‘Pokémon Picker’ Nails Why This Bard Tune in ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ Sounds So Familiar
Although many associate Twitch with gaming and its “just chatting” broadcasts, there are a lot of musicians on the platform. The community largely started with copyright-free music bot channels and EDM live events. Now, you can find people playing the French horn, performing karaoke, and participating in a number of musical activities. Known as the ‘Pokémon Picker’ (for playing his guitar strings with Pokémon playing cards), streamer PJ Cruz often combines his love for video games and music when going live on Twitch. Like many at TMS, Cruz is trying to balance Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) fever with other responsibilities. Naturally, Cruz has chosen to tackle this by livestreaming his questing as a bard. And he recently made an illuminating discovery.
BG3 players notice pretty early on that instruments are scattered across the world. Since the game’s release, this includes a hand drum in addition to a lute, a harp, a flute, and a violin. While bards are naturally able to play these instruments and pass Charisma checks, any player can pick up the skill by helping Alfira or choosing the musical instrument proficiency at level 3 or higher. As a bard from the jump, Cruz quickly tried out the handful of songs available. These include “Of Divinity & Sin,” “The Queen’s High Seas,” “Bard Dance,” “Old Time Battles,” “The Power,” and “Sing For Me.” With the latter, he realized the song sounds very familiar.
@pjcruzmusic Bards have little ditties in BG3 and this one sounded like a popular 90s hit ? #baldursgate3 #bg3 #bard ♬ original sound – PJ Cruz
Yep, this sounds like an acoustic version of Tonic’s 1996 hit song “If You Could Only See.” A song that, alongside “Push” and “Wonderwall,” has Kens in a chokehold! After hearing this, Cruz attempted to place a finger on another track, but couldn’t quite name it. When you put a party of performers together, the song loses its ’90s sound. Instead, “Sing For Me” more closely resembles the fantasy setting. Big fans of Larian Studios (the makers of BG3) will probably recognize it if the other in-game clues didn’t make it obvious.
Divinity: Original Sin II homage
After nearly going bankrupt and having to make a Kickstarter to finish the game, Larian Studios released Divinity: Original Sin II (DOS) in 2017. This game put them on the map and is widely considered one of the best RPGs in video game history. It’s also the game that gave Wizards of the Coast the confidence to allow the indie studio to handle the Dungeons & Dragons IP for a third Baldur’s Gate game. So it’s no surprise that BG3 pays homage to DOS throughout the game even though it’s not a part of D&D canon. Many playable songs in BG3, including “Sing For Me,” are featured in DOS.
Without spoiling too much about DOS: essentially, you meet this bard named Lohse at the start of the game. After her source (magic) activates at a concert, the main villains capture her. Lohse serves as a companion for your character for most of the game. If you decide to help her in her own quest, she performs this very song. BG3 and DOS composer Borislav “Bobby” Slavov scored the whole game beautifully, but it’s Tamaryn Payne that really brings it home.
(via TikTok @PJCruzMusic, featured image: Larian Studios)
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