Baldur's Gate

Baldur's Gate brought the rules of tabletop Dungeons & Dragons to a fully-fledged computer RPG, casting the player as an orphan raised in the library of Candlekeep, whose origin turns out to be far darker than expected. The story unfolds in a vast, open world around the cities of Baldur's Gate and Candlekeep, where the character takes on dozens of side quests, recruits a party of companions each with their own personality, and gradually uncovers a conspiracy tied to the murder of iron merchants and a mysterious cult devoted to the god of murder, Bhaal.

Combat runs in real time with the option to pause, allowing tactical positioning of spells, healing, and party placement without the game losing its dynamic pace. The character can be built from a range of classes and races following the rules of second-edition D&D, including fighters, mages, rangers, and thieves, and the choice of party companions significantly affects both combat and dialogue and the story's development, since each of them has their own opinions, goals, and sometimes personal quests that need resolving. Graphics with pre-rendered isometric environments and an atmospheric soundtrack create the feeling of a truly lived-in fantasy world, full of detail, humor, and dark corners, from the bustling streets of the capital to remote forest settlements, mines, and underground caves.

Baldur's Gate, from studio BioWare, kicked off a renaissance of classic Western RPGs after the mid-nineties slump and became a model for a whole generation of games, including its own sequel Shadows of Amn and later titles like Neverwinter Nights, which built on a similar engine and rules. Credit also goes to its emphasis on written dialogue, humor, and character personalities, aspects other, more action-focused RPGs at the time paid far less attention to. Even years later, the game is graced by quality writing, believable party members, and a genuine sense of adventure, which keeps it playable and recommended among fantasy RPG fans - and it lives on today in its own Enhanced Edition.

Why play it: For fantasy RPG fans who appreciate quality writing, believable party members, and a genuine sense of adventure that kicked off the renaissance of classic Western RPGs.