This is the best videogame I have played in decades. I feel like I curled up with a great book for 281 hours while binge-watching an epic series, all while playing a game that felt challenging but also super rewarding. The storytelling is amazing! There is actual character development, and things don't always go the way you expect they will when you start off.

Things you experience in the first act come back around way later (in my case over 100 hours later) and your choices MATTER. Playing this at the same time as a lot of my friends (and activity feed) was especially fun because everyone had a totally different experience, which means that there is solid replay value here. {I am already planning my next-- and the next after that -- playthrough!)

It's not 100% perfect, the UI and particularly inventory and party management systems could be less cumbersome (and if Larian doesn't take care of that, I am sure the modding community will) but it is damn close! With years in early access, the first act has clearly been tested much more than what follows, and there are some buggy experiences. But, wow, what experiences they are! This game is so dense in Act 3 that it almost is a little overwhelming.

Baldur's Gate 3 IS the most polished game I've played in ages, and for once I don't feel like I bought half a game and will be buying the rest of the game later, one dlc at a time.