From Baldur’s Gate 3 we have already spoken on the techgameworld.com pages. We all already know it’s a game mammoth is that will keep us glued to the screen for many hours. Everyone here in the editorial office loved it; so if you haven’t already done so, run to read the review; find the link below. Now the new episode of Baldur’s Gate it has also arrived on PS5. As often happens in these conversions, many are doubtful of the final result, and we can understand it. We tested the game and, in our opinion, the designers of Larian Studios for you they did a great job to make this game addicting even on a console.
The difficulty of designing Baldur’s Gate for PS5
The speech is simple, and we’ve already bumped our noses into it in the past: PCs and consoles have two completely different ways of interacting with the user. On one side keyboard and mouse, on the other a gamepad.
It has already happened in the past that strategic RPGs have been ported to consoles with disastrous results. The reason is simple: on average, these were games born with mouse and keyboard gameplay and later, for marketing reasons, a white collar decided to sell them on consoles as well. Changing game mechanics is not possibleotherwise it will be a different game. Carrying the controls to a gamepad haphazardly gives, in most cases, gruesome results.
However, the solution to this problem it’s pretty simple. When designing the game game designers must start from the beginning thinking about mechanics compatible with both a keyboard and a gamepad. The result is a game with some limitations on the mechanics, but that results usable in both cases.
Larian Studios, as far as we can observe, he did exactly that type of exercise. Two different interaction models have been studied towards the same mechanics and, honestly, the result lives up to the quality of the game.
What changes between PC and PS5
Actually, if we are to be honest, the short answer is “not very much“.
The game system it’s pretty much identical to what you get using a gamepad in the PC version. So, if you’re really not sure and you have a friend who plays via Steam, ask him to do a test and get rid of any doubts.
In the PC version there have been reports of minor performance issues graphics, especially in the last chapter of the game. Problems hopefully will be resolved shortly with the next update. Those who use the PS5, however, as regards the graphics can choose between quality and performance. By selecting quality you have some great views with a fluctuating framerate tra i 20 e i 60 fps. Opting instead for performance we will get always and in any case 30 fps, with some artifacts in moments of intense action. Artifacts are visible for brief moments and never annoying; so our suggestion is to play using performance mode.
The interface, when playing with a gamepad
Using the gamepad, in practice, we lose the action bar at the bottom. Therefore, we no longer communicate what we want to do with keys but, through R1by accessing a series of pie menus. The sequence of these menus, for consistency, follows the layout of the sections in the vanished bar.
The character selection menu is located on the left edge of the screen and can be opened with L2. From there, we can quickly change the controlled character’s movements.
The other missing elements can be reached with another pie menu accessed with R2. This includes inventories too of the characters. At first glance it seems awkward, but it compensates for that the data of all the characters are then available in a single screen.
The movement, rather than using the mouse in the position to reach, use the left stick. With the right stick, however, we can move the angle of view. We have to admit that this approach seemed simpler and more intuitive to us.
Gamepad interaction mechanics there seemed to be functional well. They are not immediate, but they learn very quickly. If we really have to raise a criticism, we don’t understand why the dialogues should be selected with the left stick and not, as would be more intuitive, with the D-Pad.
Small problems on the audio sector
The PS5 version of Baldur’s Gate has some small bugs manifesting itself here and there. However, never anything compromising the game. But we have found some a bit boring and that we hope will be fixed with the first update. Sometimes, during our tests, the audio would disappear out of the blue. This happened both with headphones hooked to the gamepad and with Pules 3D. Restarting the soundtrack is no problem; Enough unhook and then hang up the device. So if you’re playing with wired headphones, that’s enough pull out and reinsert the jack. Nothing tragic, but in the middle of a fight it’s a little irritating.
Perhaps not everyone knows that…
To a PS5 keyboard and mouse can be connected. If there is one thing that has left us a little perplexed, it is exactly this. If the main problem of strategic RPGs is the limitation imposed by the gamepad and the PS5 gives us the possibility to circumvent it, why not use it? In the same way that the version PC can use a gamepad if availablethe PlayStation version could do the same thing with keyboard and mouse. After all, you don’t have to design anything new.
However, since it is software, we hope that the developers enable this feature with one of the updates arriving.
Baldur’s Gate 3 are PS5; aren’t they worth la pena?
In our opinion definitely yes! If you have a Sony console but not a PC beefy enough to play it, then the PS5 version is it a more than valid option. Game mechanics are meant to be also usable with a gamepad and the gaming experience is much more than acceptable.
There are some small software problems, but nothing that can make us stop wanting to play. Larian Studios allows the save game sharing between PC and console by registering on their site although, sadly, cross-play is not yet supported.