Earlier this year modder lizardphunk released the first installment of their ambitious custom Baldur's Gate 3 campaign, ADOS ReVamped, adapting the award-winning text-based adventure game A Dream of Silence, in which Tav enters Astarion's mind to free him from the clutches of his own worst nightmares.
I won't reveal too much about the story, but there's a reason why this text adventure is famous among fans. It's a heart-wrenching insight into the Pale Elf's beginnings, his own painful memories used against him by Bastella to once again imprison him in that dilapidated dungeon with only rats for company.
lizardphunk took a story written by Abigail Corfman, which effortlessly captures the sharp wit of Larian's own writing, and brought it to life in Baldur's Gate 3 itself, adapting Astarion's nightmares with haunting dream visuals while using the game's dialogue mechanics instead of a text-adventure format.
There's no shortage of voice acting, as lizardphunk vehemently opposes the use of artificial intelligence to mimic the brilliantly executed accompanying dialogue.
Act 1 was released in August and is available for download here; and it's worth trying for yourself. But it won't be long before the ReVamped story continues, as lizardphunk announced on Reddit yesterday that Act 2 beta testing will begin in December.
“Act 2 adds 1-2 hours of gameplay to ADOS,” they explained. “But you can make a lot more branching decisions than in Act 1, and if you want to see everything, you'll definitely spend more time […] Act 2 is not far from beta testing, and since the story is more complex, I plan to do it in two rounds.”
What to expect from ADOS ReVamped Act 2
While Act 1 is primarily a text-based adventure game, lizardphunk has much bigger ambitions for the next chapter of his own campaign thanks to his ever-improving modding skills and abilities. They tease that we can expect battles and experience points, loot and weapons, a more interactive environment, the introduction of “His Attention” and the ability to plan your own escape.
They also teased an enhanced version of Act 1.
Corfman's text adventure Dream of Silence is split into three different acts, and lizardphunk plans to follow it to the letter, so this isn't the end of Astarion's story. In fact, lizardphunk hints that there are some “mysterious items you might want to keep on hand” in the next chapter, so expect plenty more of Astarion's story to be revealed in the coming year.
If you're interested in the mod and want to help out, lizardphunk is currently recruiting beta testers and has encouraged fans to get in touch.
- Released
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August 3, 2023
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and gore, partial nudity, sexual content, strong language, violence
- Engine
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Divinity 4.0
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-platform play
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Full cross platform game.
