"You are not alone in this; none of us are."
After completing this magnificent game twice, I can confidently say it is the best RPG I have ever played. However, I want to closely examine the details of the game to articulate my opinion.

Firstly, companions, villains, supporting characters, and cameos—all are amazing. Starting with companions, the most memorable and well-written for me were Astarion, Shadowheart, Karlach, Gale, and Wyll, each with a unique quest that significantly affects the main story, especially Shadowheart, Lae’zel, and Gale. However, the best companion quest belongs to Astarion, firstly because of his charisma and secondly due to the significant dramatic effect the decision at the end of his quest brings upon him. Nonetheless, all characters are not only fantastic to play in a party with but also interesting to chat with, learning their stories and feelings about the situations in the game.

Villains, on the other hand, have fewer memorable characters, but those that are memorable overshadow others. For example, my favorite villains were the pragmatic but charming devil Raphael and the leader with the most tragic backstory, General Ketheric Thorm. They were not only voiced wonderfully but also left a lasting impact on me in both playthroughs—Raphael provided the most memorable fight in the game and pleased me every time he showed up, suggesting cooperation in various ways. Ketheric, on the other hand, demonstrated how broken a man can be in this world, making him the most relatable one among the Dead Three. Additionally, I must mention that on my second playthrough (Resisting Dark Urge), Orin had many new lines and cool dialogue, making him one of the best villains for this path.

There are also cameo characters that can be your allies or foes. For example, possible companions are the old veterans of Baldur's Gate—Minsk and Jaheira. For me, they were just okay, nothing special. However, there were two villain cameos, Sarevok Anchev and Viconia DeVir. Viconia provided a challenging fight, but Sarevok, like Orin, had more lines and was voiced wonderfully. Every line from him filled me with dread, even though as a boss, he wasn't as challenging as Raphael or Viconia.

Speaking of supporting characters, some are memorable, such as Isobel, Dame Aylin, Emperor/Balduran, Orpheos, Volo, Yurgir, Mizora, Alfina (even though I met her only on the second playthrough on Dark Urge, so R.I.P. :( ), Sceleritas Fel, and many more were fun to talk to and help or not help in any matter.

Another thing I want to talk about is gameplay and immersion. Truth be told, initially, I didn't want to play BG3 because of the D&D-based combat. Still, after watching reviews and talking with my friends and colleagues who played it, I bought it, and it was my best purchase of 2023. I didn't understand the turn-based combat at first, but the immersion, lore, story, and interesting characters helped me overcome myself and appreciate the combat. After completing my first playthrough, I immediately started a new one, not only because of the combat but also for reasons I'll explain later in my essay.

I would also like to mention that not only does the story have a huge variety of options, but so does the combat. There are 12 classes, even more subclasses and origins that stack up on each other, creating your own experience of how you want to play. I went for a Wizard/Sorcerer multiclass on my first playthrough, and it was amazing. The design of spells brought me joy, and the flexibility of different spells in battle was fantastic. My second playthrough as a Dark Urge Paladin was incredibly powerful. Maybe it was due to experience and knowledge of what to expect from different bosses, but my god, all bosses except Raphael, Viconia, and Nether Brain were decimated in 1-2 turns, with most of the damage coming from my Paladin tiefling beauty. I can't describe all the complexity of combat now, but I can assure you it would be enjoyable for fans and newcomers alike, like me.

Also, the attention to detail in the game and the quality of the quests show how people put their heart and soul into this game. There are no useless encounters, quests, or conversations in the game. After completing the game, I can say with a clear heart that every dialogue, every side quest is useful in its way. It is either vital to the story, gives you an amazing reward, is entertaining, or even all of the above. As someone with a keen interest in the video game industry and as a person studying to work in that industry, I was overwhelmed by this level of quality. All I can say is, "Bravo Larian, masterclass work!"

The story is a slightly weaker part than everything above due to a lack of drama in some parts. I am not saying it is bad—no, it is good, very good, to be exact. However, a bit more drama in Act 2 or 3 would have made it masterful. Going back to the cliffhanger I left in the sentence above, one thing that made me replay the game was the story variety. Like mentioned before, every origin, class, subclass, decision, and relationship with companions affects the story differently. The only game I've played with this level of variety was Witcher 3, but Witcher couldn't even be compared to Baldur's Gate; that's how unimaginable it is. That's why it was more than worth it to play it for the second time. I explored places I hadn't been to in the first playthrough, completed quests I hadn't finished previously, and got a new ending. It made me tear up, not only because I got Karlach's ending but also because I knew this is it—my adventure has come to an end. The main thing that stands above everything in this story is the real sense of an adventure, epic, full of amazing characters, and a lot of memorable moments.

Lastly, I want to talk about the soundtrack. Well, it is amazing, who would've thought. Borislav Slavov, singers, and the orchestra worked really hard to create such a pleasant soundtrack. Every piece of the game is accompanied by fitting and beautiful songs. My favorite songs throughout my two journeys were Raphael's Final Acts, The Legacy of Bhaal, I Want to Live, Down by the River, Song of Balduran, and many more.

So, this is by far the best game of the 2020 decade, the best gameplay experience of the year, and this magnificent journey with its amazing characters will be engraved in my mind for a long time. Hopefully, I will revisit this game in the upcoming years. I can give nothing less than the best mark for this game, for the astonishing work done to create this masterpiece RPG. You have my undying gratitude, Larian.
10/10.