How ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ Shaped The ‘Stranger Things’ Series Finale
Spoilers ahead, but, did you know that D&D’s golden child, Baldur’s Gate 3 was a direct inspiration for the Stranger Things finale?
D&D and Stranger Things have a helical influence on each other. Stranger Things, with its homage to all things 80s, captured the D&D vibes of the time so all. A bunch of misfits playing out campaigns in a literal basement is about as iconic as it gets. That, in turn, helped feed the rise of 5E, measurably so. And out of the rise of 5E comes the cRPG masterpiece, Baldur’s Gate 3. Said masterpiece, it turns out, directly shaped the finale of Stranger Things.
It’s D&D recursing on itself again and again. But, that’s part of the beauty of it all.
Baldur’s Gate 3 And Stranger Things – Turns Out Everyone Was Playing It
Little wonder that it took them so long to finish Stranger Things if the Duffer brothers were trying to get through Baldur’s Gate 3. I mean, it took me almost two weeks to get out of Act 1, and that only after spending a whole day trying to create the perfect character. I mean, this is a game where players spent a combined 8,196 years in character creation.
Kidding, of course, showrunners and other creators are more than allowed to take some time to play games. Except for maybe George RR Martin and Patrick Rothfuss. And perhaps we should be glad they did, because as Variety discovered in an interview with the Duffer brothers, it was the finale of Baldur’s Gate 3 that proved most influential on the end of Stranger Things. Be warned. HEAVY spoilers in that link.
There are mild spoilers ahead. So if you don’t want to know ANYTHING MORE about the finale, don’t scroll past this picture of the Netherbrain.
Alright, you’ve been warned. Here’s what Matthew Duffer had to say about BG3’s role in the end of Stranger Things:
“We were thinking about D&D, and I was playing Baldur’s Gate 3 at the time, and we felt it was very important that the only way for them to defeat it was for the entire party to work together. Everyone had fully realized — either through self-acceptance or they’ve resolved all their various issues — moving into that final battle, they’re absolutely primed. They’re the ultimate team, and it’s the party working all together to defeat this thing. And they each have their own individual skills, right? And that’s where I go back to Dungeons & Dragons, and something like Baldur’s Gate. Because that’s how you take down these monsters that seem otherwise unstoppable. Lots of video game references were applied to that final battle.”
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Not just Baldur’s Gate 3, but “lots of video game references.” How many did you spot in the finale? I’m sure someone, somewhere, is putting together a 27:38 video compilation of all the references so you can watch a supercut of all of them.
In the meantime, since Baldur’s Gate 3 was mentioned, it’s probably time to go ahead and start another playthrough.
Closest thing to the finale, I guess, if you haven’t yet seen the show!
