Summary
There are a million different directions thatBaldur’s Gate 3could have gone in during its development, but some definitely came closer to becoming reality than others. When making a game ofBaldur’s Gate 3’s impressive scale, a lot of interesting ideas and ambitious features will inevitably have to be left on the cutting room floor. That doesn’t always mean that no trace of them remains in the game, however, and when such an anomaly does show up, it can provide some interesting insight into how the game might have turned out with some different decisions along the way.
One of the more ambitious features ofBaldur’s Gate 3is its extensive voice acting, with every NPC and companion featuring comprehensive voice acting to heighten the immersion and engagement of conversation throughout the game. It’s not something that traditionalCRPGs in the style of the gametend to attempt, and pulling it off as well asBaldur’s Gate 3does is an impressive feat. There’s still one obvious missing link, however, which isthe general absence of voice-acted lines for the player character(referred to as Tav by default) when ignoring minor asides.
Who Is Tav In Baldur’s Gate 3?
There’s much to discover in Baldur’s Gate 3, but it’s biggest mystery may be staring you in the face. Who is Tav, and how can you shake them off?
Baldur’s Gate 3 Has Some Hidden Tav Voice Acting
Uncommon Scenes Can Show Off An Otherwise Absent Feature
The lack of voice acting for the player character isn’t completely consistent, however, and Reddit userRodger_Smithpoints out one instance that seems to have slipped through the cracks. When playing as the Dark Urge Origin, which gives a custom character a unique backstory and proclivity toward violence,a particular chain of events in Act 1 can lead to a fully acted voice line in a cutscene. This particular example is only available to a villainous or entirely amoral party, requiring a massacre and subsequent celebration to get to the right scenario.
This isn’t the only exception to the rule, and Reddit userAPracticalGalbrings up another situation where a Tav will comment on the destruction of a bridge by a Red Dragon. This situation actually has several possible lines that can trigger, depending on the level of the character at the time of the cutscene and whether theyhappen to be a Githyanki. In general, it seems like Act 1 is the principal home of weird instances of protagonist voice acting, which makes since considering the trajectory of overall development.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Act 1 Checklist (Everything You Don’t Want To Miss)
Act 1 of Baldur’s Gate 3 has much to see, like recruitable characters, hidden bosses, and other secrets that might require a checklist.
Orin The Red Is The Key To Dark Urge Voice Acting
Although these instances are fairly minor,the Dark Urge also gets a significant voice acting scene in Act 3, centered around a pivotal reveal from the murderous Orin the Red. In a climactic (and very spoiler-filled) moment for the Dark Urge story, Orin imitates the player character perfectly, taking on both appearance and voice in dramatic form. Because of this, it’s not technically the player character speaking, but it’s the one major scene inBaldur’s Gate 3with voice acting and facial animation for custom player characters.
Considering the usual silence from the protagonist, this scene does feel somewhat unusual, and it might have been more seamless if full voice acting had been applied to the Dark Urge throughout the game. On the other hand, it’s easy enough to make an argument that this discrepancy only heightens the surprise of the scene. At any rate, it ends up being one of the most memorable moments in a Dark Urge campaign, and it offers a glimpse at what a protagonist with voice acting might have been like.
Baldur’s Gate 3: 7 Reasons To Play As The Dark Urge
Playing as the Dark Urge Origin in Baldur’s Gate 3 offers a unique experience unlike any other playthrough with fantastic roleplay opportunities.
Voice Acting Can Come With Compromises For RPGs
As cool as it is to see glimpses of a game where the protagonist might be fully voice acted,it’s probably best thatBaldur’s Gate 3didn’t go down that route. An infamous example of how this can go wrong can be found inFallout 4, which was the first game in the robust RPG franchise to grant the protagonist a voice. In making that manageable, the game ultimatelysimplified the dialogue optionsheavily compared to the other titles, a trade-off that doesn’t make sense in a series focused on choices.
Managing even this would be significantly more difficult inBaldur’s Gate 3than inFallout 4, as the latter game only had two possible voice actors for the protagonist.Baldur’s Gate 3offers a wider variety of voices for custom characters along with the entire roster of Origin characters that can be chosen as the playable option, vastly increasing the amount of recording sessions needed.
For anyone who wants to hear the full breadth of voice acting from Origin characters, it’s best to stick to having them as companions rather than picking one for a playable character.
Even setting all of those challenges aside,having voice acting for custom characters isn’t all that beneficial for immersion. While occasional asides don’t tend to affect much, listening to a protagonist in every conversation makes the art of self-inserting or imagining unique voices a lot more difficult. In some cases, it might feel completely out of place, as the options available don’t fit perfectly for every type of character that’s possible to customize.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Character Creation Is Missing One Important RPG Feature
Despite the variety of options available for custom characters in Baldur’s Gate 3, there’s one area that can be notably lacking for certain campaigns.
Baldur’s Gate 3’s Voice Acting Is In A Good Place
The Focus On Companion Performances Makes Sense
Ultimately, the current situation might be the best of both worlds.Baldur’s Gate 3isn’t beholden to any of the fundamental struggles of having voice acting for the protagonist, but a few unique scenes being left in can still offer a taste of the idea without any real repercussions. It’s likely that Larian intended to clean out any instances of custom character voice acting outside of Orin’s performance, but after going under the radar for so long,there’s no reason why the studio would pull them from the game at this point.
As it stands, the voice acting that does exist inBaldur’s Gate 3still sets it apart from competitors, and some consistently great performances bring the companions to life in memorable ways. It’s something a shame that deciding to do a campaign as Astarion means that Neil Newbon’s excellent acting in the companion role will be mostly eliminated, for one example, but it’s easy to understand why that’s the case.Baldur’s Gate 3could have been totally different with voice-acted protagonists, but the route that the game ultimately took is one that generally works out beautifully.
Source:Rodger_Smith/Reddit,APracticalGal/Reddit
Baldur’s Gate 3
Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur’s Gate 3 is an upcoming role-playing game set to release in August of 2023. Players will create a character to embark on a large-scale journey and can do so solo or cooperatively with a friend. Combat is a turn-based style this time around.
