Baldur’s Gate 3 brought me a lot of joy alongside all its world-threatening peril in 2023, and no more so than being able to enjoy its fantastic stories alongside my friends, all of us sharing in the process of making key decisions that altered our path forever. In a similar vein but with a much more charmingly whimsical style is Baladins, a blend of Dungeons and Dragons style story-led RPGs and choose your own adventure games that’s just arrived on Steam.
In Baladins, you (and your friends if you’re playing in co-op) are the eponymous adventurers, traveling from town to town and bringing joy to the colorful lands of Gatherac. With five classes to choose from – Cook, Luxomancer, Dancer, Pyro, and Bard – each with their own set of skills that can be developed over your journey, Baladins is designed to be a welcoming and fun fantasy RPG suitable for players of any age and experience level.
Every character has their own set of stats in classic DnD fashion, and upon arriving at each location, you’ll have to decide how you want to use your time: cook a feast for the locals, wander the trade halls and learn new skills from watching the merchants, or blow things up in a spectacular fireworks display.
As your chosen activities play out, you’ll have to decide how best to use your party’s talents to please the people you meet. This isn’t a game of shades-of-gray moral choices, however; rather, lots of different creative ways to achieve your goals that can lead to all manner of interesting and delightful outcomes. You’ll even meet a dragon, if you’re lucky – it wouldn’t be a good adventure without one.
Baladins is out now on Steam, with a 10% launch discount bringing the game down to $22.49/£18.89 until Wednesday May 22. Expect to pay the full price of $24.99/20.99 if you buy it after that date has passed.
We’ve picked out plenty more of the best co-op games to play with your friends, along with all the best story games on PC in 2024.
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