I didn't get to finish what I was going to say before so...
The big key to companions is working their story into the main story. This is something BG3 seems to be doing, and I like it. I mean, hopefully anyway.
The issue I think with Pathfinder is that their stories just don't matter. Their forgettable. When a companion quest actually does happen, you kind of feel like, "who are you again and why is this important?"
Good companion writing peppers character development throughout the entire story and weaves it into the main story.
Take some of the characters from KOTOR. As you go, you learn a little more about each one here and there. HK-47s story, for example, isn't just dumped on you, and it's woven into the whole plot. Same with and especially Carth and Bastilla. Little by little you find out more, and if you do their companion quests you unlock more AND they open up to you more, becoming closer friends. Everything builds and each morsel you unlock makes you appreciate them more.
Again, Pathfinder is mid. Unfortunately, most cRPGs don't know how to do companions well, so it's okay. I certainly don't feel like I'm hooked on helping any of them or learning anymore about them, but they're okay.
