An 11-minute preview of the full-release character creator for Baldur's Gate 3 recently fell into the collective lap of the Internet courtesy of Kotaku, along with an interview with lead character artist Alena Dubrovina.

The preview itself unfortunately doesn't showcase much in the way of detailed features such as races and classes. We did, however, get to see a flashy class selection animation. The Druid conjures up a line of wind, while the Fighter shows off a bit of footwork. My personal favorite is the rogue, who rolls coins through his fingers as if he's learned a new party trick.

We also got to see more of the Dragonborn type announced in a community post earlier this month. Yes, this is something that has been controversial in the TTRPG community for some reason: the PHB says "no wings and no tail," but most players have rightfully ignored that sage advice.

The juicer detail comes from an interview with Dubrovina: Larian Studios is naturally invested in the identity of its players, and it provides that in the form of genitalia that are not limited by body type. The option to customize the parts of a brave hero is not new information, as the "panel from hell" showcase had a tab displayed but not explored. What is new, however, is the news that a character's genitals have absolutely nothing to do with their body shape or voice. What happens when they take [their underwear] off? ...... At first, I thought, 'Maybe nothing happens. Maybe there is another mesh of underwear under there. But as I thought about it and talked about it, I realized that for some players, it's another way to express their identity." Options for the penis and vulva, with or without pubic hair, are also available. The article also mentions that there are species-specific options based on the dragonborn's biology.

The disconnect between gender expression and body type also extends to the game's voices and pronouns. As revealed in "Panels from Hell," there are no longer gender symbols to indicate body type. In addition, pronouns can be male, female, or non-binary, and character voices are not tied to either choice. There is also an option to hide nudity, if you are not particular about your character's particulars or if you intend to stream the game.

From where I sit, this means there is more customization, more types of players feel seen and can turn off if they don't care and everyone wins. However, while I myself am eager to get stuck in, I do have a small complaint.

The creators seem inclusive enough, but for a game like this, I wanted proper sliders, not preset templates for body types and facial features. For example, many of the facial options for the more masculine body type half-orc were not always pretty.

Furthermore, if the goal is to achieve a broader range of expression, I am not sure that four variations of muscular or androgynous body types can really accomplish that. Still, multiclassing and having 22 subclasses to choose from will keep me experimenting for weeks, and when Baldur'sGate3 hits PCs on August 3,