I find myself reminiscing about a time when the RPG world was filled with the magic and mystery of Baldur’s Gate 3: The Black Hound. As a seasoned gamer who has seen the rise and fall of many gaming studios, the story of this game resonates deeply with me.
The initial two releases of the Baldur’s Gate series have etched their legacy in video game history, written in letters of gold. After many years, the anticipation of fans has finally been met – Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 now stands alongside these esteemed titles. However, the franchise could have taken a very different path, as the initial concept for Baldur’s Gate 3 was once under the care of Black Isle Studios – the developers behind Fallout 1 and 2, Planescape: Torment, and the Icewind Dale series.
Minsc and Boo aren’t ready
The upcoming game from Black Isle Studios was initially called “Baldur’s Gate III: The Black Hound“. Contrary to expectations, this game wouldn’t follow the storyline of Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn, meaning fans might not find familiar characters in it. To soften the blow, developers planned to introduce some Non-Player Characters (NPCs) from their other title – Icewind Dale. These include gnome Maralie Fiddlebender and druid Iselor. Additionally, the developers hinted at nodding towards fans of the console-only Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2, but it remains unclear how the two games will connect.
Enigmatic Black Hound
Baldur’s Gate III: The Black Hound was initially intended to present a fresh, self-contained narrative that would maintain a more grounded feel compared to the tale of the Child of Bhaal. The primary villain in this storyline is May Farrow, who manages to slay the Black Hound, an emblem of her remorse and self-centered actions. After its death, the hound’s spirit binds itself to us, manifesting at various instances throughout our journey. This ethereal presence serves as a representation of the guilt harbored by each character we encounter. As such, the spirit forms the central theme and the link that ties together the different storylines.
Diverse landscape
In the thrilling journey of Baldur’s Gate III: The Black Hound, the action primarily unfolds within the expansive region known as the Dalelands. Throughout your gaming experience, you’ll find yourself exploring territories like North Sembia, Archendale, Battledale, and Deepingdale, each offering unique geographical features, hidden dangers, tumultuous factions, or prospects that promise excitement around every corner.
In the context of the game under discussion, two major factions will emerge: the Archenriders and the Church of Lathander. Furthermore, you’ll encounter other groups such as the Red Wizards of Thay, the People with Black Blood, and Elves from Deepingdale. Ultimately, it is your choice to back any of these factions throughout the game.
Classic Baldur’s Gate
In a departure from complete novelty, the developers chose to build upon established gameplay mechanics. Unlike Baldur’s Gate 3 from Larian Studios, Baldur’s Gate III: The Black Hound was planned to feature real-time combat with an active pause option, adhering to the rules of the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons.
The storyline depicted in the title is designed as completely non-linear, placing the Black Hound on par with Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3 in terms of freedom and exploration. The developers envisioned a world where our choices truly matter, offering us the flexibility to engage in various activities. However, each action we take would have its own repercussions. For instance, choosing or declining quests would significantly impact the game’s latter stages. This intertwines with the character development of our protagonist. The developers plan to allow us to switch between different characters based on the decisions we make, shaping the narrative and the fate of our heroes.
In this game, we’ll assume lower character roles, with the developers intending for us to reach a maximum of level 8. This design choice aims to challenge our minds extensively and showcase our tactical acumen in combat scenarios.
Reputation and companions
Regarding the impact of our decisions – the paths we choose and the moves we make will shape our standing. The developers aim to establish multiple aspects of reputation. We’re considering regional and factional standing, a reputation that could be positive (fame) or negative (infamy), depending on our actions, and titles (epithets) that define our character traits.
Our doings would also influence who decides to join us and accompany us to the very end of the story, and who prefers to avoid us from the beginning or leave our party if things take an inappropriate turn from their point of view. Having a companion leave the party would be a mild form of rebellion – if we treated a given character particularly badly, we would even risk being attacked by that character.
As the game unfolds, I find myself taking center stage during most interactions, but my companions aren’t shy about chiming in when necessary. They might jump in to offer advice based on a given situation or utilize their unique abilities to contribute to our discussions. It’s a team effort!
Baldur’s Gate in three dimensions
Baldur’s Gate 3: The Black Hound will be the first major game in the series to be developed in 3D. Originally, it was designed using a new graphics engine called Jefferson, inspired by Aurora from BioWare. However, no playable version of the game has been released, not even an early one. What we have are miniature character and enemy models, some concept art, and a photograph of a desktop with what appears to be a screenshot from this game in the background.
End of the project and its devs
The development of “Baldur’s Gate 3: The Black Hound” spanned from around 2001-2003. Black Isle Studios had ambitious plans for this game, intending it as the launchpad for a complete trilogy. Regrettably, Interplay Entertainment, the company that owned Black Isle Studios, encountered financial difficulties and was unable to continue developing games based on Dungeons & Dragons. As a result, the project was canceled, despite rumors suggesting that it was nearly 80% complete.
Shutting down power to the ‘Black Hound’ didn’t signal the demise of Black Isle Studios entirely. Instead, they completed just one more project, namely ‘Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2’, before closing shop. Regrettably, their subsequent undertaking, ‘Fallout 3’ codenamed ‘Van Buren’, which was also intended to operate on the Jefferson engine, was also scrapped. However, let’s save that story for another time…
What happened next?
Baldur’s Gate brand lived on in the players’ memories, as evidenced by the spectacular success of Baldur’s Gate 3 by Larian Studios. Meanwhile, Black Isle Studios saw its spiritual successor in the form of Obsidian Entertainment, founded back in 2003. Although over the years the team (which included the creators of The Black Hound, led by Josh Sawyer) returned to the Forgotten Realms to create Neverwinter Nights 2, over time they focused on their own worlds, developed for the Pillars of Eternity and The Outer Worlds series, among others.
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2024-12-04 12:32