So yeah, I completely understand the fears from dedicated fans of CRPGs or DND who want games to be more combat focused (at least that's the vibe I'm getting here?),
As an OLD school DnD and computer RPG fan I can tell you a deeper combat focus is not what makes a good RPG. A great story and fun NPC interaction can go a long way. Larian has done a solid job with BG3 and I feel have put the CRPG on solid footing.
There is a lot of hype around open world games but the truth is from an RPG point of view a real open world game is a MESS. A true open world game is MASSIVE, this means a ton of development cost and lets not get into all the work needed for the various NPCs and locations to feel alive. This means development cost and time is exponentially increased over a game like BG3. Proof of this is everywhere, go look at most open world games, they feel dead, the NPCs do not interact. Historically great RPGs that move to a more open world approach have failed, we see that especially with Mass Effect.
Larian has "rediscovered" the style that made such classics as Eye of the Beholder, Neverwinters Nights and many more. They have taken that formula, tweaked it, modernized it and we have BG3.
This approach also lends itself to episodic material. Imagine once or twice a year a "DLC" that is a new campaign. (Full level 1 to 12 again) This is POSSIBLE with the model we see with BG3. No new engine just create the content. They could break it down even further with an "Act" every 3 or 4 months until a new campaign is done and then move to the next.
That is not to say BG3 is perfect, it needs work. The game has a rushed feel to it with the way it ends and the whole "worm" system feels forced with no consequences for using it and no real reward for resisting it. (BTW by LORE for the Forgotten Realms this is how it would play out) Also the focus on Lore is a bit haphazard with them being willing to tweak the 5E system for computer play but not make the typical tweaks you would expect to make it fit easily into the existing game world lore.
In the end, yes I think BG3 is good for the genre. It shows there is a real demand for the old school CRPG solo play style (with some light coop). Hopefully this means we will see the CRPG game options just get better from here.
