Baldur's Gate features 21 seperate 3D animated cinematic cutscenes. There are an opening and an ending cinematic, 14 area introduction cinematics and five additional cinematics for various purposes. Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast added two extra area introductions. They were all created with Interplay's own MVE program.[1]
A list of the entire series' cinematics can be found here.
Opening[]
The opening cinematic starts with a famous quote by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche:
| “ | He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster...when you gaze into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you... | ” |
It is then followed by a tracking shot up the Iron Throne Headquarters at moonlit night and cuts to the roof where a nameless Bhaalspawn in a suit of armor and a horned helmet hastily limps out of the door and trips over. He is followed by Sarevok, who breaks down the door and steps out on the roof with a menacing laugh and the says:
| “ | I will be the last and you will go first. | ” |
The nameless Bhaalspawn backs away towards the ledge while stammering:
| “ | There are others! I can show you! Please! Please! | ” |
Sarevok then punches the man in the face, knocking off his helmet. He picks him up by the neck and rams him through the handrails, dangling him over the edge while strangling him so hard that it breaks his neck. After the man let's out his dying breath, he drops him while chuckling deeply and we see the nameless Bhaalspawn fall all the way down. His corpse crashes into the ground and his blood starts to flow onto the cobblestone street. Orchestral music starts playing and the Baldur's Gate logo appears.
All throughout the cinematic lightning and thunder strikes can be seen seen and heard, even though there is not a single cloud in the sky.
Baldur's Gate - Opening
Area Introductions[]
The game comes originally with 14 different cinematics that are played when the player first enters in the designated area. They tell little to no narrative and feature no dialogues. The areas included are the Friendly Arm Inn, Beregost, Nashkel , the Gnoll Stronghold, the Bandit Camp, the Cloakwood Forest, East Baldur's Gate, the Iron Throne Headquarters, the inside of Candlekeep, the Ducal Palace, the Ducal Palace basement, the Undercity and the Temple of Bhaal.
Baldur's Gate - Friendly Arm Inn
Baldur's Gate - Beregost
Baldur's Gate - Nashkel
Baldur's Gate - Gnoll Fortress
Baldur's Gate - Bandit Camp
Baldur's Gate - Cloakwood Forest
Baldur's Gate - The City
Baldur's Gate - Iron Throne
Baldur's Gate - Candlekeep
Baldur's Gate - Ducal Palace
Baldur's Gate - Ducal Palace Basement
Baldur's Gate - Undercity
Baldur's Gate - Temple of Bhaal
Unused[]
The code also includes a cinematic for the Elfsong Tavern, but it remains unused.
Baldur's Gate - Elfsong Tavern
Tales of the Sword Coast[]
Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast added two extra cinematics, one for outer area of Durlag's Tower and one for the nothern part of Lycanthrope Island.
Baldur's Gate Tales of the Sword Coast - Durlag's Tower
Baldur's Gate Tales of the Sword Coast - Ship Wreck
Additional Cutscenes[]
There are five different cinematics for different purposes.
Flooding the Cloakwood Mines[]
This cutscene plays when the player pulls the plug on the top level of the Cloakwood Mines.
Baldur's Gate - Flooded Mines
Sunrise/ Sunset in Baldur's Gate[]
These cutscenes play when the player is in an outside area in the city of Baldur's Gate at either 6am or 6pm in-game time.
Baldur's Gate - Sunrise
Baldur's Gate - Sunset
Resting[]
This cutscene plays when the player rests.
Baldur's Gate - Resting
Game Over[]
The cutscene plays if the protagonist dies. It shows that they turn to dust immediatly upon dying.
Baldur's Gate - Game Over
Ending[]
The cinematic shows Sarevok laying dead on the floor in the center of the the Temple of Bhaal, right in the middle of the Bhaal symbol. He then turns into golden dust, his armor included, which then flies into a corner of the room, seeping through a crack in the floor. The camera goes down the crevice fast and the image fades to white. After that the golden dust drips onto a stone statue of Sarevok, followed by it crumbling and falling apart. The camera zooms out, showing an enormous, cylindrical room filled with countless of statues of unknown Bhaalspawn, and then swings downwoards, revealing a large orange Bhaal symbol at the very bottom of the hall.
Baldur's Gate - Ending