This game is a major marketing victory. It does not really try to capture the essence of the earlier BG games, because, let's be honest, those were quite niche even for their time. What it tries to do is to present all of the magical quirkiness of the D&D universe. All of it, right out of the gate. The first creature you encounter is a mindflayer, you first companion is a githyanki and the first settlement you visit is full of thieflings. That githyanaki almost immediately wants to have sex with you, just like every other creature or thing in this world...
Planescape Torment also started with a lot of exotic weirdness, but there the goal was to "subvert expectations" about the common tropes of the D&D world. It was also heavily text based, with combat being almost an afterthought. It was mainly meant for the hardcore fans of the genre.
BG3 on the other hand tries to go as mainstream as possible. Everything about it is calculated to maximize the initial impression. That's the reason the first act is so well polished, while parts of the last act are lacking in content, yet full of bugs. It is not piece of art, crafted "with love and passion", but cynically portioned product. The only reason this hype was possible, because our expectations were nerfed into dust by so many soulless AAA releases in the last years.
The game does have its obvious strengths, but it certainly come close to the previous BG games, neither in tone nor depth. At least it is prettier, and you get to have sex with everyone...
