Now that Larian has resurrected the Baldur’s Gate series, people are questioning if we should get a full replica of the originals.
Despite our expectations, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a smash hit. There were many grounds to assume this, but the “3” at the end of its title was a big one. There are two further Baldur’s Gate games, released in 1998 and 2000. Despite their enormous influence, they have not retained large player bases, making the success of its sequel genuinely amazing.
(Image credit: Steam)
As a result, many Baldur’s Gate fans are eager for Larian to remake the classics. After the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, players want the first two games to be modernized, exposing the narrative of Gorion’s Ward to a new generation of fans who are discovering the series for the first time.
The discussion has just begun on Reset Era, with fans submitting their ideas for how Larian may rebuild these famous games. So far, players appear to prefer fully new releases developed from the ground up over more authentic remasters.
“I adore Baldur’s Gate 2 with all my heart, but I think I’d like changes to the combat in a modern remake,” user So Nascimento suggests. “A visual upgrade alone would not suffice.”
Others agree, with Snagret expressing interest in a “full remake of BG2 in the BG3 engine, with the Larian turn-based combat.”
This choice appears to be the most popular, with a poll revealing that 63.1 percent of fans would like a Baldur’s Gate 3-style remake at the time of writing. 36.9 percent, on the other hand, would like something more similar to the originals, albeit with improved aesthetics.
With the Enhanced Editions of the original two Baldur’s Gate games, we already have something along similar lines. They were launched in 2012 and adhered to D&D rules from the second edition, as opposed to the fifth edition in Baldur’s Gate 3. The majority of the changes were cosmetic, with the goal of improving visuals and the user interface and making it more friendly to novices. Because the enhanced editions are currently available on most platforms, some fans think that another remaster is unnecessary, instead opting for a full-fledged remake.
Having said that, some are concerned that this will simply remove the magic. Not only does Baldur’s Gate 3 employ a different edition of D&D, but everything from the combat to the character relationships is completely different from the originals. Back in the day, you lead a group of six through a 2D open world filled with scripted and random encounters. Characters would usually only talk to you if they were on a mission.
(Image credit: RBK games)
Baldur’s Gate 3 is more similar to Dragon Age: Origins in that you can chat with party members whenever you choose. Baldur’s Gate 3 is also entirely turn-based, although in the first, a turn lasted about six seconds until you deliberately interrupted the game.
It remains to be seen whether the rights holders have plans for these earlier games now that Baldur’s Gate is back in style. Meanwhile, it’s reasonable to say that Larian has a lot on its plate, so we’ll probably have to wait a while before learning about its next project.
