D&D: Five Games to Play Now That You’ve Finished ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’
Have you got the “just finished Patch 7 blues?” Well, fret no more. Here are five games to play while you rest up for your next delve into Baldur’s Gate.
One of the best things about Baldur’s Gate 3 is the sheer depth of it all. The game is replayable like you wouldn’t believe. And not just in terms of mechanical choices, like what kind of character you’re playing, but also the story choices you can make, the impact you can have on the NPCs lives will keep you coming back again and again.
But if you’re anything like me, you have to space out your playthroughs. There’s only so many times you can go through Act 1 before you start skipping dialogue and by then, you’re halfway to Act 2 before you even realize it.
Well, fret no more. Here are five games to play now that you’ve finished Baldur’s Gate 3.
Planescape Torment
This is one of the all time greats as far as cRPGs go. And it’s a huge classic for a reason—with an intricate plotline, one of D&D’s best settings, and enough different paths to take that you could still find a new wrinkle, Planescape Torment is an extremely satisfying experience. Sure, you have to get past the old school mechanics, but honestly that might just help you appreciate how far D&D has come (and how far it can still go).
This is not just a great game, but also an amazing source of inspiration for your campaigns.
Dragon Age: Origins
There’s a new Dragon Age game just around the corner, but consider for a moment Dragon Age: Origins. Another party-based RPG and one of the last hurrahs of an era at BioWare. Dragon Age: Origins gave you multiple origins—you could be a noble, a poor elf, a wood elf, a crime dwarf, or even a mage. All set against the backdrop of an apocalyptic Blight that threatens to doom the world, and you’re the only one who can save it.
If you want a game with lots of party mechanics, where you have to really nail down the group dynamics in order to succeed at some of the hardest fights (right up until you decide to do a “solo challenge”). And with a new game on the way, this is the perfect time to revisit Dragon Age’s, well, Origins.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
What if instead of D&D you did a Star Wars? Knights of the Old Republic is an incredible classic of the cRPG genre. It stands the test of time, runs off of a heavily tweaked D&D system, and offers you a story with twists and turns enough to make even a Mind Flayer step back in approval. If you have, somehow, never played Knights of the Old Republic or its sequel, this is your sign to do so.
But even if you have, if you’re looking for a good palette cleanser, KOTOR can do the trick. Just don’t get too sucked in—it’ll run deeper than a Sarlacc if you’re not careful.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
If you want a more modern game, any of Owlcat Studios’ Pathfinder outings are sure to fit the bill. They’re isometric, party-based RPGs and they’re set in the world of Golarion which should be familiar to anyone who’s played D&D or Pathfinder in the last few years.
But for my money Kingmaker is the one that keeps pulling me back in. There’s something about that adventure path given life on the computer that just makes it satisfying again and again.
Disco Elysium
Finally, for something wildly different, but again, with that deep, rich narrative RPG feel, Disco Elysium will not steer you wrong. One of the best games of the pre-pandemic times, if they could ever be said to truly exist. This game is weird, and wild, and wonderful.
You play as an amnesiac, drug-addled detective in a sort of vaguely alternate history/fantasy late 70s early 80s and you’re just trying to solve a case. And maybe have some emotionally wrenching introspection (or the absolute comic opposite thereof) while you’re at it. I can’t say enough good things about this game without spoiling it, so just give it a whirl. In rags, if you know what I mean.
And of course, there’s always more Baldur’s Gate 3.
