Here are my thoughts after about 15h00 of gameplay.
I lly Don't want to play a Divinity reskin…
I really Don't find the magic and the atmosphere of what made baldur's gate great…
I think it's a combination of many things. The finer details.
Larian has injected too much cartoony stuff in the D&D DNA. The exaggerated shoves and jumps. Eating pig heads in combat. The explosive barrels everywhere.
The game is too easy and holds the players hand. You can teleport back to camp for a safe long rest no matter where you are. In original BG you could get ambushed for resting in a non-safe area. The world felt more dangerous and real.
Also the weather effects and day/night cycle made the world in original BG feel more real.
The story... the tadpoles don't feel like a horrible alien thing in your head but more of an excuse to give the player cool powers. Why doesn't the tadpole mind control you if it isn't turning you into a mind flayer? The main enemy in the beginning feels like a cartoon villain from Smurfs who always loses in the end. Because in this world there are only happy endings.
If I had to summarize: it's the level of realism.
The devs should really do another "realism" pass on the whole game to bring the look and feel closer to the original BG games. They need to take off the Divinity hats and put on the Baldur's Gate hats.
