Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition Reviews

Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition brings back the classic RPG experience set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe with some modern tweaks, but it may not fully satisfy long-time fans. The nostalgic title screen and familiar gameplay evoke fond memories, yet the visual upgrades feel minimal, with only higher resolution textures and improved spell animations to show for the "enhanced" label. Despite its non-open-world structure, Baldur’s Gate offers a sense of freedom, though this can lead to unexpected challenges, such as stumbling into powerful enemies. Combat is engaging when it requires strategy, but many encounters devolve into simple clicking, especially early on. The game’s difficulty can be punishing, with sudden, intense battles that catch players off guard. Combat mechanics, including THAC0 and AC, are not well explained, leading to confusion, and traps can be frustrating, often requiring a rogue to detect and disarm them, which can feel tedious. While Overhaul Games claims to have fixed over 400 bugs, new issues still arise, such as unexpected XP gains for NPCs. The interface retains its old-school charm, with a few quality-of-life improvements like a streamlined quest log and expanded inventory options. However, the graphics options remain limited, and the overall aesthetic still shows its age. Playing on the Switch, I found the controls manageable but lacking in clarity; certain actions, like rearranging party order, took time to discover, and the inability to rotate characters in combat was a significant drawback. New features include the Black Pits, a gladiatorial mode that offers fun combat challenges, and three new characters—Neera, Dorn Il-Khan, and Rasaad yn Bashir—who integrate well into the existing narrative. Their quests add roughly four hours of engaging content to the already extensive gameplay, though the quality of these new companions stands out compared to the original cast. Ultimately, the Enhanced Edition is best suited for newcomers to the series. Players familiar with modded versions of the original may find little incentive to invest $20, as the enhancements are mostly conveniences. While the Enhanced Edition made some improvements, it lacks many quality-of-life changes; the sprawling maps can feel tedious to navigate, and combat against weaker enemies can become monotonous. However, for those willing to embrace its dated mechanics, Baldur's Gate remains a landmark in RPG history, capturing the essence of early Dungeons & Dragons. Despite its flaws, it is a rewarding experience, with timeless charm in its graphics and exceptional sound design, including memorable music and quality voice acting. If Overhaul successfully implements cross-platform multiplayer, it could elevate this edition further. In conclusion, Baldur’s Gate is a captivating title that balances adventure and storytelling with its age-related flaws. It can either hook you or frustrate you, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it and would gladly dive back in for another 50 hours.

REMEMBER TO USE SPACE BAR EVERY TIME YOU ENTER COMBAT!!!. Take your time to access spells and split the party up. Keep resting/stay at Inns to keep HP up. Healing spells/items aren't instant. Take your time and enjoy. Its a slow game compared to 2020's gogogo types.

This is an old game that's worth studying as part of the history of game design & the history of D&D (and of CRPGs in general). Much of the game could be built in a framework like GameMaker today, but the structure and attention detail & to player choices deliver an experience that was far ahead of its time. Particularly noteworthy is the game's sound design -- the limitations of the era meant that the sound file options were limited but they manage to achieve an effect that is nearly hypnotic without becoming annoying. Before there was a guard passing you buy telling you how he took an arrow in the knee there was a sex worker in Baldur's Gate telling you how fine she looked.

Doing a replay through. i like the updates and the extra paths you can take now. Still fun and holds up. I will recommend it.

One of the all time greats! But there is a learning curve. If you are willing to take the time to learn the systems and don't mind the old graphics it is fun...if you don't want to learn the old systems it is still fun to just play on easy or story mode, so yes I recommend this to all.

Çok keyifliydi, eski oyunların eski mekaniklerine sabredebliyorsanız deneyebilirsiniz...

the modding community is completely overrun with AI slop of all varieties. but other than that its enjoyable enough (on story mode)

2e is a little hard to get used to but overall a very fun game and if you like bg3 id definitely recommend playing bg1 & 2

2025 first time BG player - this game is amazing. To anyone in doubt about whether it holds up today, the answer is yes. Graphics are obviously what they are but everything else is amazing, cannot wait to start BG2!

I understand the nostalgia many players feel for Baldur’s Gate. But not all old games age the same. Some age like wine, others like milk. Take Planescape: Torment - its gameplay is admittedly clunky, outdated and potentially as irritable, but its atmosphere, music, writing, and overall emotional impact remain powerful even today. By contrast, Baldur’s Gate hasn’t aged quite as well. Its mechanics and pacing weigh it down, aesthetically (I know how separate graphics from aesthetics) its not impressive either, especially the early locations, and without the benefit of nostalgia, its flaws stand out much more sharply. The combat in Baldur’s Gate is a real stinker. It’s not just that it’s slow, unbalanced, and clunky - you’re constantly punished for exploring, for casting the wrong spell half a second too late, or for not standing in the exact right formation. Magic battles often devolve into trial and error, and enemy mages can wipe your party before you even react (f*** Cloudkill). Only Baldur’s Gate 3 has managed to redeem this kind of dice-roll-based system, turning it into something enjoyable, dynamic, and full of player agency - something that makes luck fun rather than frustrating. BG1, sadly, feels more like a chore than a challenge. This feeling of doing chores also applies to quests and endless walking/traversing locations with nothing happening. One of the biggest letdowns in Baldur’s Gate is how companions are handled. Despite having a wide cast of potential party members, most of them function more like strategic tools than living characters. I'd compare their differences and impact to Heroes you hire in tavern in HoMM games. They exist primarily to fill roles in your combat roster, not to engage with the world, with each other, or meaningfully with you. You rarely get real banter or personal story arcs in the way modern RPGs - or even BG2 - later offered. They’re numbers with swords, not people with motivations. Yeah, some have companion quests, which is nice, but do not expect the same feeling of 'party' you may get in Dragon Age of Mass Effect games. This turns party-building into an exercise in tactical optimization rather than emotional investment. I am one of those who primarily builds party on character and interest, not gameplay utility. There is a central plot thread that gives you a reason to keep pushing forward, but it’s paper-thin compared to what follows in Baldur’s Gate II. The first game largely serves as an extended prologue - an introduction to a world and a few beloved characters. The real narrative substance begins with Shadow of Amn. In BG1, the story ultimately boils down to “bad guy lost,” with little of the moral nuance or emotional stakes that define the sequel. BG3, BG2, BG1 spoilers: [spoiler]I also had hoped the first two games will explore more in depth the implications of sharing the tainted lineage of Bhaal - I enjoyed the Dark Urge story in BG3. Here, unfortunately, it is quite shallow and underexplored. Only by Throne of Bhaal expansion in BG2 they realized it is a worthwile area of narrative creativity[/spoiler]. There’s a telling irony in the fact that Baldur’s Gate includes a 'Story Mode' that renders your party immortal. It feels less like an accessibility option and more like a quiet admission that the game’s difficulty curve is broken and that combat is not particularly fun.