Summary
- Baldur's Gate 3's character creation system is impressive, but limited voice options sometimes hinder the ability to create a cohesive and convincing custom character.
- Unlike previous titles, Baldur's Gate 3 features extensive voice acting, including multiple voice options for the playable character, although they all fall into a similar high fantasy mode.
- The lack of voice variety in Baldur's Gate 3 is frustrating, as it doesn't allow for characters with different backgrounds or personality traits to have voices that match their characteristics, detracting from the immersive RPG experience.
Baldur's Gate 3 has an impressive character creation system, but one feature that's missing is a particularly disappointing exclusion. Developed by Larian Studios, Baldur's Gate 3 attempts to replicate the freedom and creativity of the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop roleplaying experience within a robust video game system. Although a set of pre-written Origin characters are available to play, the option to build a hero from the ground up instead is an important part of the game. The only shortcomings of this serious system appear when it becomes impossible to make a custom character cohesive and convincing, which is unfortunately possible thanks to one flaw.
Baldur's Gate 3 diverges from the previous titles in the series and many similar games by featuring extensive voice acting. Vocal performances are usually reserved for key characters or excluded entirely in games with vast amounts of branching dialogue thanks to the sheer volume of lines that have to be recorded. Not only does Baldur's Gate 3 thoroughly populate the world with voice acting, but it also provides a number of voice options for the playable character. The protagonist's dialogue is the one area where lines are recorded sparingly, but they can still make a big difference in giving life to the character.
Baldur's Gate 3 Voice Acting Doesn't Cover The Bases
Despite Baldur's Gate 3 offering multiple options for the main character's voice, each of the available selections falls into a vaguely similar mode overall. None of the voices break the mold of typical high fantasy performances, with accents that recall the performances of any well-educated British cast in a fantasy film or series. Although these are more than sufficient for many Baldur's Gate 3 custom characters, they don't work for every concept. Characters intended to be inarticulate or gruff have no good representation among the options, making for an inherently distracting dissonance in-game.
Why Voice Variety Is A Major Baldur's Gate 3 Oversight
The one-note aspect of the Baldur's Gate 3 voice acting options is particularly frustrating given the nature of character design both in the game and in Dungeons & Dragons. Most dwarves or half-orcs are unlikely to speak in the same as humans or elves, and although it can be fun to occasionally step away from these norms, more often than not the options that are missing would be the best fit. Likewise, a protagonist with the Urchin background or a barbarian using Intelligence as a dump stat would be unlikely to speak in the same way as a Noble or bard.
A mismatch between the idea behind a character and the voice that comes out of their mouth isn't likely to ruin a Baldur's Gate 3 campaign, as the protagonist's utterances are minor enough to prove a frequent distraction. All the same, it can be a particularly noticeable immersion break in a game so intent on delivering a comprehensive RPG experience, and a barbarian running into battle without truly guttural shouts is consistently underwhelming. Baldur's Gate 3 character creation knocks it out of the park in many areas, but the lack of variety in voice acting is a major letdown.
