Of Baldur’s Gate 3 being developed by Larian instead of BioWare, fans expect changes to the gameplay and presentation of the highly anticipated sequel, but the new game deserves the return of the best joke of the BioWare-produced Baldur’s Gate titles. In the first two Baldur’s Gate games allow many key NPCs to be killed by the player, unlike modern games that often prohibit that kind of action. To prevent this from affecting the flow of the story, a hilarious NPC called Biff the Understudy would step in to provide the dialogue of those murdered characters. Baldur’s Gate 2 integrated the prank character into the game’s story, as it featured a sequence where Biff replaces the usual actor in a play and messes up most of his lines. Some argue early access ruins games before they’re officially released, but early access does too Baldur’s Gate 3 time to bring back Biff the Understudy.
In addition to the humor of seeing the return of Biff the Understudy, it opens the door to more player choice in how they approach the game. Willfully killing NPCs may be a silly way for players to enjoy themselves in a game with an epic story, but it does add to the sense of freedom that an RPG can provide. Like failing a pickpocket check, killing a Baldur’s Gate citizen often openly exclaimed the wrath of the Flaming Fist mercenary. Elder Scrolls games generally allow this, with a bounty placed on the player’s head in response. Even the modern games that allow for this kind of rampant character assassination imbue characters central to the plot with invincibility. If a character has to speak the dialogue in a future movie scene, they usually can’t die earlier in the game.
Most video games mirror Choose your own adventure books in their format, where there are predetermined branching paths, but not really unlimited freedom. The desire for freedom in gameplay sometimes clashes with the ability to tell a cohesive story, something that is central to the RPG experience for most genre fans. Biff the Understudy provided an excellent compromise between these two discs in game design. Players could aim and kill most Baldur’s Gate NPCs, and if they were needed for an exposition later, Biff could show up to deliver their dialogue. However, not every NPC can be killed, so alas, Baldur’s Gates boss Sarevok would never be replaced by Biff with a menacing horned helmet.
Some jokes have aged badly, but Baldur’s Gate’s Biff The Understudy is timeless
Whether this added to immersion is debatable. NPCs that can’t be attacked by players can harm the truth, but so do the sequences where Biff appears to simply deliver a dead person. It was without a doubt a uniquely memorable joke for the franchise. D&D missing a Baldur’s Gate 3 chance by no longer promoting the RPG roots on the tabletop, but Baldur’s Gate 3 itself is missing one of the most iconic jokes in the series, by omitting Biff. Some game humor is a product of its time, as many jokes from other games from the same era can now only be enjoyed ironically. The idea of an understudy actor, who is an understudy to reality itself, showing up to deliver important lines from people the player thoughtlessly murdered remains as funny as ever.
Enterprising players could manipulate scenarios where multiple NPCs talking in a scene were killed, causing Biff the Understudy lookalikes to talk to each other. Others went a step further and found ways to recruit Biff to the party. This was a terrible idea, tactically, considering Biff the Understudy had a pitiful 9 in every stat, but the fact that it was possible at all showed the breadth of freedom (and whimsy) in BioWare’s classic game design.
When Baldur’s Gate 3 announced the Bard class, it was cause for celebration as Bards are among the most powerful classes in 5th D&D, the ruleset Baldur’s Gate 3 has accepted. However, a very important bard is still missing and for some veteran players the show cannot go on without Biff the Understudy waiting behind the curtain. Even if he only has a symbolic appearance as an Easter egg, Biff the Understudy deserves a return to the podium in Baldur’s Gate 3.
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