Why Baldur's Gate 4 Could Afford to be Less Nostalgic Than BG3 (2024)

Baldur's Gate 3 included several characters from the franchise's original two games. These characters fulfilled a variety of roles, from antagonists to friends and mentors, but all of them brought a feeling of nostalgia for those who had played the previous two Baldur's Gate games.

Nostalgia is a powerful tool for developers, but it can also backfire in some cases. Not all the returning characters in Baldur's Gate 3 had a positive reception, and writing resources spent on returning characters could sometimes be better spent on major characters who needed more screen time. There were some party members in Baldur's Gate 3 who received less screen time than others, and Baldur's Gate 3's sequel could avoid this by ditching the allure of nostalgia and instead focusing on its own characters.

The Returning Characters From Baldur's Gate 3's Predecessors

Minsc, Jaheira, Viconia, and Sarevok are all returning characters from previous Baldur's Gate games. Sarevok was one of the major antagonists of Baldur's Gate, and returns as a minor antagonist in Baldur's Gate 3. Viconia was a party member in Baldur's Gate, but appears as a major antagonist in Shadowheart's personal quest in Baldur's Gate 3 as the mother superior in the Shar enclave in Baldur's Gate. Both Jaheira and Minsc were party members in the previous Baldur's Gate games, and return as party members once more in Baldur's Gate 3, with additional dialogue if the player character is the Dark Urge.

The Ups and Downs of BG3's Callbacks

Rather than just being simple cameos, these characters return with major roles in Baldur's Gate 3. While players who have not experienced the previous Baldur's Gate games do not need the context of their previous appearances to understand their roles or places in the story, those who did play the previous games benefit from the added context and nostalgia of their inclusion.

Conversely, some players objected to the role some of the characters played in their reappearance, as it ran counter to their character arcs from previous games. The biggest example of this is Viconia, who turns away from Shar in the epilogue of Baldur's Gate: Shadows of Amn, yet is the mother superior of Shar's cult in Baldur's Gate 3.

Moving Away From Nostalgia in Baldur's Gate 3's Sequel

Baldur's Gate 4 has the chance of moving away from including returning characters in the way that Baldur's Gate 3 used them, either by setting the game in the far future, or by limiting future character reappearances to cameos rather than major roles. Some characters, such as Astarion and Minthara, are members of long-lived races and could still appear in a Baldur's Gate 3 sequel set hundreds of years in the future. Their appearances in future games could be feasible, but would be better if limited to cameo roles if they did appear.

Having characters from previous games reappear means that writing resources are spent on an established character that could have gone to a new, original character. Alternatively, the resources that went into giving screen time to a character like Minsc could have instead been spent on characters like Karlach or Wyll, who made their first appearances in Baldur's Gate 3, but who had less screen time and lines compared to other party members. Baldur's Gate 3's sequel could avoid this by instead focusing on its own characters, rather than including past characters for the sake of nostalgia.

Avoiding the inclusion of characters from past games also means avoiding continuity controversy, such as what happened with Viconia. While any sequel to Baldur's Gate 3 is going to have to ignore certain endings, especially the evil ones, the major characters still have several outcomes that would need to be addressed if they were to appear in a future Baldur's Gate sequel, and it would be better to leave their completed stories in Baldur's Gate 3.

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Baldur's Gate 3

Abducted, infected, lost. You are turning into a monster, but as the corruption inside you grows, so does your power. Forge a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Caught in a conflict between devils, deities, and sinister otherworldly forces, you and your party will determine the fate of the Forgotten Realms.

THE ULTIMATE D&D EXPERIENCE
Choose from a wide selection of D&D races and classes, or play as an origin character with a hand-crafted background. Adventure, loot, battle, and romance as you journey through the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Play alone or as a party of up to four in multiplayer – and select your companions carefully.

A CINEMATIC STORYTELLING EPIC
Forged with the new Divinity 4.0 engine, Baldur’s Gate 3 gives you unprecedented freedom to explore, experiment, and interact with a world that reacts to your choices. A grand, cinematic narrative brings you closer to your characters than ever before, as you venture through our biggest world yet. Romance, deceive, aid, obstruct, and grow alongside your friends thanks to Larian's next-generation RPG engine.

RPG

Systems

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating:96/100 Critics Recommend:98%

Franchise

Baldur's Gate

Platform(s)

PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Publisher(s)

Larian Studios

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

Engine

Divinity 4.0

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence

How Long To Beat

100+ Hours

Steam Deck Compatibility

yes

X|S Enhanced

yes

PS Plus Availability

N/A

Split Screen Orientation

Vertical Only

Number of Players

1-4

Local Co-Op Support

1-2 Players

Cross Save

yes

Cross-Platform Play

Baldur's Gate 3 doesn't support crossplay

See at Official Site