Two games stick out to me when I think of cheese and difficulty
I've watched someone who is VERY good at XCOM go through missions without getting touched. It never feels like cheese, but rather looks like they're actually commanding a group of elite soldiers.
With BG3, watching someone who is very good often ends with me thinking "are you serious, that actually worked"? or just laughing at how ridiculous it is. It's closer to watching a TAS speedrun (tool-assisted-speedrun if you don't know the term). It looks fake and silly.
I wish BG3 had more of an XCOM feel to encounters instead of the feeling that someone is exploiting the game. Just my opinion though.
