I know what you’re thinking after reading that headline. Is it Baldur’s Gate III? Better to rip the bandage off quickly and tell you that it is not a sequel to one of the best RPGs of all time, but isn’t far off either.
Adventure Y, as Beamdog continues to insist on calling it, is a brand new Baldur’s Gate game set between the Bhaalspawn’s adventures in and around the titular city and the party’s rather unpleasant kidnapping and incarceration in Athkatla. It’s Baldur’s Gate 1.5.
In the intro for Baldur’s Gate II, we’re informed that after killing Sarevok, the Bhaalspawn is proclaimed the hero of Baldur’s Gate, “but some suspected you shared the same lineage as Sarevok,” inspiring the departure that leads to getting kidnapped at Irenicus’ command.
The implication is that very little time has passed between the end of the first game and start of the second one, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t time for one more adventure. If it’s set in Baldur’s Gate itself, it would be nice to revel in the accolades and admiration of those you saved.
Maybe it will also explain how the hell Dynaheir ends up in Irenicus’ dungeon after I killed her with Edwin. That was always a bugbear (ha!) of mine, waking up in the dungeon and finding that my party had been swapped for a default one.
The new adventure is due out this year, and Beamdog will be spilling the beans in late spring. In the mean time, you can take a look at some blurry images taken on a phone camera in October, showing off the new game.
So, what about Baldur’s Gate III? Here’s what Beamdog’s Amber Scott had to say about the sequel people have been praying for (I’ve been making annual sacrifices to Cyric, which is probably a bad idea) over the last 14 years.
“We’d be lying if we said we never think about doing a Baldur’s Gate III game, so we won’t say that. But we will say there’s nothing in the works yet regarding BGIII or a 5th edition game. That doesn’t mean the opportunity will never arise, though, so we’re preparing by starting a tabletop 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons game here in the office.”
So there’s still hope!
Despite some bugginess at launch, I was mostly very impressed with both of the Enhanced Editions, which maintained everything I loved about the originals while adding a bunch of great new characters and quests. I’ve just started playing Icewind Dale Enhanced Edition on my Galaxy Note 4, too, and it’s been equally enjoyable.
Cheers, PC Gamer.