The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, despite its mighty and incredible Metacritic Score of 96 out of a possible 100, has been dethroned as 2023’s highest-rated game so far by none other than Baldur’s Gate 3.
Commanding a score just one point above Nintendo’s masterful sequel, Larian Studios has managed to do the unthinkable in a year where Tears of the Kingdom has dominated much of the GOTY conversation since it launched in May.
Of course, with a game as big as Baldur’s Gate 3 and given that it looks like review access has been quite late and sporadic among most outlets globally, the game still only has 18 reviews polled from Metacritic-approved outlets at the time of writing. That’s a far cry from TotK’s 145 reviews, so this victory could very well be short-lived.
Still, it’s held that 97 score continually as more reviews have trickled, so there’s still a chance it keeps its position or close to it – and either way, it’s clearly very quickly made its way into the pantheon of instant video game classics for 2023, and probably this entire generation. Even the User Score, usually a vitriolic cesspool of a corner of Metacritic, is rocking a healthy 9.4.
While we haven’t published a review yet ourselves (there is one on the way!), the praise is out there. Guardian gave the game a perfect score, for example, writing “Baldur’s Gate 3, like its titular city, is a towering landmark of an RPG. Bustling with life, brimming with scope, and bursting with imagination.”
Meanwhile Game Rant went with a slightly-more conservative 9/10, saying that, “It has heart, it has style, and it has the multi-year effort of a studio that obviously loves its source material. The mind-blowing size of the game itself and everything contained within is a testament to Larian Studios’ dedication to its craft and commitment to bringing something incredible to the gaming public.”
If your definition of a perfect game requires that all characters keep their genitals tucked firmly in their trousers unless advised otherwise, you’ll also be happy to know that Larian has put a stop to those that weren’t.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is out now on PC, and is coming to PS5 on September 6th.
