends.
Even though “Baldur’s Gate 3” has phenomenal replay abilities once you have beaten it, there’s still nothing quite like playing it for the first time. Here are some fun games that give you a similar type of magic.
The “Dragon Age” Series
“Dragon Age” is a game series fans have loved for many years. Released in 2009, it incorporated the weight of a player’s choice before it was a common thing to do. The three-game series itself ties together beautifully with a fun, engaging storyline and a similar combat-style to “Baldur’s Gate 3.” “Dragon Age: Inquisition” is the most recently released in the series and has the heaviest weight in character choice.
Of course, another fun element to the “Dragon Age” games is the romance element. It runs on a style very similar to the one in “Baldur’s Gate 3” where you must work to build the character’s approval level up to romance them.
For a game released in 2014, “Dragon Age: Inquisition” was quite a bit ahead of its time, and fans eagerly await the release of “Dragon Age: Dreadwolf” (the fourth installment in the series) in Summer 2024.
“Final Fantasy VII Remake”
The similarities between “Final Fantasy VII Remake”’sand “Baldur’s Gate 3” aren’t as obvious as the “Dragon Age” series, but they’re definitely there. Both are intensely story-based with tactical-play included. While some of your choices don’t matter as much in “Final Fantasy VII Remake,” there are still some unique things about the game that are worth enjoying. Because it’s a remake, if you’ve played the original game from 1997, it’s incredibly fun to see the difference between the two and play through the game with all new graphics.
Its sequel “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth” drops soon on February 29th, 2024.
The “Fable” Series
With exciting plots and character choices, there’s so many great things about the “Fable” series. The need to be aware of your character’s popularity with people brings an element into the game that can be hard to describe. “Baldur’s Gate 3” doesn’t quite have the same popularity system, but it does cause you to be aware of your choices and the large groups of people that it affects.“Fable” is a multi-installment fantasy game with lots of open-world adventures for players to enjoy. The long awaited “Fable 4” sits on the horizon, but while many fans anticipate the new game that’s releasing in late 2024, going back and playing the original three are always a great way to spend time.
“Skyrim”
“Skyrim” is an old classic. Anyone who enjoys the game knows it is definitely an adventure worth taking. “Skyrim” is one of the first massively open-world games to become popular. As an adventurer sentenced to death, the player manages to escape and gets launched into a wild adventure of dragon-slaying and all sorts of other misadventures.
The open-world style of the game and the deep levels of fantasy are where the similarities between “Baldur’s Gate 3” and “Skyrim” lie. They are vastly different games, but both are incredibly large with the many, many adventures you can take. The sheer amount of side quests and things to do and explore in the game is really where you can find the overlap between the two. “Skyrim” has a massive following with modders as well, which is starting to be on the rise for “Baldur’s Gate 3” as well.
“Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning”
Best-selling author R.A. Salvatore had a hand in writing “Kingdoms of Amalur.” Following the misadventures of the Fae courts, “Kingdoms of Amalur” is a great high-fantasy game. Much like “Skyrim” and “Baldur’s Gate 3,” the open-world depths of the game are a great way to tie them together. With a third-person playthrough style, the game brings to life a whole new world of adventure.
While choices are not quite as heavily weighted in this game as they are in “Baldur’s Gate 3,” “Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning” still creates a very fun game you can play time and time again.
Choices are a big part of what makes “Baldur’s Gate 3” the Game of the Year. There’s over 17,000 different endings, and every little choice you make matters. The freedom of choice-making adds level upon level of depth to the game. “Baldur’s Gate 3” is a game that is playable over and over and over again. Playing through “Baldur’s Gate 3” multiple times is definitely an endeavor worth pursuing, but if you want something new, these personal-favorite games I’ve recommended are worth giving a shot.
