Even experienced game developers rarely find a game they consider perfect. Most can point to at least one feature they would have changed or improved. However, Arkane Studios co-founder and former president Raphaël Colantonio says one recent RPG left him with almost nothing to criticize – Baldur’s Gate 3.

During an interview with PC Gamer, Colantonio revealed that Baldur’s Gate 3 was the last game he played where he genuinely “liked everything” about it. While discussing his recent gaming experiences, he explained that he had just finished playing Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time. Although he praised many aspects of CD Projekt Red’s RPG, he also pointed out several things that prevented it from reaching that same level in his eyes.

Baldur’s Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 among those namedropped

Colantonio said he was impressed by Cyberpunk 2077’s production quality, describing its visuals, cinematics, and overall direction as excellent. He also praised Night City’s scale and the feeling of exploring a living world. According to him, the game delivers a polished experience, and he enjoyed discovering some of its deeper gameplay systems and character builds.

However, he admitted it took several hours before he felt his decisions actually mattered. Early on, he believed many dialogue options only gave players the illusion of choice without creating meaningful consequences. While he acknowledged that the game eventually opens up more, he felt its massive scope forced the developers to make compromises compared to games like Deus Ex, which inspired some of its design.

“It’s just that because I’m such an old gamer and so picky, that it’s very hard for me to like everything about a game. I would say the last time I liked everything about a game was probably Baldur’s Gate 3. There’s just nothing I can say here. Like, just nothing.”

Raphaël Colantonio, President and Creative Director of WolfEye Studios, co-founder and former president of Arkane Studios, via PC Gamer

Baldur’s Gate 3 currently has an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam with over 445,000 reviews. The game has been widely praised for its incredible character writing, in-depth story, combat, and much more. Not to mention the dedicated modding community, with Path to Menzobarranzan being one to keep an eye on.

The interview also touched on some of his all-time favorite games. He named classics like Thief, Fallout, and Deus Ex as titles that had a major influence on him throughout his career. In particular, he explained that Thief’s immersive stealth mechanics, dynamic rope arrows, and advanced sound propagation system inspired several ideas that later found their way into Arkane’s Dishonored series.

Colantonio also revealed that, according to his Steam account, his most-played game is Wasteland 2, where he has logged around 649 hours. He said he spent much of that time playing it while developing Prey, noting that its Fallout-inspired gameplay kept him coming back for hundreds of hours.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.