The Mind-Blowing Secret Behind Baldur's Gate 3's Illusion of Choice!
Baldur's Gate 3's Brilliant Illusion of Choice: How the game ingeniously employs this controversial concept to enhance gameplay and create a captivating narrative
Highlights
Baldur's Gate 3 offers players complete freedom in their choices, including the ability to kill important NPCs and reject companions.
However, the Emperor possesses a certain invulnerability until reaching specific plot milestones, which gives the appearance of choice.
By manipulating players and offering them these deceptive alternatives, the Emperor effectively develops his personality and seamlessly aligns with the overarching game themes.
Baldur's Gate 3: Can You Actually Kill The Emperor?
In Baldur's Gate 3, the significance of choices is paramount, as players enjoy unprecedented freedom in shaping the outcome of their adventure. They possess the ability to march into a crucial location and mercilessly eliminate every non-playable character present, even those crucial to pivotal quests or those that appear repeatedly, long before proceeding with the main narrative. Notably, players retain the agency to refuse companionship or discard them entirely, regardless of whether or not they succumb to the dark influences within BG3. Ultimately, the fate of each companion ultimately hinges solely upon the decisions made by the players.
However, even the top-notch choice-based games must incorporate an element of perceived choice. If we were to compare Baldur's Gate 3 to a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, Larian Studios would assume the role of the DM. And any DM knows that, on occasions, even the most unpredictable and violent adventurers must be controlled. This becomes evident when certain pivotal characters, like Raphael, are made invincible until specific points in the story. Even the most bloodthirsty players are not deluded into thinking they can defeat him. However, the destiny of another character accentuates the illusion of choice. In essence, The Emperor presents players with various illusions, and how they engage with or unravel them directly influences their relationship with him.
Baldur's Gate 3: The Emperor's Illusion of Choice is Intentional
The Emperor in Baldur's Gate 3 is met with suspicion by players well before his tentacles make an appearance. Initially encountered as the Dream Visitor/Guardian, players remain wary regarding his motives for rescuing and protecting them from the Absolute. Unlike characters such as Gale, Wyll, the Tieflings of Druid's Grove, or the camp in the Underdark, players are unable to kill the Guardian/Emperor. Despite the game offering multiple false opportunities to do so, including when Vlaakith requests players to enter the Astral Prism to eliminate someone (possibly the Emperor), the option to kill him is ultimately denied. Players witness the Emperor/Guardian humbly kneeling before them in this scene, presenting them with the choice to dispose of him.
However, there is a surprising twist. Players will initially be unable to defeat the BG3 Guardian in the Astral Prism, but once they discover that the Guardian is actually a Mind Flayer, they are given the opportunity to engage in combat with him. This battle presents a complex scenario as players not only face hostility from The Emperor but also find themselves under attack from the Githyanki. If players emerge victorious against the Emperor, he warns them that they will meet their demise alongside him, a fact later confirmed by BG3's Narrator. Interestingly, players have the option to form an alliance with The Emperor to defeat the Githyanki, but choosing to strike him down will bring an end to the game.
As players progress further in the game, they will uncover more about the true identity of Baldur's Gate 3's Emperor. The game cleverly presents moments where players may lean towards trusting him, only to create doubt in the next moment. However, it becomes evident that The Emperor is the sole reason the players do not succumb to becoming Mind Flayers sooner than intended. Additionally, players will come to realize that a Mind Flayer is necessary to put an end to the Netherbrain, should they decide to follow this path. Fortunately, for those who do not trust The Emperor, disapprove of his methods, or favor the Githyanki over the Mind Flayers, there will eventually be an opportunity to eliminate him. This will require undertaking multiple quests and precise timing, utilizing a special hammer to free Orpheus who, similar to The Emperor, can provide protection for the players.
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Killing The Emperor at this point, especially when players have distrusted him from the beginning, is incredibly satisfying. However, it is also excessively restrictive. Many tabletop players in general dislike it when a DM forces certain events, eliminating viable and reasonable choices in favor of a predetermined outcome. This is essentially what The Emperor represents. Players are given numerous options to cause harm to almost anyone, except for The Emperor. Even for characters like Raphael in Baldur's Gate 3, who may be too strong for lower-level characters, there is no opportunity to kill him. This highlights the power imbalance but ultimately gives an illusion of choice by offering the option to kill the Emperor only at a specific time. Nonetheless, it should be noted that the keywords for choice are "viable and reasonable," and considering that Orpheus resides in the Astral Prism, killing The Emperor could have resulted in Orpheus taking over as their protector, willingly or not.
Simultaneously, this illusion of choice is intentionally crafted to deceive players. The Emperor possesses both positive and negative qualities, but beneath it all lies his clear manipulation of the player. He does not want them in the Githyanki Creche, but if they do go and meet him in the Astral Prism, he lowers himself and grants them the "power" to kill him, creating an illusion that players can trust him. When his true identity as a Mind Flayer is unveiled, it occurs during a Githyanki attack where he appears to be the victim, a facade that players will eventually discover to be false. If players strike a deal with Raphael or acquire the Orphic Hammer in BG3, The Emperor flatly denies their requests and attempts to gaslight them. He is manipulative, possibly even more so than Raphael, who at least is upfront about his intentions. This manipulation is what creates the illusion of choice.
Ultimately, players are subjected to deceitful options until the game explicitly allows them to eliminate The Emperor. Until that point, they enjoy the benefits of his protection, regardless of his manipulative tactics. While an illusion of choice is typically not praised, in this case, it adds depth to The Emperor's character. Whether or not players in BG3 trust The Emperor depends on their own judgments and what they uncover, but his manipulations are his responsibility, and the resulting illusion of choice aligns seamlessly with the context of Baldur's Gate 3. Even when players are deprived of choices, it reinforces the fundamental themes of the game and contributes to the positive reception of Baldur's Gate 3. Baldur's Gate 3 is currently available on PC, will be released for PS5 on September 6, and is expected to be available on Xbox Series X/S by the end of 2023.
