Baldur's Gate 3's dungeon master was almost as vindictive as the DM I had who cackled every time I failed a perception check and fell into a spike pit. This is according to the voice of Baldur's Gate 3's narrator and dungeon master, Amelia Tyler. "The direction I was given was Scar from the Lion King," Tyler said in an interview with TheGamer. "Like, 'I'm enjoying watching you fuck up. This is gonna be great.'"
In the end, the narrator's mean streak was toned down during early access to be less judgmental of the players' choices. "We want it to feel like it's not another person challenging the player," Tyler explains, "it's their voice. I've been a voice in their heads their entire life and I know how they think and am totally on board with whatever choices they make." While admittedly my own inner voice can sometimes sound more like a villain, maybe it was a good decision to only be mean to players when they roll a natural one, "in which case I'll rip the piss out of them mercilessly," Tyler admits. Justified.
If the narrator's looming judgement is still too much for you, maybe Tyler's recording session outtakes can help you centre yourself a little. Even as someone who prefers to enjoy the whole game before seeing how it's made, I couldn't help but be charmed by the wide variety of flubs and asides. Hearing the DM you're trying to impress say "Gale's magic flute is ready to be played" does make them feel a little less intimidating.
Whether it's romancing a party member, debating a flying cat, or kicking a squirrel (you didn't, did you?), I found Tyler's voice was the perfect accompaniment. After playing the game for a while my own inner monologue voice struggled to live up to the standard she had set. Does anyone else also want Tyler to be the voice of their inner thoughts? No? Just me? I really think my fierce mental debate about which cereal to eat each morning would be much more cinematic if voiced by a professional.
