Unleash Epic Battles and Seamless Gameplay: Discover Why Baldur's Gate 3 Thrives with a Controller
Baldur's Gate 3 effortlessly adapts to controller gameplay, despite being originally designed for keyboard and mouse With a distinctive UI for each control method, the game offers a comfortable and immersive experience for players
Highlights
The success of Baldur's Gate 3 has resulted in a surge in pre-orders for the PS5 version, causing apprehension regarding controller support. However, playing with a controller is unexpectedly comfortable, despite a few peculiarities.
The game's user interface (UI) is tailored to each control method, providing controller players with larger text boxes and bold fonts for improved readability. At the same time, the controller offers a distinct movement experience, granting players more precise control over their avatar. However, there are occasional instances where the controller may feel slightly cumbersome due to compromises made to accommodate the alternative control method.
Baldur's Gate 3 has achieved immense success for Larian Studios, largely due to its incredibly detailed design. This attention to detail extends to every aspect of the game, creating high expectations for all future Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) games.
As a result of this success, pre-orders for the PS5 version of Baldur's Gate 3 have skyrocketed. This is particularly noteworthy as the game belongs to a genre traditionally played with a keyboard and mouse, raising concerns about how controller support has been implemented. However, Larian Studios' meticulousness shines through in this area as well, as playing Baldur's Gate 3 with a controller is unexpectedly comfortable despite a few unique elements.
Baldur's Gate 3 Has a Unique UI for Each Control Method
Playing Baldur's Gate 3 with a controller offers an impressive experience, particularly due to the game's distinct user interface compared to its keyboard and mouse counterpart. The game goes above and beyond to cater to the needs of controller players, from how movement is handled to how players access their inventory.
This distinction is most apparent in the way information is presented to controller players, who may be seated on a couch or playing on a Steam Deck, potentially at a distance that makes it harder to read text descriptions compared to their keyboard and mouse counterparts who are typically positioned closer to the screen. In the game, this is addressed by the inventory screens taking up the entire display, with sizable text boxes providing comprehensive stats for each item or equipment piece. Additionally, character stats are displayed in larger text boxes on the controller UI, ensuring readability with the use of bold fonts.
The player's control over their avatar in the movement is significantly different in Baldur's Gate 3. Instead of indicating a destination, players now have direct control. This decision has advantages for the controller, as misclicks can occur and obstructive terrain can hinder movement. Despite these advantages, the game still maintains a keyboard and mouse-centric feel, which is appropriate for its genre. Overall, the developers have done an excellent job, but there are instances where using a controller can feel slightly awkward due to the adjustments made for the alternative control method.
With a plethora of skills available to players in both combat and non-combat situations in Baldur's Gate 3, the implementation of command wheels was meant to facilitate quick access. However, as more wheels are added, navigating through them can become a bit cumbersome. While organizing all options in categorized menus could have been a viable alternative, the use of wheels seemed like the best idea in practice.
Another issue that needs addressing in a patch is the inability to customize controls with a controller. While every key can be rebound when using a keyboard and mouse, the same flexibility is not offered to controller users. For example, mapping the jump command to the up button on the D-pad and lacking a dedicated button for accessing the character sheet limit the controller's usability. Allowing players to customize controller inputs would greatly enhance its functionality.
The current handling of controller support in Baldur's Gate 3 ensures that players feel at ease during the game's extensive campaign. Although there are minor peculiarities with this control method, it remains an excellent choice for those seeking a more laid-back gaming experience, deserving of the praise it receives.
Baldur's Gate 3 is currently available on PC and will be released on PS5 on September 6. Additionally, an Xbox Series X/S version is also currently in progress.
