Although to some extent rude lines suddenly hit the nail on the head, because I got under the influence of some "personalities"))) and changed my alignment from "sweet little druid" to "I'll turn the world upside down and rip anyone's throat out with my claws for you."
Ha! Bingo! My chosen one evokes the same feelings (if I change "claws" to "sword", according to the character's class, I can wholeheartedly say the same thing). I don't think poorly written romances can evoke such emotions in people.
And I'm just glad that the characters are "playersexual", I want to make a choice based on the gameplay experience of my PT and RP, not at the stage of choosing the gender of my character. I REALLY understand why this game made some people doubt their own sexuality)))
Yes, because the situation when a player, for example, playing without spoilers, will be forced, say, after a party, swearing all the bad words, to start the game again for a sex change because his favorite character suddenly turned out to be of a different orientation, will hardly be considered a positive gaming experience. And the need to read or view all companions in advance to take into account their orientations and not to get into such a situation, also deprives the player of the pleasure of the opportunity to fall in love with any of the companions in the process of the game, being carried away sincerely and naturally, rather than choosing in advance, as in the store. Plus, some people like to play their gender for a more immersive experience, or conversely, the other gender. I remember in Dragon Age Inquisition, where the companions were surprisingly ugly and in principle did not cause the desire to have a romance with them, I met a mage who was not my type, but at least not repulsive like the others, and even could sometimes make a good joke, and, in principle, it was more interesting to communicate with him than with the others. When it turned out that he preferred men, it was just the last straw. Of course, I didn't quit the game because of that, it had a lot of other downsides, it's the worst game in the Dragon Age series, but still, it's also an example of how romances really should NOT be written.
I'd argue romances in BG3 are not deep at all. You select the right flirty lines until you get sex scene as reward. The end. That is not a romance. The fact that you are romancing a specific companion almost never comes up during the normal storyline. They don't act like a romantic partner at all. If you perceive any depth there, it must in your roleplaying head.
I understand that it would take an insane amount of work to make romances meaningful with so many options and potential situations, but that's just another reason to tone it down. The game should not advertise itself as a dating simulator if it does not have the right amount of content to support it.
The Astarion romance is, for me, the deepest and most interesting in my entire gaming experience. There simply hasn't been a character like this and a romance like this before. It is built in part on the effect of surprise - impressing, startling, and evoking emotion in each of the three main romance scenes. Of course, much influenced by facial expressions and voice acting, the emotions of the characters in BG3 are conveyed so perfectly that it just feels like contact with a living person. The character behaves like a romantic partner, they have a lot of their own romantic lines when approaching him, the possibility of kissing - in other games, usually romantic lines are only spelled out in certain story scenes, the rest of the time they more often behave as ordinary. I've watched other romances on youtube - Shadowheart, Gale, Will, Karlach, Lae'zel - each character has their own "twist", there is something that can "hook" the player and each has their own circle of fans, they are different, they are individuals, the question is more about the "match" of the companion's personality and the player's personality. Can't have so many players, and each character has a lot of fans, everything happens only "in the head". I agree about the fact that it's barely mentioned in the main storyline (I only remember Withers' line about it and nothing else), it would be a good thing to elaborate on. But the companion plot is affected by the romance with him, there are special lines, and the companion plot and choices affect the romance with him.
It is a 30 dice check every time. I know that you can have the option to "trust her" which is ambiguously framed as "staying silent". It's no wonder that so many players fail to consider this option (especially on a first playthrough). In every other situation you are expected to micromanage the actions and major choices of your companions. It's a cheap trick the game throws at you, but it is beside the point here. While your approval rating with Shadowheart matters when she makes her "free choice", it is not linked to the romance. The romance does NOT matter even during her personal questline. It's a separate lane of events. There are no gameplay consequences to romances outside these special interactions.I
I had a good friendship with Shadowheart, without a romance, I left it up to her to decide, and Shadowheart herself threw away the spear and didn't kill Eileen. But why should a character's decisions depend solely on having a romance with them? I guess if having a romantic relationship with Shadowheart and supporting her aspirations to become a Dark Justiciar in every way possible, or, on the contrary, despite having an affair, rarely taking her along, not giving her Noblestalk, not supporting her morally, then she will want to go the way of Shar and kill the Selunite, and that would be perfectly logical and understandable. Just like a mere friend might have some influence on her that would cause her to choose a different path, it's normal and perfectly realistic.
Her decision in Act 3 seems to be far more random.
I wonder if it depends on something after all. With me, she always chooses the option to "let go" of her parents and go the way of Selune.
