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. VoinGold
    Aug 28, 2023
    0
    terrible graphics even for 1998 it's unplayable now better play the third part
  3. 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.
  4. 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
  5. Liquid_Cold
    Aug 1, 2023
    10
    Игра-легенда, основатель культовой ниши партийных РПГ, отлично играется!
  6. 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.
  7. shkipermann
    Feb 25, 2023
    8
    {__/}
    ( • - •)
    /つ☕______________________________________________________________________
  8. hyrts
    Jun 4, 2022
    10
    One of the best and most immersive role playing games I've ever played. This got me to DnD.
  9. dfal7451
    May 8, 2022
    3
    посл босс.убил весь интерес к игре.к нему добавили 3х сильных нпс.которые рвут жопу всем.разрабам нужно было еще дракона добавить.а то как то не сразу всех моих персонажей убивают за минуту.
  10. 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
  11. 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...
  12. 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!
  13. 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.
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. 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.
  21. coquedepor
    Mar 19, 2020
    6
    Positives
    +Combat
    + Characters
    + Plot
    - Complexity

    Negatives
    - Long
    - Repetitive
  22. UserReviewsLUL
    Feb 15, 2020
    3
    The music is horrible. It sounds like it's from 1990 and there's not much of it.

    It really clashes with the other aspects of the game, too. It's like playing Mario Odyssey while listening to the music from NES Mario Bros.

    The game is very slow and repetitive otherwise. Skip it.
  23. 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.
  24. 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.
  25. 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.
  26. 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
  27. Ydun79
    Feb 11, 2019
    9
    Couldnt stop playing this game. Immersive, compelling ... a near perfect RPG. The follow-up being the perfect one.
  28. redsky1205
    Jul 10, 2018
    3
    I don't like Balder's gate series. story plot is not interesting, and battle is so loose and boring.
  29. Ricardsouza
    Jun 11, 2018
    1
    baldur's gate is terrible, even as a genre defining. proof is that the so called genre didnt age well and never developed beyond some lame-ass niche nostalgia fanbase. jrpgs **** on this trash
  30. 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
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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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