Baldur’s Gate 1: Enhanced Edition is a role-playing game released by Overhaul Games and published by Atari. It is the remake of the original Baldur’s Gate, a cult classic released in 1998. The player is once again thrown into the world of Forgotten Realms and has to solve the mystery behind the plot, which would see the city of Baldur’s Gate on the brink of war. The game retains most of its gameplay features but adds some new ones as well. New non-playable characters make an appearance and The Black Pits arena mode introduces a new story. The game received positive reviews from players and the critics.

Brand new classic RPG gameplay

The gameplay features of BG: EE remain mostly unchanged in relation to its 1998 predecessor. At the start of the game the player creates a character for themselves, choosing from several available races and classes. Enhanced Edition adds new class kits – Dwarven Defender, Shadowdancer, Dragon Disciple, Dark Moon Monk and Sun Soul Monk. The player can play the game in several different modes: Campaign, the Black Pits – a brand new arena mode, and a cross-platform multiplayer.

The game introduces several reinvented features. For example, the difficulty modes have been altered. The new easy mode, rebranded as Story Mode, makes dying almost impossible. The party’s strength is always at value 25 and the members are immune to ailments.  Meanwhile, on the Legacy of Bhaal mode, which is a revamped Insane mode, the enemies hit harder and can take more damage, making encounters really tough ordeals.

Other new features include changes in user interface, improved resolution and a new rendering engine. Enhanced Edition allows for easier implementation of player-made mods.

The tale of Forgotten Realms

In the Forgotten Realms land of Faerûn lies a city of Baldur’s Gate. This bustling metropolis is a home to folk of different races and walks of life, who do what they can to make a living. Now, the city is threatened by the shadow of war. The Iron Crisis, caused by the greedy merchant organization, known as the Iron Throne. As the crisis deepens, strengthening the iron Throne’s grip on the city, the player’s character – a young ward, studying under the mage Gorion, is suddenly sent away from the fortress of Candlekeep. Making their first uneasy steps in the world, the Ward will learn of the Iron Crisis and the part it plays in the bigger plot…

Reception

Baldur’s Gate EE received favorable reviews from the critics and the players alike. Reviewers were full of praise for the Overhaul Games for managing to rejuvenate the cult classic RPG, adapting it for the modern player sensibilities. Much attention was given to the revamped graphics of the game. All in all, the remake of Baldur’s Gate is considered by the critics as a game that meets the standards of modern players and in the same time doesn’t lose the nostalgic feel.

Key features:

• New Adventure: The Black Pits
• New Character: Dorn Il-Khan
• New Character: Neera the Wild Mage
• New Character: Rasaad yn Bashir
• A new collection of player character voice sets
• Native support for high-resolution widescreen displays
• Over 400 improvements to the original game
• Improved multiplayer support with connectivity between all platforms