The die has been cast and we're getting Baldur's Gate 3 this year or the next, whether Early Access or the first game. A few weeks ago developer Larian Studios has already shown what the game will look like and needless to say, they rolled a success on that PAX East 2020 presentation.
Fans of their previous games, however, won't help but notice a certain likeness to Larian's most recent RPG, Divinity: Original Sin 2. There were even those that worry Baldur's Gate 3 feeling more like Divinity than well, Baldur's Gate. Still, it's a little too early to tell how the game will turn out; just as there are similarities, there are also big differences between the two. Let's explore both facets of Baldur's Gate 3.
10 SIMILARITY: SAME GRAPHICS ENGINE
Right off the bat, it's easy to see how similar the two games in question are. Baldur's Gate 3 is supposedly using the same graphics engine that Divinity: Original Sin 2 did which is streal great for modern or next-generation standards.
It's also easy to see the limitations of the older engine for Divinity: Original Sin 2 where the animations and character expressions are less pronounced though this could change further down the development cycle.
9 DIFFERENCE: DIALOGUE
Speaking of character expressions, one major change that Larian is doing in favor of Baldur's Gate 3 is how the dialogue is handled. It's a lot more interactive now and draws comparison with Bioware's RPGs like Dragon Age or even Mass Effect.
Instead of the less immersive top-down dialogue from Divinity: Original Sin 2, each interaction with a character now results in a semi-cinematic complete with voice acting and even motion capture. Even the old Baldur's Gate games didn't have this level of immersion and effort.
8 SIMILARITY: TURN-BASED
By now, it's probably safe to assume that Larian Studios has perfect the isometric turn-based combat system given both Divinity: Original Sin games' puzzle-like combat are well received. They then extend this mastery to Baldur's Gate 3.
It might cause a divide among hardcore Baldur's Gate fans but Larian's representative has reiterated that Dungeons and Dragons has always been turn-based anyway. Going turned-based for Baldur's Gate 3 is pretty much hitting two birds with one stone.
7 DIFFERENCE: COMBAT ACTIONS
In stark contrast to the rather limited combat actions you can do in Divinity: Original Sin 2, Baldur's Gate 3 offers much more freedom. In Divinity Original Sin 2, any movement in combat will cost action points and an attack might as well be a maneuver.
Baldur's Gate 3 is more generous and follows Fifth Edition (5e) rules where movement in combat is its own resource and is separate from the attack/spell resource. It's a profound change in combat strategy and tactics that Dungeons and Dragons players can easily recognize.
6 SIMILARITY: GAMEPLAY PERSPECTIVE
Much like Divinity: Original Sin 2, Baldur's Gate 3 will be dominantly played in a top-down and nearly isometric perspective. This should give players better strategic advantage and planning.
Besides, it has always always been the tradition for Baldur's Gate games. Clicking your mouse to make your characters go to a location has always been less tiring than moving them like a third-person video game character.
5 DIFFERENCE: CLASSES AND CHARACTER CREATION
This is where the distinction becomes heavily apparent between the two Larian Studios games. Baldur's Gate 3 already has its own established lore thanks to Dungeons and Dragons 5e and it appears that character creation will be a 1:1 conversion, which is awesome.
This means more flexibility in character choices and better customization. 5e is brimming with choices and variety where millions of character combinations can be created and none of them will be alike.
4 SIMILARITY: ART-STYLE
Since it uses the same graphics engine, the art-style for both games ended up being rather identical. Everything down to the textures and even the effects such as fire or water animations appear the same based on the PAX East demo.
Even the lighting is very much Divinity: Original Sin 2's which might be cartoonish or vibrant for some people's tastes. All this could change in the near future, of course, where Larian might opt to use different character models or change the overall atmosphere of the final product.
3 DIFFERENCE: STEALTH
The way stealth was handled in Divinity: Original Sin 2 was way too comical where your sneaking characters pretend to be barrels or giant rocks which move around. Baldur's Gate 3 takes a more serious approach with stealth, thankfully.
You can also enter turn-based mode in stealth which is a godsend of a feature as nothing can ruin stealth in Divinity: Original Sin 2 more than a split-second line-of-sight mistake. Ultimately, this adds better gameplay variety as stealth is now more viable than ever.
2 SIMILARITY: USER-INTERFACE
Looking at the PAX East demo, one might even mistake Baldur's Gate 3 for a sequel to Divinity: Original Sin 2. The user-interface that they have from the containers to the item/action slots are way too similar. Even the art for the spells and actions are way too familiar if you've played Divinity games.
Still, it shouldn't be too hard for Larian Studios to re-design the user-interface to resemble Baldur's Gate games more with the classic party member portraits and more gothic elements in place to achieve the feel.
1 DIFFERENCE: ACCURACY
Last but not least is one big major divergence in combat for Baldur's Gate 3. It seems that it will use a 1:1 conversion of the dice system from D&D 5e, meaning your accuracy or chance for success is at the mercy of an in-game die.
Anyone who's more attuned to Divinity: Original Sin 2's more forgiving and more realistic accuracy system will be perplexed at this though D&D players will be right at home; after all, the latter ones should now be familiar with how brutal a D20 die can be.