Credit to Google
Baldur’s Gate 3 is without a doubt, one of the best RPG games ever made. It is a role-playing adventure, filled with great world building, well developed characters that all fans will cherish, (especially the romances between the custom character and your partner of choice) fun gameplay, and a fantastic medieval story that is center focused through Dungeons & Dragons.
I am one of these fans, who adores this game to death.
I’ve played many games throughout my life; Dragon Age Inquisition was the second game to captivate my heart and soul. I didn’t think another game could bring back the magic I felt with playing Dragon Age, until I came across Baldur’s Gate 3. Like the majority of fans, I only wanted the game for a couple of reasons, the story, the fun fact that it was local coop, and the vampire that captured me, Astarion, voiced by the lovely Neil Newborn.
Astarion’s character became my favorite from the get-go, his mannerisms, his facial expressions as he acknowledged other characters with his sultry voice, his fighting capabilities, his ‘thirst’ to enact violence, and the main reason, I heard his romance was written so beautifully; that fans couldn’t get enough of him.
Despite all of these reasons, I really got into the character as I continued my journey with my party, consisting of my sister’s custom character, my character, and the two characters we were interested in romancing: Astarion and Gale. As we continued playing the game, I slowly realized that Astarion’s character followed all the horror tropes of an old school vampire, and oh boy, his story is a tragic one.
1. Astarion Has a Huge Thirst for Blood, and Feeds on Animals to Sustain His Hunger.
In the beginning of the game, if you slowly develop a friendship or romance with Astarion, he will reveal to you that he is a vampire. He reveals that he feeds on animals to keep his hunger under control, but he expresses his need for human blood to the custom character, to bring his power back to its full potential. Sort of like Dracula, Astarion needs to do everything that he can to feed, so his last resort is innocent creatures.
I was so happy that the game didn’t hesitate with his introduction, I expected the ‘pretty boy,’ like the stupid ones from Twilight to be just the picture-perfect vampire that all the fangirls will love, but instead I was greeted with realism, a vampire who is willing to drink animals dry to satisfy his thirst.
2. Astarion Briefly Mentions He Doesn’t Need to Worry About the Old School Rules of A Vampire…Yet.
There is one quick mention in the game, when the custom character is slowly beginning something special with Astarion: the rules of vampires. He quickly says while camping or preparing for a long rest for the party, that he doesn’t need to worry about the sunlight or being invited into someone’s home, due to his old master having control over him.
I was not expecting this to be included in the game either, it’s such an old vampire horror trope, and I was so glad that the developers included this too. Vampires are supposed to be afraid of the sun and need an invitation into your home just like that of Dracula’s character. Picturing Astarion experiencing this shit in his past sounds like such a hard life for an immortal creature to deal with.
3. Astarion’s Past Life with his Master Resembles that of Jonathan Harker and Dracula
Probably the best part of his storyline, his confrontation with his old master Cazador. Astarion opens up about the abuse he went through with his old master, and how he dreamed of torturing him to death. This reminded me so much of Jonathan Harker and Dracula, Harker is forced into a sort of cat and mouse dynamic with Dracula, a terrible fate of corruption and hatred.
Just like Harker, Astarion becomes a slave to Cazador/Dracula, a monster that will never let him go, keeping him under his control until the very end. I will admit, I did enjoy watching Astarion beat the shit out of Cazador, the buildup was worth the pay off, after one of the hardest fights in the entirety of the game. I don’t really want to go into detail of what Astarion experienced at the hands of his master but keeping someone alive under your control for 200 years…can definitely lead to a lot of ideas to inflict the worst pain on someone. Brutal shit, let me tell you.
4. It Takes A Stake to Kill A Vampire
I was very surprised to discover that during the scene where he is drinking the main protagonist’s blood, there is the option to stake him through the heart, instantly killing him. Vampires go down with the only kill that can take them down, a stake through the chest. I was given this option the first time I played the game, and I didn’t dare pick that one at all. Whoever chose to kill him is just a plain monster, imagine going through so much suffering just to die like that. Such a bullshit way to go.
5. Cazador is Seen Briefly in a Coffin Before Astarion Proceeds to Kill Him
Credit to Google
I mean, shouldn’t I be shocked at this point? The game quickly showed Cazador trying to regain his strength by going back to sleep in his coffin. Just like Dracula. Astarion then interrupts him his sleep by massacring his ass. Good for him.
6. Astarion Does Not Have A Reflection
I’m so mad I missed this cutscene in Act 1. Apparently, this game had a quick scene of Astarion expressing his disappointment that he doesn’t have a reflection and doesn’t really remember what he looks like anymore. Another old trait of a vampire, and I love that the player is able to describe to him what he looks like. I think it’s so sad that he will never get the chance to see how handsome he actually is no longer. He’s a catch for the majority of players out there.
7. Astarion Shows a Bit of His Humanity After Killing Cazador
Baldur’s Gate 3 has a lot of emotional moments, but the one that got me bad was after Astarion killed Cazador. I expected Astarion to let out a piercing scream of anger, (since vampires tend to do that in a lot of films), but instead I witnessed a scene that made me cry. Astarion falls to his knees, sobbing after killing his former master, letting out all the pain he endured in those 200 years. Getting a peek into his humanity was the icing on the cake, and my love for the character increased forever more.
8. Astarion Shows His Old Grave in the Act 3 Romance Sequence
In Act 3, Astarion shows the main character his grave, that he dug out of after becoming back reborn as a vampire. I adored this scene like you cannot believe, never have I ever seen any form of media pull off a scene as depressing as this. Imagine coming back to your own grave, as a new person who is no longer human. It’s a horrible new form of horror no one should ever go through.
I was so grateful to see Astarion receive the closure he needed, despite the heavy content behind this, he was able to move forward with his life, knowing the consequences of staying with the main character, for he will never grow old, while his new love will grow old. Sad shit, but it’s the closest he will get to a happy ending.
9. Astarion’s Character Design Screams “I’m A Vampire”
Do I need to go into detail for this? Vampires are supposed to be deadly creatures with an attractiveness to them. Astarion’s voice already sells him, his white hair remains a mystery with how old he was when he first turned, (or it could just be how the developers designed him), and a great detail I’m glad the writers added to his character, the obvious bite marks on the sides of his neck.
Also, his eyes glow red if the player chooses the bad ending for Astarion. Obviously, all this means that he is the total definition of what a vampire is supposed to look like. The closest old school that we will get to the vampire that started it all: Dracula.
The only horror trope that isn’t followed is Astarion being able to turn his love into a vampire. He can turn you if he ascends, taking the place of his old master. I would not recommend this ending, it strongly implies that he will become the new abuser, using his power for evil instead of good. His love will be forced into this new relationship, and if you try to leave him, he vows to hunt you down, for you are his pet. You will live in fear under his control, just like the old Astarion that your character used to love.
Sounds romantic, doesn’t it?
As you can see, I love Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s a great game that everyone needs to experience at least once in their lives. Even though it is a tale in medieval times, I liked how the developers juggled the old horror tropes of Astarion’s character. They managed to turn Dracula’s old story into their own, creating a huge fan favorite, sassy character for the fans. If you’re looking for a great horror tale, romance Astarion. You will go on one of the wildest rides of your life, in the best way of course!
Thank you for reading!
Emy Quinn
Comments
Post a Comment