Christopher Bratt's Online Newsletter: The Baldur's Gate 3 Title Screen

Much like the rest of the world, I've been playing Baldur's Gate 3 this weekend and although there's just so much to love about this game, I thought I'd use today's newsletter to gush about its title screen a little bit. I've included a video above, if you've not seen it already, because a screenshot simply won't do. Give it a watch, it's only a minute. Indulge yourself.

I mean, really, this is a tale of two different title screens interacting with one another. To begin with, we're greeted with a luxurious shot of Baldur's Gate itself, which looks bloody massive by the way. I've not made it past Act 1 just yet and so I've no idea what to expect from the city in-game, but is it really that big? Surely not. That's too many houses. And what's going on in the distance there? Is that A SECOND CITY on the far side of the river?! Gosh.

If you've played either of the previous games (which I have not), you're likely appalled by my ignorance here. Please forgive me for not recognising Baldur's Other Slightly Smaller Gate, or whatever it is I'm looking at there. Regardless, I'm excited to find out for myself.

This all makes for a beautiful opening shot and a precious glimpse at where we'll end up at some point in our adventure, but it's actually the second half of the title screen that really sold me on this game's vibe. Upon pressing any key to continue (my preference is the space bar, if you're wondering), we sink below this sun-drenched harbour and down into the depths below.

Here we've got what experienced tabletop players would describe as a "real barnstormer of a dungeon", equipped with a giant blood-weeping skull above its entrance and then, in the forefront, a nice pile of rocks that somebody must have been collecting. Oh wait, are they rocks? No, they're actual skulls. It's a very skull-themed sort of place, this.

But what makes this whole moment sing is the group of adventurers tiptoeing their way down that staircase, one careful step at a time. This isn't some fantasy SWAT team kicking down the front door and charging in to smite the first ancient evil they can wrap their bejewelled gauntlets around, no, this lot look extremely nervous. It reminds me of the D&D sessions I've played where our group has finally made it to a location we've been hearing about for hours already and that we know is going to be a genuine threat to our party. Suddenly we're sneaking around each corner, rolling perception checks and the mood has shifted for both the players and the GM in turn.

And the reason that comparison is so easy to draw here is that the group we're looking at are little more than silhouettes. They could be anybody. They could be you! We're invited to peer closer and try to make sense of the group's composition... Is that a dragonborn fighter at the back there? Could be a paladin, I suppose. I mean they'll need some half-decent healing options in the party if that's a greatsword slung over their shoulder rather than a shield. Already I find myself imagining the group I'd want to put together for such a dungeon; I'm creating characters in my mind's eye long before I press New Game.

My favourite silhouette of the lot, however, is the one leading the group down. They're holding a torch! Not a sword, or an axe, or a staff... just a simple torch. It's a reminder that Dungeons & Dragons is meant to care about whether or not different characters can see in the dark and that, at it's best, these rules are designed to reward players who choose to engage with them head-on.

In fact, the first dungeon I really sunk my teeth into in BG3 was a set of ruins that also required my own character to carry a torch in order to light the way ahead (I may well have stumbled about in the darkness had I not been inspired by the title screen). However, once combat began, I'd then need to switch out their torch for the rapier sitting idly in their inventory. This would cost them an action each and every time I needed to do it and so I ended up being punished, just a bit, for playing a race without darkvision while fighting in the darkness. And I love this stuff. It's not a rule we've ever paid much attention to in the D&D games I've played with friends, largely because other people would probably find it a bit tedious. But here, BG3 makes room for it and the world feels just that bit more alive to me as a result.

Later expeditions would see me investing in a cantrip spell that allows me to imbue my character's sword with light, saving me from juggling the two different items going forwards, and it's these quiet little moments of preparation that make me so excited to play around with the game's many systems. It feels worth the effort. I know it may seems like the smallest thing, but I don't know what to tell you, I think torches are really neat. Don't even get me started on the map that same character pulls out when they reach the bottom of the staircase.

Other folks might be more enthused about having sex with a magical bear, and that's fair enough. But for me, it's the little things that have me hot under the collar. And that all started with this title screen! Love it.