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Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t seem like it would smoothly translate to console, given all of its intricacies. However, according to Larian Studios, the complex RPG was made for PS5 since “day one.”
The Baldur’s Gate 3 PS5 port has a few exclusive features
As noted by a post on the PlayStation Blog, product manager Emily Gera said it was “been built for PS5 from day one” and talked about how the team went about adapting it all to a controller. Radial menus, as is often the case with kinds of ports, played a big role, and players can even customize these menus to better suit their needs.
“We took its interface and streamlined it, turning our original UI into radial menus which felt more intuitive to use with a controller,” said Gera. “Your most essential tools can be accessed at the pull of a trigger button, which brings up a large radial for access to your map, journal, spellbook, character sheet, combat log, alchemy, short rests, long rests, and your camp, as well as your level-up screen and Illithid Powers skill tree.”
Game director Swen Vincke also told PlayStation Access that the studio “completely transformed” the user experience for the port and worked on it for a long time so it would function well with a pad. He also said it was working out quite well, judging by the comments from PC players who have been using a controller.
Players also control their avatar directly with the analog like a standard third-person game, but there is also a point-and-click mode for those who want to emulate how movement works on PC. Vincke even noted that the studio dropped the camera lower for this port, which “feels really natural” since it more closely resembles other console action games. It can also be zoomed out with the right stick for a more traditional tactical view.
PS5 users will even get a few exclusive features, albeit small ones. The DualSense lightbar will light up and correspond with the spell that’s being cast. The brightness will also intensify “during moments of heightened pressure,” which will be accompanied by haptic feedback. Status effects will also have their own DualSense lightbar colors. The adaptive triggers seem to have more gameplay relevance, as a slight pull will show just a bit of the radial menus, while a harder press will reveal more of it.