Baldur’s Gate 3 is pretty much the de facto modern CRPG, although there are plenty of other modern games in the genre that are also fantastic experiences. (Pathfinder, anyone?) One modern CRPG series is Solasta 2, Tactical Adventures’ upcoming early access game.
The original Solasta released shortly after Baldur’s Gate 3 hit early access, and even then the game couldn’t help but draw comparisons to Larian’s game. “I guess that from the start, we’ve tried to show our differences, but everyone is comparing us to BG3,” CEO Mathieu Girard told Eurogamer in a recent interview.
Girard isn’t telling anyone that Solasta 2 is exactly like Baldur’s Gate 3, although as a turn-based CRPG using D&D’s 5th Edition ruleset there are obvious similarities. “I think we are different and it’s going to feel it when you play the game,” the CEO continued. “Obviously, it’s a huge team [Larian’s], and they have a narrative depth for example that we cannot have, but our combat is very interesting and deep and gritty [with] lots of possibilities”.
While constant comparisons to Larian’s game might become grating for some, the team working on Solasta 2 are huge fans of Larian’s work. As a team around 10 times smaller than the size of Larian during BG3’s development, nearly everyone working on the new CRPG has played Baldur’s Gate 3 as the CEO purchased a copy of the game for every developer.
“We absolutely love the game as well,” the CEO said. “But we’re two different beasts, and we just want to make sure that people understand the scope of Solasta 2 and have the right level of expectation around it.”
As a game that may look a bit like Baldur’s Gate 3 and definitely plays a bit like Larian’s sweeping RPG, keeping those expectations in check is a must, especially with an early access release. Solasta 2 likely has more BG3 flavour in it compared to its predecessor, it even shares a couple of voice actors, but they are different takes on the same genre.
Girard explained that “both games can coexist next to each other”, adding that “Baldur’s Gate 3 has created maybe an appetite for such games, so people may want to have more, and in that field we can cover it.” This isn’t the first time we’ve heard this from rival CRPG developers with Owlcat’s Anton Emelyanov explaining that BG3 has illuminated the genre for many players.
“Major successes in the genre reaffirm that there is a large audience for deep, story-driven CRPGs,” Emelyanov told us. “They don’t change our direction, but they strengthen our confidence that investing in complex systems and narrative depth is worthwhile. It’s motivating to see the genre thrive. We’re also very glad that BG3 and our games have rekindled many players’ love for CRPGs and introduced the genre to entirely new audiences.”
Nevertheless, for fans who did enjoy Baldur’s Gate 3, it might be worth giving Solasta 2 a shot when it enters early access on March 12. As a much smaller project than Larian’s game, it also comes with a smaller price tag, and there’s also a free demo to try for anyone who’s curious.
