Even in a fantasy world, the short kings, queens, and monarchs in non-binary finery among us don't get the treatment they deserve. This time, the injustice is taking place in Baldur's Gate 3, and it's perhaps the worst violation yet of the rights and dignity of our comrades of diminished stature: They can't kiss Karlach, the game's resident hot Tiefling girlfriend.
Spotted by Kotaku, it seems that Faerûn's gnomes and halflings—a hobbit by any other name that remains as short—are running into a little difficulty when it comes to romancing Baldur's Gate 3's big red one. A tweet from Prima Games associate editor Jesse Vitelli illustrates the issue: Their gnome character's head is eye-level with Karlach's torso, transforming what should be a sweet, chaste kiss between new lovers into a strangely sensual smooch on the midriff (while Karlach pecks the air, as though blowing a kiss in acknowledgement of a distant aunt at a wedding).
My gnome can't even kiss my love because he's too short. This is the kissing animation This is NOT Short King Summer pic.twitter.com/kOPCKoKudXAugust 11, 2023
Here is a video of this bug, this error, this crime in action, though be warned Karlach is inexplicably in her underwear for it, so maybe don't play it at work. At least she still shouts «Yay!» afterwards, though. I guess everyone's happy in the end.
I'm playing a wood elf who kind of ended up romancing Shadowheart by default, so I can't test this myself, but I wouldn't be surprised if this issue affected romances with party members besides Karlach. No companion (at least that I've encountered) looks a hair under five foot eight to me, so I think they'd all pose a challenge to an amorous gnome or halfling.
It's a strange oversight in a game
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