The successful early access period of Baldur's Gate 3 has positioned the game as one of the most-anticipated releases of 2023 in what is already shaping up to be a star-studded summer release schedule. Developer Larian Studios has applied its skill at crafting compelling RPG narratives along with captivating combat from its Divinity: Original Sin titles and applied it into the classic Dungeons & Dragons setting of the legendary Baldur's Gate CRPGs. The recent Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves feature film set in the Forgotten Realms, which was received positively by both critics and fans, has more to offer Baldur's Gate 3 than just bringing D&D back into the zeitgeist.
Part of Honor Among Thieves' success comes from its reverence for and adherence to the D&D source material, including featuring several prominent locations from the Forgotten Realms such as Icewind Dale and Neverwinter. But the other - and perhaps more important - component to the film's success is arguably found in its comic relief, providing plenty of laughs to go along with the adventure and excitement typically found in a D&D campaign. As a property that has a serious facade belying the inherent joy and humor found in role playing games, Baldur's Gate 3 would do well to incorporate the lighthearted side of D&D in its narrative.
Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 Struck a Tonal Balance
The first two games in the Baldur's Gate series are often considered as two of the best CRPGs and were two of the first games developed by the talented team at BioWare. Despite being remembered as "serious" games that faithfully adapted the setting and rule set of Dungeons & Dragons, the games were notorious for their regular use of humorous dialogue or absurd characters as a form of comic relief. Players of Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn likely have fond memories of Boo, the "miniature giant space hamster".
Suffice it to say that one of the key characteristics of the Baldur's Gate games was their ability to seamlessly shift between a lighthearted and humorous tone and dark, foreboding storytelling without it feeling out of place. Larian Studios' own Divinity: Original Sin series is one known for its often humorous tone, sometimes uncharacteristically so for a CRPG. Baldur's Gate 3 should hopefully continue the trend of balancing humor and intrigue from the first two games in the Baldur's Gate series as well as from Larian's previous work on Divinity.
Dungeons & Dragons Finds Relevance in Pop Culture by Leaning Into its Absurdity
It's somewhat of a surprise to see the Dungeons & Dragons IP see mainstream acceptance in pop culture given its somewhat controversial history. Once seen as a gateway to Satanism and witchcraft as a result of the moral panic gripping the US in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dungeons & Dragons has more recently found mainstream acceptance and acculturation thanks to popular series like Critical Role and Stranger Things bringing awareness to the brand as well as showcasing just how fun an RPG campaign can be with the right party. Perhaps a key component to mainstream culture's embracing of D&D can be found in realizing the silliness and absurdity that can often accompany a good play session.
The success and positive reception of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves could potentially be due to its positioning not as a fantasy movie with comic elements, but rather a full-blown comedy set in a fantasy realm. By leaning into humor while also balancing the mystery, suspense, action, and horror that can also be found in a typical D&D storyline, Dungeons & Dragons can appeal to more than just dedicated fans of RPGs. For Baldur's Gate 3 to live up to its hype and see true mainstream crossover success, one could hope that Larian has kept this fact in mind with its crafting of the game's narrative.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is currently in Early Access and releases on August 31 for PC and PS5, with an Xbox Series X/S version still in development.
