The narrator of Baldur's Gate 3 was almost really, really mean

Baldur's Gate 3 goes to great lengths to capture the essence of playing Dungeons & Dragons, and much of that is owed to its storytelling. No matter what decision you make, Amelia Tyler's voice guides you through every natural 20 and critical failure. And while her voice carries a lot of emotion, she remains - for the most part - a fairly neutral observer. With a few exceptions, of course.

However, it could have been very different. In a conversation with Jade King, the senior features editor at TheGamer, Tyler admits that her previous approach to the narrator was much meaner. Tyler describes the old narrator as "enjoying seeing you fail" and says that this interpretation was based on Scar from the movie The Lion King before it was dropped during the Early Access phase.

"The Early Access version was more of an outsider, Dungeon Master perspective," says Tyler. "The instruction I was given was, Scar from The Lion King, kind of like 'I enjoy seeing you fail. It will be great.'"

As entertaining as this may sound, it was decided that the cruelty throughout an entire campaign would have been too much. Tyler believes that it would have been "exhausting" for the players as well, taking away their enjoyment.

"After the early access, we reconsidered the whole thing and decided that the Dungeon Master should convey the feeling that it's not another person challenging the player, but rather their voice," Tyler explains. "I am a voice in their head throughout their whole life, and I know how they think and completely agree with all the decisions they make."

However, there are still limits to this tone: "Except when they roll a one, then I will mercilessly mess with them."

In the final game, Tyler's voice certainly cannot be described as emotionless; he is definitely with us on the journey. Sometimes, a bit of judgment even sneaks in, but mostly when we deserve it. And let's be honest, that's the case most of the time.

Keep an eye out tomorrow for Jade's full conversation with Amelia Tyler, where she explains her incredibly intense performance as the narrator of Baldur's Gate 3.

However, despite Tyler's occasionally judgmental tone, not every disaster in Baldur's Gate 3 is our fault, especially when it comes to romantic matters. Larian CEO Swen Vincke admitted that the characters were too pushy at release due to a bug that triggered their romance paths without the player actively pursuing them. This was particularly problematic for Gale, who would fall head over heels for players who merely breathed in his general direction. Poor guy.