When Baldur’s Gate 3 won the Game of the Year Award in 2023 it was not just because it was an incredible game – which it was – it was a game that oozed care and attention to detail and it was obvious the passion the developers Larian Studios had for the title.
They understood that the Baldur’s Gate and Dungeons & Dragons worlds need to be treated with a lot of respect due to what they mean to players and so created a game worthy of that. They have stated that there will be things to find in BG3 for years to come but have also taken the time and effort to put things into the game that mean nothing to most players, but the absolute world to others.
One such example is a tribute they put into the game for a player’s father who was living with Alzheimer’s, reports Eurogamer.
A few years ago when the game was still in Early Access, a forum user called Solfalia messaged Larain to thank them for releasing Act 1 which allowed them to play it with their father who had been recently diagnosed with the condition.
One of the writers then struck up a conversation with Solfalia and the studio asked if they could put a tribute into the game to their father when it was finally released.
While some other studios may do this, Larian went more than the extra mile and created an NPC that not only looked like Solfalia’s father but named them Golbraith Stredivas – a retired mindflayer of great renown, complete with dialogue and a cellar to adventure in.
There wasn't a dry eye in the house when we read that letter, and I volunteered to write Golbraith (I'm not super writer btw, and I'll respect their privacy unless they want to reveal themselves). Really happy we got to honour the mighty mindflayer hunter ❤️ https://t.co/FefUkkbpWu
— Rachel Quirke (@quirkiltons) January 4, 2024
Misty-eyed
Solfalia said in a forum post, “Not only did Golbraith look like my father, but he had multiple lines of dialogue. Some really touching ones too (for me, at least), The different papers in the house were amazing, the stack of letters between Golbraith and his son put a lump in my throat. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t misty-eyed. The secret mindflayer-hunter cellar was awesome.
“As soon as I finished looking through the whole house, I told my Dad. He’s in a care home now, so can’t play the game, but he listened to my description with a child-like glee I haven’t seen in a while. He loved every moment of it. He loved the idea that his character has a monocle, and was proud his character has a secret cellar with weapons. He still talks about it from time to time during our weekly chats.
“And so here comes the purpose of my post. Thank you Larian. Truly. It was so much more than I was expecting and was extremely touching. Both my Dad and me loved it.”
An incredibly touching gaming story that highlights the connection between game devs and their audience can be beyond what anybody ever expected.
Featured Image: Larian Studios
