Spoilers ahead for Baldur's Gate 3Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur's Gate 3, two of the most critically-acclaimed, engaging, and immersive RPGs of the past few years, are celebrated for their mature and entertaining narratives. They each have distinct strengths, with BG3 featuring numerous branching paths in its story that are all worthwhile, and Cyberpunk 2077 offering an insightful and slick, albeit more linear, story about identity, technology, and corruption. Despite the overall quality of these games' stories, and their inherent differences, they both suffer from a strange quirk in their premises.

A crucial element of both Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur's Gate 3 is the fact that the player's time is limited. In the case of Cyberpunk, V comes into contact with the digitized consciousness of Johnny Silverhand and the pair are forced to share a single body. While V and Johnny can eventually become friends, it's not a coupling that is meant to last, as the engram housing Johnny drastically reduces V's life expectancy. Players have more control over their custom characters in Baldur's Gate 3, but they are nonetheless forced down a similarly dark path, as the Mind Flayers have infected them with a parasite that can turn them into monsters without free will—something that the game implies can happen at any moment. These are interesting inciting incidents, but they cause issues in both games.

the game awards logo with V from Phantom Liberty
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The Problem with Destined Death in Baldur's Gate 3 & Cyberpunk 2077

Kicking off a story with a ticking clock can be a great way to crank up tension and keep audiences engaged, but Baldur's Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 run into a few issues with this setup. Essentially, the fact that the main characters of these games are on a collision course with death isn't treated with the weight that it deserves. Players can traipse around the games' open worlds, completing side content at whatever pace they desire, with little to no urgency. Cyberpunk 2077 may have great side quests, but most of them aren't connected to the question of V's impending doom, so it's hard to believe that the character would view these activities as anything other than trivial.

Granted, Baldur's Gate 3 is not quite as bad of an offender in this regard as Cyberpunk 2077. This is because the game addresses the main characters' immunity to Mind Flayer conversion when they visit the Astral Plane in Act 3. However, the party spends most of the game unaware of these crucial facts, assuming that they can transform at virtually any moment, and yet they still lack the sense of urgency that would be expected under the circumstances.

The Plots of Cyberpunk 2077 & Baldur's Gate 3 vs. Game Design

This specific element of both games is a good example of how narrative can sometimes clash with the central tenets of a game's design. BG3 is all about bonding with NPCs, exploring its sprawling map, and uncovering the game's many secrets. Similarly, Cyberpunk 2077 is built around environmental immersion, character progression, and well-written, engaging side content in a unique setting. To fully enjoy these design choices, players are encouraged to take a slow, thoughtful approach to their playthroughs—something that is actively discouraged by the high-stakes time limit set by the games' narrative premises.

Put plainly, BG3 and Cyberpunk 2077 require players to occasionally forget about a core element of their stories in order to enjoy the gameplay. This is sometimes at odds with the overall structure and intention of the games, as they benefit from full immersion. Then again, many of the engaging side quests and charming details of Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur's Gate 3 may not have been possible if not for the games' open-ended design, so perhaps this narrative quirk is just the price that had to be paid.