Baldur's Gate

 PC
User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 909 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 805 out of 909
  2. Mixed: 68 out of 909
  3. Negative: 36 out of 909

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  1. UrchinChieftain
    Aug 29, 2023
    9
    The first RPG game I have ever played, it provides a great gaming experience, an interesting story, and it important cornerstone for RGP Genre.
  2. Keron_Heruman
    Aug 23, 2023
    9
    Incredible story, the best of all cRPGs. The start for a mythic saga, only the comparative with the spectacular BG II impede the 10/10.
  3. zexxx
    Aug 18, 2023
    9
    I have played this game numerous times during my life. I first played it as a young teen and this game left a very strong impression me. for me this is one of the fundamental games in the RPG genre.

    Personally, I don't mind the graphics as to me it still looks great. the visual style and how they chose to present the world is still great in modern times even if the game is not fully 3D.    I have played this game numerous times during my life. I first played it as a young teen and this game left a very strong impression me. for me this is one of the fundamental games in the RPG genre.

    Personally, I don't mind the graphics as to me it still looks great. the visual style and how they chose to present the world is still great in modern times even if the game is not fully 3D.
    If you appreciate art and design there's a lot to like about the visuals of this game and it mostly holds up.

    overall sound design in this game was amazing for it's time and as with the graphics I think it holds up very well.

    I love the apparent freedom you have here, they did an excellent job in allowing you to explore and play how you want while creating a rather believable world and location which are entirely fantasy based and are mired by modern day speech and behavior like other titles that came after it.

    gameplay-wise they were very clever in how they implemented combat and other uses of your abilities, especially for the time this game came out. this game established the very handy feature of pause while allowing you to play in realtime. it also has auto-pause (amazing) for many situations, for example to prevent you from unintentionally stepping on a trap.

    it's a well thought out game with a surprising number of things to discover considering when it came out. truly one of the legendary games of the genre.

    this is a game I feel like any RP fan should play.    … Expand
  4. Liquid_Cold
    Aug 1, 2023
    10
    Игра-легенда, основатель культовой ниши партийных РПГ, отлично играется!
  5. Barrage
    Apr 24, 2023
    9
    While I like almost all of Bioware's games, BG I & II are basically the standard by which all other RPGs are measured. They have a good balance of combat and dialogue, as well as a compelling story and characters.
  6. shkipermann
    Feb 25, 2023
    8
    {__/}
    ( • - •)
    /つ☕______________________________________________________________________
  7. hyrts
    Jun 4, 2022
    10
    One of the best and most immersive role playing games I've ever played. This got me to DnD.
  8. Babutto
    Jan 30, 2022
    9
    Pros.:
    - Bioware.
    - The main quest and side quests are interesting. - A lot from D&D. - A lot of fun, humor, versatility of choices. - Music, sounds - all good for the game from the '90s. - Very close mechanics to Fallout 1 and 2. - An opportunity to enjoy the story without too much grinding. Cons.: - The characters are too slow. - It is absolutely stupid to force the player to    Pros.:
    - Bioware.
    - The main quest and side quests are interesting.
    - A lot from D&D.
    - A lot of fun, humor, versatility of choices.
    - Music, sounds - all good for the game from the '90s.
    - Very close mechanics to Fallout 1 and 2.
    - An opportunity to enjoy the story without too much grinding.

    Cons.:
    - The characters are too slow.
    - It is absolutely stupid to force the player to wait for the whole company to move between the locations.
    - It is also absolutely stupid to force player to go towards exact side of the map to reveal a new location.
    - Higher res, faster hero movement WITH the team would have made it perfect.

    So, the game is awesome. But it is outdated. Also, if you don't like company-based games, you will find it boring. The game requires a lot of reading.    … Expand
  9. Amorph0us
    Jan 11, 2022
    8
    Being a huge fan of the 2nd installment of the series I cannot say I enjoyed as much the first one. However we cannot neglect that this is the game from which begun everything and so we owe so much to it...
  10. Glimik
    Dec 31, 2021
    10
    Most games nowadays tries to impress you and you end up forgetting what you are fighting for, this isn't the case. The combat system is well build and so the plot of the story, the developers did an amazing use of every element in the world. Loved it!
  11. Amsheagar
    Nov 16, 2021
    8
    Baldur's Gate is the best old RPG. The story is very good and you can control many unique character. The intercourse between them is funny and interesting. I enjoyed every minute spending on this game.
  12. Woolee
    Oct 9, 2021
    8
    'Legendary' is a term much bandied about these days but this game is one than genuinely deserves the adjective. Many people consider this game to have single handily have saved the single-player RPG genre on the PC just when it looked dead. It represents a definite tu
  13. chosen0ne
    Oct 7, 2021
    10
    This is a MUST-PLAY for any real RPG fan. This game series is LEGENDARY in every epic sense of the word!!!!

    This is a classic, one of the greatest games (though the sequel is admittedly even better!). I grew up with this game and have sunk hundreds of hours into replaying it and its enhanced edition over the years. There's just so much earnest love that was put into this game. The    This is a MUST-PLAY for any real RPG fan. This game series is LEGENDARY in every epic sense of the word!!!!

    This is a classic, one of the greatest games (though the sequel is admittedly even better!). I grew up with this game and have sunk hundreds of hours into replaying it and its enhanced edition over the years. There's just so much earnest love that was put into this game. The story is great, the characters are enjoyable (though they both improve drastically in the second game). Play this and PLAY THE SEQUEL.    … Expand
  14. AltumSilentium
    Apr 20, 2021
    8
    Игре более 20 лет. Да, она потеряла очень много, но в неё до сих пор играют. И сложно придумать более важный показатель качества.
  15. DaVisionary
    Jan 26, 2021
    10
    The character customization on the this game is unmatched, still almost 25 years late you can make an unique character to play with as far as fighting style is concerned.
  16. Kai82
    Dec 20, 2020
    8
    It is „The little Hobbit“ to „The Lord of the Rings“. It is a good game and laying the foundation for the Baldurs Gate franchise (Baldurs Gate 2 and Throne of Bhaal). Before you asked yes that is unfair to compare it to Baldurs Gate 2 but many of us started with Baldurs Gate 2 as even today it is considered as one of the best RPGs of all time and there were countless re-releases (=It wasIt is „The little Hobbit“ to „The Lord of the Rings“. It is a good game and laying the foundation for the Baldurs Gate franchise (Baldurs Gate 2 and Throne of Bhaal). Before you asked yes that is unfair to compare it to Baldurs Gate 2 but many of us started with Baldurs Gate 2 as even today it is considered as one of the best RPGs of all time and there were countless re-releases (=It was much easier to get). For itself it was the first RPG from BioWare and uses the second edition AD&D rules with some adaptations. It is set in the Forgotten Realms in Faerun. Your player character is an orphan who was adopted by Gorion. Gorion is a wizard, scholar and influential figure behind the curtains. The story starts when Gorion asked you to leaf their home of Candlekeep with him during the night. Before you get any answer you were ambushed and the attacker ask specifically for you. A fight started as Gorion wants to save you and while he succeed he dies. Luckily you are not alone as your childhood friend Imoen sneaked out and wanted to help you. So started your quest for answers and revenge. The main story is good with twist and revelations. There are tons of side-quest and a lot of areas to explore. One of the main strengths are the characters. Baldurs Gate crated so much great characters I still remember. Be it Minsc and Bo, Edwin (Edwina;-), Imoen and countless others. Gameplay wise it is solid D&D videogame style. Sadly you are limited in level (depends on character class) and have not as much choices in classes. It is the first part of a greater adventure. This will be my main (unfair) complain that Baldurs Gate 2 improved every aspect (I played it first). The graphics were good at its time but aged a bit badly. I don't remember the soundtrack so I wont judge it here. I think it has overall the same strengths as all Baldurs Gate games. An enjoyable story, immersive characters you are fully invested in and a world you like to explore. The final rating depends on what you expect. Later games improved the formula and I will say this decreased the rating. Hat I played this game before Baldurs Gate 2 I would have definitely given a 10/10. But others games made this unfairly look inferior. However it is the first RPG of BioWare and doing such a good job at the first try is remarkable. It was a long story of success before EA bought them. From there it was a downwards spiral. I give an 8/10 and a recommendation to play the games in order. I have heard there is a mod that lets you play all 3 games as one (Throne of Bhaal is here counted as part 3).… Expand
  17. bucefalo33
    Jun 28, 2020
    10
    My rating:
    Sound 9/10
    Graphic* 9/10
    Gameplay 10/10
    Replay value 10/10
    Story 10/10

    Total 8/10**

    * Graphic rating has to be contextualized for the year of the release.
    ** Total is a weighted average rounded up where the weight for every element is:
    Sound 1
    Graphic 2
    Gameplay 3
    Replay Value 1
    Story 3
  18. Sourvinakos
    Jun 20, 2020
    9
    One of the best 2D Dungeons and Dragons RPGs ever made.

    If you like the genre and you think you can overlook the slightly outdated 2D graphics (Just look at some screenshots or videos) than you should really give it a try. Its simply brilliant.
  19. yasinahmetakson
    Jan 10, 2020
    10
    Best game in this world. this game is have verry realistic dialogs, creator team of this game must be think for every dialog.
  20. GurmpyCoolCat
    Sep 15, 2019
    10
    This game is one of the greatest RPGs ever made. It has stood the test of time. The level of gameplay on this game is what has made so many great games. I believe that games like Fable were inspired by this.
  21. AnnLee94
    Aug 12, 2019
    10
    Have to give this epic classic game the highest love. I remember when I was a little kid curiously exploring a thing called “game”. Kudos to this project and all the hard work of the developers. It was a masterpiece.
  22. bskierys
    Jun 1, 2019
    9
    Definitely one of the best RPG's of all time.
    What makes it so special is the atmosphere of dusty dice-and-paper RPG with dungeons. The story is just another hero story but it works well as usual. It feels great to look back at the enemies you used to fight with at the beginning of the game and see how much powerful you became. Especially that the game story is aligned with this.
    The    Definitely one of the best RPG's of all time.
    What makes it so special is the atmosphere of dusty dice-and-paper RPG with dungeons. The story is just another hero story but it works well as usual. It feels great to look back at the enemies you used to fight with at the beginning of the game and see how much powerful you became. Especially that the game story is aligned with this.
    The combat mechanics feels dated today with a lot of computation and dice rolls behind your back, but it still engaging enough.    … Expand
  23. Ydun79
    Feb 11, 2019
    9
    Couldnt stop playing this game. Immersive, compelling ... a near perfect RPG. The follow-up being the perfect one.
  24. marc5477
    Mar 17, 2018
    9
    This original western RPG was a masterpiece and still provides more fun than AAA games today for those who prefer gameplay over graphics. This game was recently re-released by a new studio under the title of Baldurs Gate Enhanced Edition (EE) which is 99% exactly the same as the original but with a bigger price tag. If you can get the EE version for the same price I would say to do soThis original western RPG was a masterpiece and still provides more fun than AAA games today for those who prefer gameplay over graphics. This game was recently re-released by a new studio under the title of Baldurs Gate Enhanced Edition (EE) which is 99% exactly the same as the original but with a bigger price tag. If you can get the EE version for the same price I would say to do so otherwise save your money and buy the original and install the trilogy mod which adds a lot more content than the official re-release and is much less buggy.

    This game along with Planescape Torment, Neverwinter Nights and Icewind Dale represented the peak of western RPG's in a time when gamers were being tortured by cheap and childish Japanese remakes of Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior. They offered a much enhanced RPG experience with choices that mattered and character building that changed the game significantly.

    In these "infinity engine" games, you had multitudes of classes and class combinations which allowed you to tailor your character any way you want. They mostly followed pen and paper Dungeons and Dragons rules which are very comprehensive. They also offered more interesting combat choices compared to the old and tired turn based system a plethora of magic abilities and special skills that brought shame to console counterparts.

    I would say that in terms of innovation, they pushed the entire gaming industry forward and spawned a whole lot of clones over time. Even today, we see games that have similar if not carbon copy features such as the Divinity and Dragon Age series of games. Other franchises also adopted many of the features including the FF and Dragon Warrior games.

    That said, the games are graphically dated so if you are a graphic loving person and cant live with anything but AAA quality 3D, then these games are not for you. But if you love strategy RPG's then this title is still very good and playable. In fact, I still replay the game every couple of years or so because it is indeed superior in many ways to even modern attempts at the strategy RPG genre.

    If you are a young gamer, be warned. The older games are not as forgiving as new games. Baldurs gate requires character planning and at times, strategy in encounters to survive or you will be obliterated 100x over. I've read a lot of funny comments by younger gamers on the Beamdog forums who claim that some battles are impossible when really, they just didnt bother to read spell and class descriptions to know how things works. There is a lot of complexity to the way DnD works and although there are ways to cheese the game, they are very beatable without guides and cheesing. We all beat them without both 20 years ago.    … Expand
  25. QweSteR
    Nov 13, 2017
    8
    [8.4] Захватывающая история детей кровавого бога Баала полна тайн и могущественных злодеев. Игра основана на 2 редакции культовой ролевой системы AD&D, имеет богатый набор боевых навыков и заклинаний, бои проходят в реальном времени с активной паузой. Игроку предстоит преодолеть массу препятствий на пути к познанию собственного я, обрести верных друзей, распутать заговор и побывать в[8.4] Захватывающая история детей кровавого бога Баала полна тайн и могущественных злодеев. Игра основана на 2 редакции культовой ролевой системы AD&D, имеет богатый набор боевых навыков и заклинаний, бои проходят в реальном времени с активной паузой. Игроку предстоит преодолеть массу препятствий на пути к познанию собственного я, обрести верных друзей, распутать заговор и побывать в множестве мест. И всё это лишь прелюдия к более эпохальному приключению в сиквеле. К недостаткам игры можно отнести незначительную вариативность действий и предрасположенность сюжета к прохождению за доброго персонажа. Baldur's Gate совершил настоящую революцию в жанре компьютерных ролевых игр и утвердил золотой стандарт качества для будущих CRPG.… Expand
  26. zimmer600
    Aug 18, 2017
    8
    One of the best games of the genre RPG (and perhaps even the best), and every self-respecting player is obliged to meet her.
    Evil is here around every corner. Look under your feet, do not get into it!
  27. inkblowout
    Apr 15, 2017
    10
    Easily the best RPG I've played, with over 80 hours of my first ever playthrough and my first DnD RPG. I knew before that this game was amazing, but upon finishing this game I knew that this was my favourite RPG I've played in my entire life.

    Story/Characters- The main story is very well written and it's a mix of mystery, drama and action to keep you interested from start to finish. The    Easily the best RPG I've played, with over 80 hours of my first ever playthrough and my first DnD RPG. I knew before that this game was amazing, but upon finishing this game I knew that this was my favourite RPG I've played in my entire life.

    Story/Characters- The main story is very well written and it's a mix of mystery, drama and action to keep you interested from start to finish. The Characters are well written and even though that their banter is limited in comparison to Baldur's Gate 2, their biography gives you an inside scoop of their opinions and a few of their small quests is honestly enough to let you know what kind of person they are. The side missions usually consists of fetch quests and the usual, kill this and get your reward kinda thing. But some fetch quests usually make it interesting by having some problem and you having to resolve the problem. Even though the side quests were repetitive in terms of its objective, the different plots, outcomes, twists and rewards make it more interesting than less of a chore.

    Gameplay- This is where the game peaks in my humble opinion. I spent about 1 hours just figuring out what to play and reading through all the details of each character. And too this day I haven't seen a more complex character creation than I have in BG1. The different races, alignment, classes and subclasses make it very interesting and adds so much replayability because of this. And throughout the game you meet many NPCs which can also add gameplay features by customizing their classes as well and also leaving/adding new party members which also makes it add more replay value due to the many NPCs you meet and can roll with and you can even solo the game on your own. The combat in the game is also very complex and takes some time getting used to when playing for the first time, the combat is based on Advanced DnD so it is quite challenging when playing with no knowledge of DnD. But with a few guides and reading the manual, I can assure you that you get better in due time and also the combat gets harder throughout the game so that the games does get challenging overtime which is good so that you don't breeze through enemies throughout the endgame, but it doesn't amp up the difficulty too much. So overall the combat is tedious at first but very well done in the end.

    Graphics & Music- Graphics are great at it's time, and the soundtrack is well composed and even in 2017 it still doesn't feel too dated. Sure for some it's off putting and quite static to look at, but with it's 2D graphics, it still shows a surprising amount of detail when compared to earlier 2D RPGs. So at it's time it was well done, but nowadays the graphics are quite decent but some may seem it is too dated. Soundtrack is well done and really makes atmosphere more interesting when walking in a dungeon or through the forests of cloakwood.
    Overall- 10/10 with no doubt, even with a few bugs here and there it really didn't seem to annoy me because how well crafted this game is. I never had so much fun and emotion in a game since I played Deus Ex 1. The gameplay and story quality was really well done and too this day it was the longest game I've played through and never in my playthrough I felt the need that the story was waning or the gameplay was repetitive, I had the same exciting from when I started the game all the way to the end. This game is good, despite the graphics feeling a tad dated... the gameplay makes up for it for sure.

    I have really high hopes for Baldur's Gate 2, and I've heard it's even better than Baldur's Gate 1 so I'm very excited to play through it.    … Expand
  28. graablikk
    Nov 23, 2016
    9
    I introduced my little 12yo sister to this game. Once I went into her room to see her play, asked "whatcha doin'?" - "plundering houses" she replied with clear satissfaction :D
  29. night4
    Oct 18, 2016
    10
    This is one of the rare 10's, even though I would have to give a slight edge to the sequel.

    The story is really what sets it apart from other RPG's.
  30. MarcMrine
    Aug 15, 2016
    10
    Before rate Pillars of Eternity, an obligatory tribute to this masterpiece, first of an entire RPG genre, the real time automatic combat with tactic pause, the golden age of Bioware till Dragon Age Origins. Intuitive combat system that aids to get in the deep plot, driving the party through beautiful handmade environments of forest, dungeons and cities, with the flavor of classic fantasyBefore rate Pillars of Eternity, an obligatory tribute to this masterpiece, first of an entire RPG genre, the real time automatic combat with tactic pause, the golden age of Bioware till Dragon Age Origins. Intuitive combat system that aids to get in the deep plot, driving the party through beautiful handmade environments of forest, dungeons and cities, with the flavor of classic fantasy tales, with sublime music, sounds and dialogues, leaving the sensation of being part of a canvas.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best PC Game of 1998
5
#5 Most Discussed PC Game of 1998
4
#4 Most Shared PC Game of 1998

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Adrenaline Vault
    100
    Baldur's Gate is not a computer role-playing game...it is THE computer role-playing game.
    Read full review
  2. Quandary
    100
    It's been a long haul, more than two months of solid game-play, but I have been absolutely engrossed by every minute! Very few games earn such an accolade from this reviewer.
    Read full review
  3. Game Revolution
    100
    This is, without a doubt, the closest thing out there to actually getting together with a bunch of your friends on a Sunday afternoon, taking your characters into a dungeon, and using you own BOO to find out if that bottomless pit was actually bottomless.
    Read full review
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