Okay. Wolf Kanno, if you’re watching this, please don’t hate me for putting this above Chrono Trigger
#8
I think some of you may be familiar with how my wife and I got each other to play their favored type of game. I was always a big JRPG nerd, while she was very into WRPGs. When I introduced her to FFVII, I never expected this duology to become so close to my heart. And yet, here it is…
BALDUR’S GATE (I & II)
So this is one of those two number I told you would have two games on them. This time, it’s two games because one’s a very direct sequel to the other. In that, it literally takes place just after the events of the first game.
You're really gonna need all that exp from the first game.
So the first thing you’ll notice, is that the graphics aren’t that good. But once you get into it, you’ll appreciate the detailed backgrounds more and more. While BGI is mostly samey with its caves and forests (which are still nice and atmospheric), you’ll get much more variety with BGII’s dungeons, cities, etc. Still, I don’t think there’s a single reused map and they’re all very exciting to explore, especially since being thorough with your exploration may be very rewarding, providing you with really good equipment, which can literally save your life.
You start your game by creating your own character. Now, I’m usually not a fan of this, but BG really nicely integrates your character’s backstory to the main plot (it’s actually pretty much central to it), and by the BGII expansion, you really do feel like this is your own personal journey, which is a really rare feeling for me. Also, the AD&D ruleset is very faithfully represented here and works really great, especially since you get to import your character with all their stat gains into BGII once you finish the first game.
You can have up to 6 party members at a time. You’ll get to choose from everyone and their mother in BGI (though still not as many characters as Chrono Cross). Most of them are pretty irrelevant, IMO, and the more story-important ones, or the ones that stood out more in BGI, become available again in BGII. The cast in BGII is much smaller, but they’re all much better fleshed out with really great backstories. And the banter between the characters in BGII is really amazing. You get different pieces of dialog for all the different party combinations you can have. It really makes your party feel like this living, breathing group of people that actually have specific attitudes to each other.
It's incredibly hard to find screenshots with dialog.
I can’t say much about the story without spoiler, but I’ll tell you this: BGI is really slow about it, with very few story scenes and most of the plot conveyed through reports you find on the way. Still, it really pays off in the sequel, which is largely the reason why I can’t agree with people who tell you to start with BGII. Sure, II is easier to get into as it feels less dated, but you really lose that connection you get from actually taking part in that journey the prologue of BGII describes. So, if you’re going into this, I would really advise you to start with BGI and enjoy the feeling of this personal journey you get to experience as you roam the Sword Coast. And then, once you get to BGII, be swept away by the fantastic plot and well-written characters, continuing that innocent journey you began in BGI that’s turned not-so-innocent-anymore. You really feel like you’ve grown with it as you advance from BGI to BGII.
Musically, while lacking the bombastic quality of JRPGs soundtrack, the Baldur’s Gate series is still really good. Most of the soundtrack is orchestral, which is a huge plus, and there are some memorable themes, mostly from the second game, since the first game utilizes silence and ambient sounds in place of music much more. Still, the romance theme and the dragon battle theme from BGII are fantastic pieces, along with the Bhaalspawn theme from the Throne of Bhaal expansion.
I consider this game a “baby’s first WRPG”, but that may be because it was my own first WRPG. Even if you’re solely a JRPG player, like I used to be, once you get over the initial weirdness of this different approach, there is a truly fantastic experience just waiting for you right here.
