Yes... though I think Divinity succeeded in what it wanted to be. Externalising mechanics visually made it approachable and easy to understand.
This here is exactly what I believe made all the difference between the sales numbers of PoE2 versus D:OS2. Both PoE and D:OS use original gameplay mechanics systems. Neither of those new systems is similar to D&D mechanics. As such, since D&D mechanics is what is most familiar for most cRPG fans, neither the PoE system nor the D:OS system has an inherent advantage over the other based on familiarity: they were both equally unfamiliar and equally unlike D&D. So what explains people's preference for the D:OS system over the PoE system? It is complexity. The PoE system is very complex and often very non-intuitive, making it difficult for players to figure out what's going on. The D:OS system, OTOH, is extremely basic and simple, and very easy to figure out. It took me just a few minutes of playing the game to completely figure out how everything worked in the game.
I personally much prefer the complexity of the PoE system over the simplicity of the D:OS system, but in today's gaming world simple and easy beats complex and difficult for most people. But this is also why I wonder how all those D:OS fans who are unfamiliar with D&D will react to BG3. Those fans will be approaching BG3 with D:OS2 as their baseline for comparison. Will they be thrown off by D&D's complex mechanics? I already see on some forums people asking: How come this game (BG3) doesn't have cooldowns like D:OS? Or, how come there are no action points? Etc.
