This comes off the back of Baldur’s Gate 3’s ongoing awards show success. Having justscooped up seven prizes at the Golden Joystick Awards, it’s nowgoing into The Game Awards with eight nominations, putting it in joint first with Alan Wake 2. PlayStation seems to want the most of this, particularly since its defacto console exclusivity is about to come to an end, with thegame launching on Xbox before the end of the year.
Even if you just stick to the main story, Baldur’s Gate 3 will take you more than 50 hours to beat. If you’re getting some side quests done, it could take you over the 100-hour mark. My first campaign took me well over 120 hours, so this two-hour demo is just a drop in the ocean.
Going back to the demo, the good news is that it doesn’t seem that anything will be blocked off.The PlayStation store pagedescribes it as a “full game demo”, but to be honest, it’s not like you’d be able to blast through the game in that time. Well, you could if you were speedrunning it, as the world record currently sits at three minutes and 31 seconds, but that’s hardly the optimal experience on your first playthrough.
Still, as long as you don’t spend too long making your Tav, or just play an origin character instead, there’s plenty to get up to in the couple of hours you have in the game. Even playing normally and enjoying the side content, you might be able to help the Tieflings out and get that fun party scene. Or, you know, wipe them out andget a cool drow lady on your side. The opportunities are endless.
But if you’re not already a turn-based combat lover, I’m not so sure if this will be long enough to convert you. I mean, you might not have even had a romance scene yet, and that’s the turning point for many. At the very least, you’ll quickly find out if the combat system is a complete no-go for you, turning you off the RPG completely.
In any case, those of you without a PS5 or a high-end PC will be able to join in on the fun soon. Baldur’s Gate 3 is expected to come to Xbox next month, making it available on all major platforms other than Switch. I wouldn’t hold your breath for that port.
