Is Baldur's Gate 3 the ultimate Dungeons & Dragons video game?

I've not played a huge amount of Dungeons & Dragons, but I get why those kids from Stranger Things won't stop banging on about it. It turns out all those librarians in the 90s were right: using your imagination really is cool and fun! Indeed, our ability to conjure fiction from the ether is fundamental to the ongoing success of D&D. Making up stories with friends is very much a good time, and if you get to kill a goblin or two in the process? Well. That's just gravy.

Built upon the foundations of D&D's fifth edition ruleset, Baldur's Gate 3 attempts to translate the fundamentals of the game into digital form. But how successful is it at doing so? Can a video game - with all the rigidity that comes with the medium - replicate the freedom of a table-top role playing game?

To help me answer this question, I'm joined in the video above by D&D fan and Baldur's Gate liker Alice B. Together, we discuss the ways in which Baldur's Gate 3 accurately delivers a faithful Dungeons & Dragons campaign, for better and for worse. Mainly better, though. Because. You know. Baldur's Gate 3 is properly, properly good.

We cover everything, from combat to conversation, comparing each element to its real-life equivalent. It's a fun chat, if I do say so myself. If you are a fan of D&D and have been adventuring through the forgotten realms these past few weeks, please do let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Is it a worthy conversion? Answers on a postcard, please.

If you're looking for more Baldur's Gate 3 videos, make sure to check out one I made for the game's launch in which I offer my general impressions about this absolutely enormous game. If watching isn't for you, make sure to check out Alice's review, Ed's feature about his psychotic bard Edders Sheeran and Edwin's piece about the noble art of Barrelmancy. There's loads, basically. We really like this game. Maybe check out our dedicated game page, if you haven't already.

Oh also I had a really fun time drawing a Mind Flayer being crushed by a 7UP vending machine so, I'm going to share it here as well: