First off, it's important to note that this is definitely EA. Many mechanics clearly don't work as intended and many haven't been fully implemented. This has made it difficult to give feedback because it's hard to tell what's "clearly" just a work in progress, and what's actually finished, just not a good design decision.
But for this review i'll just direct it at my gameplay experience.
I have cleared the game 4 times, and done 2 solo runs in which i didn't full clear, but i did kill the hardest bosses.
I) The Feel
I played BG1/2 and NWN heavily as a kid, they were also the first games i ever modded. I have very cherished memories of them growing up. I have also played DOS2 and beat it on its hardest difficulty (was super easy with how broken so many builds were, I literally 1 shot bosses, but i've seen people flex like it's a power gaming benchmark) But i didn't actually like DOS2 very much.
BG3 doesn't feel like like a BG game, this might seem like a negative at first and for a lot of purist who wanted a clone, it might be. Many even say it's DOS3:BG, but i actually disagree. It doesn't actually feel like DOS2 whatsoever, though many visual elements are similar.
What this game actually feels like is if Dragon Age: Origins and BG had a baby, with a turn based combat system.
It's pretty clear Larian is taking STRONG influences from the golden era of bioware games, and I honestly love it.
So no it's not BG, but i think it's better.
II) Companions and Party Sizes
This is where it's straight up a DA:O clone. 4 party sizes, a small amount of companions but deep character development with their own background and can also be romantic interests.
One of BG's failing is that companions were trash. You had a million of them and they were all pretty shallow. BG even takes this half a step farther than DA:O by actually having your race and class impact your relationships. For instance if you're a gith, you have to roll persuasion checks to even get Shadowheart into your party.
I have complaints about how approval works however. I don't understand why everyone gains approval or disapproval for an action, even if they aren't near you or active members of your party.
Party size is a very polarizing issue. Many purists want 6 member parties because that's what BG had, and many modern DnD games also have 6 man parties.
My opinion on this matter is that 6 is an outdated dynamic that needs to die. In a multiplayer game it could be fine, but one person controlling 6 members makes the game both longer, easier, and much more tedious with no real advantage.
There's nothing you're adding to a 4 man party with 2 more people that doesn't already exist within that 4 man, you're just adding more of it whether that's damage or cc.
Having limitations can be healthy, especially paired with a deep companion system. Not being able to have every single companion you like in your party in one playthrough isn't a bad thing, it actually adds to the replayability as you can get to explore new class combinations, different plot choices, as well as companions and their interactions with each other.
I think 6 party members should be left to the modding community (and it will be out day 1). But I feel the game as a "standard" experience is better met with a 4 party system.
My main complaint with the companion system is stat distribution. It's bad. Shadowheart has a -1 dex modifier and she's a trickery domain cleric with an urchin background.
III) Surface Effects and Barrels
I have a DEEP hatred for all the fire effects in this game, it needs to be toned down substantially and i can't even imagine how bad higher levels spells like fireball will be.
Cantrips shouldn't be able to effect a target AND create a surface effect, you should have choose. I can either set a person on fire, or i can set where they're standing on fire. Same with ice.
Fire without fuel should last 1 round, fire with fuel should like 2. You should also not take damage moving through it, damage should be at beginning and end of that character's turn. I'm actually fine with grease+fire, it's how it was in DA:O and I think it's a great mechanic, but it should not last near as long as it does.
DnD just doesn't have the resources to deal with surface effects like DOS2 did, and I think making surface effects so common cheapens the concept.
For instance i actually love the explosives in the goblin fort that they traded for with slaves. It makes sense, goblins + explosives, there is plot backing it up, and you can use it to HILARIOUS ends.
Random oil barrels next to every large group encounter is uninspired and dumb, get rid of it.
IV) Looting and Inventory
Definitely not in a good spot.
First off, if you open loot on an object, and then open loot on another object, both of those windows remain open. It should automatically close the first.
There's ENTIRELY too much trash in the world. Way too many barrels and boxes, and honestly it REALLY takes away from the landscape and beauty of the world. This is one of the biggest contrasts visually to most other games, and it's one of the constant reminders about DOS. But what's worse is MOST containers in the game are empty, and the ones that aren't are usually plates and silverware.
Many trash objects are too heavy so you can't even auto loot corpses, you have to actually look through and see if they have anything good. At a pretty early stage, you can pretty much ignore anything that isn't a boss and looting overall feels extraordinarily tedious.
There also needs to be specialized containers for keys, scrolls, and potions. You can have it in your inventory or you can make it an equipment slot, and it automatically places those looted items within it instead of us manually doing so with bags and backpacks.
V) Story and World
Though a similar setting to DOS, i actually really enjoy act I. There's no part I really hate doing (though spiders are kind of rough with teleporting up and down elevations and good luck if you try and cast a fire spell.
A common complaint is the spacing between factions and events, but if you look at it from above, it makes plenty of sense. Many "factions" that seem out of place or too close are actually tied there plot wise. It's basically a war between two sides and 3rd parties having vested interests in the conflict for various reasons.
I REALLY enjoy the fact that many events are timed, so if you skip a part and try to come back later, it's too late. It makes the world feel alive and that you're just a person in it, rather than being the focus of the world and having it revolve around you. It's way more immersive that way, even if frustrating when you're punished for ignorance.
My main gripe is that the PC is supposed to be fully voice acted, but never speaks. I need more of me talking.
VI) Combat System
Turn based vs RTWP.
Personally i prefer RTWP, it just feels better to me. You have more control with turn based for sure, and from a min/max battle perspective turn based will be better. However, it's slow and i'm lazy.
Funnily enough, I recruited Shadowheart in one playthrough but sent her to camp rather than add to my party, and she walked up to the two intellect devourers eating a corpse or w/e they do, and she throws a guiding bolt at them and their entire combat played out in real time. It actually looked great, and so i feel the system is already potentially there, and i hope in the future we can toggle between the two like PoE and KP.
VII) Modding
Modding is SUPER important to me. Any company that doesn't support it has no actual investment in the game itself. It allows the community to shape the game into what WE want without relying on the company to do everything for us.
Larian has already said they're supporting modding, and they did so for DOS2, which is huge and i'm super excited to see what the community will add and change. I know for sure character creation will get 10x more stuff. Races and classes that weren't added in base game, new hairstyles, better makeup, tattoos, scars, all the good stuff.
Conclusion
BG3 isn't BG1-2 that's pretty obvious, but i think it's a solid spiritual successor. It took many of its strengths, but discarded a lot of its weaknesses and looked to other bioware games where it did it better. While that process has changed it, it's also made it better.
This game has a TON of potential, and I'm really looking forward to how much it will change within the next year, and even more when the community gets their hands on modding tools.
Last edited by SVNihilist; 13/10/20 05:14 PM.
