If you’ve played an American RPG on your PC or console in the last fifteen years, odds are pretty good that it was Baldur’s Gate or one of its sequels. The original game came from BioWare, of Mass Effect fame, and went on to define its genre for much of the 2000s. Indie publisher Beamdog recently told an inquisitive player that they were considering bringing the RPG series to Android, after recently announcing Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition for the iPad.
For the uninitiated, Baldur’s Gate was an attempt to bring the Forgotten Realms tabletop role-playing game (based on Dungeons and Dragons) to the world of video games. Instead of turn-based combat, it relies on a real-time combat system that can be paused at any time. The overhead isometric viewpoint is designed to allow for fantasy settings and elements while keeping the traditional token-based perspective of tabletop gaming. Incidentally, it would also be pretty awesome for a tablet. Think of it as a more structured, paced version of Diablo.
This is a long way from a confirmation, but an Android version seems like a natural progression for the small developer. The interface probably wouldn’t lend itself towards play on a smartphone (not without some serious work, anyway) but some of the larger Android phones might be able to handle it. The iPad app is scheduled for release this summer, so at the very earliest it would be late fall before Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition might make it to Android. A good way to bring it a little faster might be contacting the developer and distributor (overhaul@beamdog.com) and telling them how much you want it.
[via DroidGamers]
does the ipad version include multiplayer?