I also like BG3 better than Dragon Ages - but outside presentation and some interface similarities (chain system, hotbar) I don't think games have much in common.
I thnik they have a fuckton in common, actually.
BG3 feels a lot closer to DA:O than it ever did to BG2, for several reasons.
- The same system of istanced camping where most of the big conversations seem to happen
- The same lack of a day/night cycle, with a world frozen in a series of setpieces crystalized in a time bubble
- The same limit of 4 characters and the same default auto-follow (fortunately default but optional in DAO, not so much in BG3.
- The same style of party banters between companions during exploration
- The same "dirt &blood" system "decorating" your party after combat and exploration
- The same vaguely disturbing emphasis on romance and sex
- The same focus on full-voice over but with a silent protagonist
- The same focus on "reactivity" and changing the story according to your choice, but admittedly BG3 seems far more advanced in this sense.
- Both focuses to a degree in "spell and ability interactions" (even if Larian was basically forced to tune it down here for the negative feedback)
- Both spend some effort on the idea of "Origin character" even if the implementation admittedly diverges
Once you get past the lack of a D&D license, which is the major differentiation, it's easier to think of things the two games handle in a similar manner than the ones where they diverge significantly
