Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

Story

Some time after the events described in Baldur's Gate, the protagonist and his friends Imoen, Minsc and Jaheira were captured by an elven mage named Jon Irenicus. His intentions and connection to the heroes are unknown. Irenicus performs experiments on them and keeps them imprisoned in cages somewhere in his vast underground complex. During his absence, the heroes manage to escape and soon find themselves in the city of Athkatla in the land of Amn, where they confront Irenicus. However, at that moment several wizards arrive and arrest both Irenicus and Imoen for unauthorized use of magic. The first task is to find the money to rescue Imoen, before confronting Irenicus again and revealing his true goals. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a group-based role-playing game that uses the AD&D rules. The basic gameplay is similar to its predecessor: the player controls a party of up to six active fighters through isometric environments, converses with non-playable characters through branching dialogues, and fights enemies in real-time with free movement that can be paused to give characters specific commands. Traveling in the world is now done by selecting locations on a map, rather than exploring wilderness areas to reach the destination. The game world is larger than in the previous game, however, and there are more individual locations to visit and side quests to complete. Since it is a direct sequel to Baldur's Gate, the player can control stronger, higher-level characters from the beginning. The main character can also be imported from the predecessor. Three new classes (Wizard, Monk and Barbarian) are available, in addition to those that were already present in the original game. In most classes, characters can also acquire specializations: for example, a paladin can become a dragon slayer or an inquisitor. The weapon skills are more specific: instead of specializing only in blades, the player can choose between the longsword, two-handed sword, bastard sword, katana and scimitar skills, for example. In the sequel there are many new types of weapons, armor and spells. Sixteen characters can join the party in the course of the story. Each of them has their own motivations, which sometimes conflict with those of the other characters. Scripted events and interaction with playable and non-playable characters have been noticeably expanded in the sequel. The main character can also romance some of the companions by choosing the right behavior and lines of dialogue. The game allows the player to make many moral decisions and pursue character-specific side quests that have nothing to do with the main story. Many of the companions bring their own quests, and for the main character there are unique tasks depending on the class.