Larian Studios has released a free murder mystery prequel before fans get to fully enjoyBaldur’s Gate 3at the end of August. The gruesome plot is set 15 years before the events ofBaldur’s Gate 3, and it’s up to players to figure out who the murderer is or become the next unfortunate soul on the killer’s list. However, the game is not as simple as it first appears.The history ofBaldur’s Gateis full of twists and turns.The first game was developed by BioWareand Black Isle Studios, releasing back in 1998. Its rules were based on a licensed version ofDungeons & Dragonsand eventually, it spawned sequels titledBaldur’s Gate 2: Shadow of Amnas well asPlanescape: Torment. Black Isle Studios was preparing a third game in 2003, but its publisher, Interplay Entertainment, faced serious financial issues around that time, which led to the development studio shutting down and cancelation of the sequel. Interplay lost the license to D&D in 2008 and Atari took over, which spawned twoNeverwinter Nightsgames.RELATED:Baldur’s Gate 3 Character Voiced by Harry Potter Villain ActorWizards of the Coast acquired TSR, the original publisher of D&D, in 1997. The video game rights returned to them in 2011 after a considerable legal battle with Atari, although Atari retained the rights to still make video games based on the license. Among many contenders, Larian Studios also had its eye on the plannedBaldur’s Gate 3sequel and was granted it by WotC after thepositive reception ofDivinity: Original Sin 2. Now after around 6 years of development, the release is almost here. But in the meantime, Larian is offering a murder mystery for fans to solve, which is set 15 years before the events ofBaldur’s Gate 3. It’s also worth noting that in terms of plot, this sequel has nothing to do with theBaldur’s Gate 3Black Isle was creating.
Anyone can play the game on its dedicated website, but it comes with a twist. The scene of thecrime with its unfortunateBaldur’s Gate 3bard classsuggests there are two possible destinations where the investigation can continue. The next location will be revealed entirely based on player votes, so the weight of whether the investigation will be a success or the detective is doomed to a horrible end by the hands of the killer will rest on the shoulders of the fans themselves.
There seem to be 30 stages to the investigation based on the markers on the bottom of the map and the voting comes in 24-hour windows for each new move. Currently, there are barely 4 hours left to cast a vote for the next location, so any fan who’d like toget involved in thisBaldur’s Gate 3mystery should head to the website.
Baldur’s Gate 3releases August 31 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:Baldur’s Gate 3 Should Heed the Biggest Lesson from Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
