Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition

Amazing, immersive RPG with with a really interesting quest line. Defenitley would recommend

Oldie but a goodie :D Never played this game before but it fulfills my rpg needs. 10/10

I finally beat this for the first time. Has a simple story with complex gameplay and rules. Persistence was key for me, but the journey was worth it. I already transferred my character to BG2 and am looking forward to beating that game for the first time, as well.

An absolute classic and the grandaddy of BG3. Admittedly a bit pixel-heavy for the modern age, but with a map completely packed with secrets and quests that add richness to the main story.

Beat Baldur's Gate 3 and wanted more Baldur. Definitely an old game and in some aspects you have to meet it where it is at, but I'm really enjoying my time with it. Would recommend.

I just don't know what to say, something that started with a simple curiosity about what the first Baldur's Gate was like and turned into love, besides it being my first D&D, I had no idea about anything, I didn't know how to play or how to set up my class and yet I learned the hard way (dying, dying, dying, dying).
The story is fantastic, the side quests divert you from the story in a natural way that makes you immersed in the game world. The companions are incredible (Branwen is my favorite)
I did it twice before this review because I felt like I had to play the game more than once to enjoy what I learned the first time.
9/10
Fantastic only Fantastic

TO THIS DAY, no one has been talented enough to create a game as perfect as BG, IWD, and BG2. The format for these games is the BEST ROLE PLAYING FORMAT EVER CREATED. The ability to customize your character with your own pictures, artwork, and sounds is like something from the future, even though it is past. These games are like the successful Apollo missions. Masterpieces.

It's a good game, but I've heard the sequel is better. I personally was not that invested in the plot, but the writing was enjoyable enough for me to finish it. 7/10

A nostalgic experience that is through and through enjoyable. My dad had PC copy from the early 2000s that I grew up around. I didn't remember the story at all or gameplay, just watching him play, now me playing it has fulfilled many old memories.

Baldur's Gate is the seminal rpg that defined a generation. There is much to love about this game if you can get past the AD&D mechanics.

This is an old game and it shows. Gameplay is really slow. If I played it a few decades earlier I would probably have enjoyed it.

BG II is better.

Starting at level 1 kills this game (and doesn't make any sense for most of the NPC's).

Thus begins one of the most nuanced and best told stories DnD has to offer.

One of my favorite games as a kid. Wonderful to see it updated and available again on so many devices and with the ease of steam install on modern hardware/os.

The original Baldur's Gate was a classic which launched dozens of clones for a reason. Baldur's Gate 3 may have all the headlines now but, while this enhanced version of the original may lack the cut scenes and flashy graphic, it remains one of the best games you can experience.

Ever since I've done a few playthroughs of Baldur's Gate 3 and several others from Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition, I found myself motivated to give the first Baldur's Gate a try, wondering if it's still fun to play and see if it still hold up after it's original release all way back in 1998.

Where it started

Back around in 2024, I was giving a try with Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition for the time. While I really enjoyed the game despite I played the original campaign first before the expansion modules (it was...very grindy for the first time), I found the opportunity to give BG1 a go. As much I have been wary of how clunky and how very unforgiving the game is, I have gathered some notes for what class/kit to play as and then decide the rest if I'm going with a full party, light party or solo. Allegedly, I picked solo as if I may have an much easier time than in a full party while micromanaging them which, that's mostly true but, dealing with the encounters and inventory management became a different story. As I got through the mid-game, I found myself being turned off from continuing through the rest of the game for whatever reason until I finally gave this game another chance sometime later and then I eventually embrace it.

The Gameplay may push you off if you are not used to it

As far the gameplay of BG1 goes, it's based on AD&D 2E. Given that I have played BG3 and NWN:EE first before BG1, I am somewhat familiar with it's stuff but, I sometimes cannot get over the jank or the clunky nature with this game. This is where people will get turned off with this game or any of other Infinity Engine games, even more so with the pseudo real-time that is still wonky. Depending on your experience with other CRPG games whether if it's new or old, you may get pushed off with how the game and it's mechanics work. If you have some experience with D&D, then I'm sure you won't have much of a problem with AD&D 2E but otherwise, you will be confused, struggle or worse, embrace the PAIN. You will die a lot and find yourself loading saves way more often than a drunken dwarf trying to brawl in an tavern. The game can get very unforgiving and difficult, even more so in early game but, do not give up! If you learn your way through encounters with effective strategies or tactics or reach the point where things spike up, then it's all worth while. Of course, you can always tone down the difficulty if you really want to which I can't stop you by doing so. There's a reason why the Enhanced Edition included it to begin with.

If you want my advice to make the game be a bit easier and not go through all of the pain from start to finish:
1. Spend some time to get yourself familiar with the mechanics.
2. Take some consideration with the party's composition, it also varies on what your character is playing as.
3. Take a look at the Arcane and Divine spells and see what's effective the most, either by finding out or guides by other people. Some of the spells can make encounters a breeze.
4. Arrows are king, no joke.
5. Look up for guides.
6. Save often!

How I feel about the Enhanced Edition

Despite I never played the original 1998 version, the Enhanced Edition brought many improvements to the game, especially making it playable on modern systems, stable build, easier accessibility to multiplayer, more moddability, etc. It's definitely a great way to play this game nowadays, either if you are completely new to the CRPG genre, have never played any of the infinity engine games or hell, if you never played any of the classic Baldur's Gate titles. Of course, the game is still clunky as is regardless of the improvements that were made for the enhanced edition, just slightly less so than the original version which it isn't saying much.

As much I praise the enhanced edition, I have a few things that I did not like about it. The "newly" made cutscenes and the new companions that you find during your journey through the Sword Coast. I don't know why they remade the cutscenes in BG1, it isn't really necessary to begin with and it simply takes away the charm and the little things that makes the original cutscenes stand out. Thank god they kept the original cutscenes for BG2: Enhanced Edition but you'll have to mod BG1 if you want to restore the OG cutscenes. And then, there's new companions, they're okay I guess but, I understand people are not really fond of them since it does alienate some people not realizing that they were never there from the 1998 version. I generally ignored them and move on, at least some of the class kits are pretty good, though.

Regardless, the Enhanced Edition isn't the best but it's solid enough. Sure, there were some other additions that several people were not fond of and deemed it controversial but personally, I could care less and it didn't affect my experience as much. I guess people could always get the original version instead, add some mods or patches to make it runnable in modern systems and play it from there. It's all up to their choice if anything.

What about other things?

Well, the story is...good! It's just not the greatest than in BG2 does but the writing, narrative and it's presentation definitely shines through the game. I will let you discover it from yourself, if you care that is.

The companions is what really stoods out for the first two games and if I'm gonna be frank with you, there are a huge variety of companions that you can play around for your party. However, don't expect that you can recruit all of them at once, you have a party size of 6, and then you have to consider which one to recruit based on their alignment, quests, their lack of tolerance from one to another (which will potentially cause a leave or make a fight) and then good and evil aligned companions will permanently leave if you party reputation score gets too low (good) or too high (evil). That being said, the way of how they implemented the companions is quite impressive, despite being lackluster in BG1, BG2 does it better in general. It's a pity that it won't be the same as the better the game technology can get, though...

Do I recommend this game?

If you liked BG3 and wanting to experience the first and the second game in the series or have been familiar with the CRPG genre or familiar with D&D in general, then I would recommend this game, though, you should get it when it's on sale. Otherwise, if you won't stand the old mechanics that can become from wonky, janky or clunky, and suffer the pain then, I don't blame you for not picking up this game. Frankly, it's a relic of the time and despite it's age, it still holds up as a strong and absolute classic RPG game. Although, I can understand why BG2 is better in general which it is. The Enhanced Edition of BG1 is still a good way to revisit the game nowadays and I didn't regret it, aside from the pain I endured due to how difficult and unforgiving it is.

genuinely one of the coolest and most amazing experiences. Even in 2024 this game still holds up. I came to this game after playing Baldur's Gate 3 and this game reminds me a LOT of a tactical top down Dragon Age Origins while also having so much of the DND Sword Coast lore and world building I had come to expect from the series. This game definitely feels a bit challenging in the beginning and there is a LOT of inventory management along with overwhelming battles. But, as long as you Q constantly, explore everything, take it slow, and maybe consult a guide or two when your in trouble, you will find one of the most fleshed out incredibly detailed and amazing RPG's ever created. I couldn't believe how much content there was in this game. Every map was jam packed with little interactions. I highly recommend reading all of the journals and item descriptions as well. You could really feel all the love, craft, and care that went into this game by each individual at Bioware/Beamdog. The Enhanced Edition adds so much to the original game as well, I've only heard and seen how much it improved since I never played the original but I've been blown away by how seamlessly they added in everything.

Good story, fun mechanics, highly recommendable if you can live with the old school graphics and sounds

A classic AD&D adventure. This game is a good adaptation of late AD&D / pre-3.0 rules in a CRPG.

Can't open it with win 7 after some steam update. Don't buy it here, go to GOG.

Hey, if you haven't played BG1, I mean why not? The prologue is horribly boring, but after that it's fun, promise. Buy on sale.

An old classic, absolutely worth your time if you enjoy RPGs. The AD&D rule set can feel a bit antiquated or unnatural to new players who didn't grow up with it, but if you take a little time to learn it then it'll be well worth it for this game.

Still a great game - I originally played it when it was first released and am still loving the amount of content and replayability.

Beat from my GoG version. Definitely recommend but brutally punishing in some areas. A lot of save scumming. 8/10

Hoo boy.

I must admit that at first I didn't like the gameplay. The plot and point-and-click movement, and UI were completely fine. The not-quite turn-based combat threw me off, seeing as I played BG3 before this -- as well as Fallout 1 and 2 (which were developed by the same studio that made BG1) -- and I immensely enjoyed the combat in those games.

I had started out on Normal Mode, but once I switched over to Easy -- the combat became less agonizing. Leveling up and getting more HP + usable skills helped soothe my frustration.

And I must say that I don't mind older games and their clunky-ness, seeing as I adored playing FO1&2 (I admit I like them better than FO4 lol). BG1 in particular just grinded my gears.

HOWEVER, the plot was quite interesting and the party members I picked up along the way were delightful. Shout out to Dorn for being a great pack mule. The side quests were fun and rewarding.

TL;DR: If you love an interesting story, play this game. If you can't stand old-game combat systems, run for your life.

Great enhancement of the original, with many fixes and a tasteful reproduction of alkl the original qualities.

Played it back in the day, and it's just as addicting now. Also remember it having lots of bugs back int the day, this version I think it crashed once in the many hours of playing. So good job on that, only took 20 something years :)

Absolute classic game. One of the best CRPGs ever. Starts off nice and lowkey rather than being the typical overblown epic 'you are the chosen one' campaign.

This game is a classic. The isometric 90s gameplay based on AD&D 2e can take a bit to get used to, but it's worth it.

The Enhanced Edition makes a timeless classic available on modern PCs. Anyone who likes RPGs and does not require modern graphics to have fun should definitely play through this masterpiece at least once. The quality of the revamped videos is debatable, but apart from that, this is a well-aged game, even a quarter of a century after its initial release.

Nostalgic Bioware. Immersive world and character building, exploration, and storytelling. RTS-like RPG.

A classic, now with a lot of quality of life improvements over the original. Beamdog did a great job. Looking forward to the expansion, too

i definitely think it's a little aged in comparison to its two sequels but i think it still holds up if this seems like yr vibe. very nostalgic and the main content is good. i dont really like the tosc stuff not my cuppa teaa but yea its fun

The writing is better than any modern game and its fun too.

a beautiful CRPG with all of the hallmarks of the late 90s/early 00s boom: broken AD&D combat and a world so interesting you can almost look past the fact that you've died 27 times in the past 5 minutes.

only run fighters. don't think. don't micromanage. just hit things.

Its a classic. Bit date but the story slaps

A great game that I finally got around to finishing in 2024, after finishing BG3. It was so fun seeing all the characters and lore relevant to BG3. The game itself is really fun with great writing/dialogue and very exciting gameplay/party-build customization. I will remember this game fondly

Loved it back in '99 but a pain to play in '25 even with the enhanced edition. I'll repeat what I said in my Ice-wind Dale review (a game that unsurprisingly uses the same enhanced engine):

"The AI is a no-win situation: if you turn it off, you will need to micro-manage your party to perfection and if you have it on, the AI will actively override your commands mid-fight, making the game unplayable".

I wouldn't mind micro-managing 6 characters at once if this wasn't D&D: a game designed for each player to play a single character with dozens of options at any given turn. Tyranny, for example (another CRPG made by Black Isle alumni), not being forced to implement a proprietary table-top rule-set as-is has a much better balance between tactical depth and micro-management.

If you're going to play this for the first time or as a hard-core challenge demanding your full attention for 40 to 100 hours of sweaty game-play, it's going to be worth a full price purchase. If instead you're looking for something less intense and time-consuming: try Tyranny or any number of turn-based CRPGs from Dragon-fall to Rogue-trader.

This is an old classic which I played to death when it first released over 20 years ago, it is well worth a look as one of the genre defining games in the CRPG space.

Great game great mods out there too

It's good old Baldur's Gate from my youth with the fancy new options of BG2. I also like the added companions. I haven't played with the monk yet, but the Dorn the Blackguard is now my Minsc for evil parties and Neera the Wild Mage is my Edwin for non-evil parties.

Baldur's Gate 1 is one of those classic games that sparked the CRPG section of games that we have today. Does it hold up to what it was back in the 1990s? Well, it depends. The game is very CLEARLY old, it has very clunky UI, it struggles in the way it moves its characters, combat is rough, and the game likes to cast a spell every so often called "you will not play the game for two minutes while your characters are stuck in a spider web". It has its faults for certain, but it also has a pretty serviceable story and very fun "bad guy" dialogue choices. If you are a fan of older CRPGs, or really want to see where Baldur's Gate started and aren't afraid of having to deal with some clunkiness and age, then I say give it a try. Though for anyone, it is far from the peak performance of today and I would always recommend to wait for a sale before buying it.

Old school graphics, play style and fun. If you're looking for some retro gaming, Baldur's Gate is definitely one to jump into especially as a foundation for Baldur's Gate 2 and 3.

Its way too easy to get caught in this game. if you have time to kill its a great way to do it

The good part is that Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 are two of the best rpgs of all time, the downside is that BG1 is basically a tutorial for BG2 and the 2nd Edition AD&D ruleset. Aside from that, it's age and it's refusal to adress some of its bugs is definitely a barrier of entry that onle fan patches and game reloads will save you. On top of that it is the slowest of the whole infinity engine catalogue, it doesn't have many levels and levelling up is going to be an event itself and by the endgame you should be around level 7.

Aside from that, everything else is really good. The updated graphics have a charm and appeal that I wish more games had nowadays, let the fans of 2D vs 3D rpgs fight among themselves deciding which is best and enjoy the game for the old-scholl charm that it has.

The music of the whole saga is a standout, the kind of stuff that you would put on your game D&D/Pathfinder campaigns with a good mix of ambience and orchestral, really recognizable and a good nostalgia fuel for anyone.

Being tied to 2nd AD&D the combat can see floaty and counterintuitive at first, knowing the system or checking the pdf manual that comes with the purchase helps quite a lot in this regard and will spare you many deaths. That said, these games aren't quite easy, is not a constant struggle but the encounters that just overwhelms you because of sheer numbers or a spell that use on you for the first time will make sure that you want a few saves on your back just in case you find yourself in front of a death encounter that you didn't deserve to die for it, specially here since you are going to play with a low-level party and you don't have yet the resources to fully prepare for many contingencies.

The story is good, not masterpiece but just enough to keep you going and making guesses about the grand mysterie until the final dungeon. There are a good amount of oportunities to define your character and make flavorful choices.

If you like old-school rpgs, want to play older editions of D&D or just like wrps in general and have some tollerance for some compatibility issues (it may or may not crash on you, but not to the point that it becomes a problem) then check it out, if not this one, check out the sequel, you don't need a lot to fill in gives a higher level party, has a very high level-cap, and it's story is quite better, also it let's you transfer characters from the 1st endgame to the 2nd.

This and its sequel are my favorite fantasy story not written by Tolkien, The mechanics can be off putting to newcomers but are very engrossing once you get your head around them. I have loved it since I was 8 and I think I will return to it every few years for decades to come.

I felt like I needed to play this after loving BG3 and I ended up loving this too, for the most part. The world, setting, lore, atmosphere and characters are easily the best parts of this game, and that's what matters the most in CRPGs in my opinion. The gameplay I have very mixed opinions of, but my opinions leans towards being negative.

So the story is very engaging and manages quickly to make you interested in what's going on, and the writing and dialogue has flavor. Quest givers have personality, so even if the actual quests they hand out aren't always the most exciting you still want to finish them. One odd thing for me though are companions; they have a lot of charm and personality... during the short conversations you have when recruiting them. With only a few exceptions, most companions have basically no further dialogue and involvement in the story after recruiting them. This is so jarring when they DO have developed personalities, and will set up players expecting good companions for disappointment. Which is why I recommend any player to go install the BG1NPC mod, which adds tons of dialogue for all companions, which made the adventure feel a lot more lively.

As for gameplay, it's certainly from a different era and there are a lot of game design I just don't care for. I dislike how the massive areas you need to explore are shrouded in two layers of fog of war, and you need to scour every inch of the map for potential quest encounters or valuable loot since you can only see a few feet ahead of you. Oh, and you move very slowly. And then you get to combat. As long as you know how to pick battles appropriate for your progress, it's pretty simple most of the time. Just make sure your tanky companions initiate combat and the AI will deal with most fights with you only needing to manually assign commands occasionally. The only way the game knows how to make the gameplay difficult is by having mage enemies and their CC spells. The most reliable way to deal with that is to rush down the mages or disable them with your own mages before they can disable your entire party with some AoE panic/confusion spell. I don't know, maybe I was doing something wrong but fights with mages (of which there are many) just felt very tedious to me, even if I tried to stay prepared. And I find fights to feel very cluttered and chaotic thanks to being real time with spells flying everywhere and the combat log moving so fast. So when the final fight had a barrage of deadly and debilitating mage spells my party wasn't properly kitted to deal with unless I wanted to load an earlier save to purchase the exact potions and scrolls I needed to negate most of it, I just said fuck it and turned on story mode so that I could finish the game. It sucks that I felt the need to do that, but I wasn't really having fun with the combat and the entire final stretch of the game just kept throwing these fights at you.

I bought this because I ADORED the Baldur's Gate 3 like no other, and it was around $5 for the winter sale. Do not let the graphics fool you, this game has an insane amount of content and things for you to get sidetracked with. I love a game with some good old school table top elements, and they get it down perfectly. The story-telling so far is amazing just like Baldur's Gate 3. If graphics aren't an issue for you, I'd try this game out ASAP.

Game is great

The original game came out in 1998, my life hasn't been the same ever since. A classic and second all-time favorite after BGII:SoA. If one is a fan of D&D, 'Baldur's Gate' franchise is an absolute must.

This 26 year old game still remains one of the most immersive, lore heavy and in depth CRPG out there. This game is an opportunity to enjoy DND 2E rules. They are indeed very different from 5E. Baldur's Gate 3 is a masterpiece and I get it, but this didn't get the BG series praises before BG3 for no reason. It deserves every last praise it gets. This game is a must play for anyone who enjoys TTRPGs.