D&D games had beautifully handled love stories for a long time, with BG2, Planescape: Torment, MotB as the shining pillars. They worked because they actually appealed to the emotional side of the player instead of the groin most of the time, and BG2 even punished you trying to "force" the romance plot (like when you don't deny Aerie's attempts to throw herself at the male Bhaalspawn, or being a mewling weakling in Viconia's eyes). BG3 touting itself like it reinvented romances when it's as simple as "grind approval - go to bed - maintain approval" is just one of so many fronts it failed to deliver on contrary to the inflated expectations, but I guess the Tumblr and r34 artists are having a field day to this day - though maybe they've switched to Hades II at this point.
That they did, cause they were actual romances; you had to be patient, converse with the love interests, hit the right spots and spend lots of significant moments with them, for the relationship to properly consolidate... i feel most recent games don't have the same charm. Rare exceptions in Wrath of the Righteous with Daeran and Arueshelae(Also Wenduag for chaotic evil characters. Arue is an attempt to recapture Fall-From-Grace, but even tho the romance is more fleshed out, i still find Grace's to land better and that last dialogue always sends shivers down my spine), cause their relationships are actually modeled similarly to the good ones of the old days and they also have failed/romance/true romance variations.
I once had an Unfair Lich run, pretty peculiar starting concept "Sarenrae worshipping Lich"; in short, the character eventually fell in love with Daeran, seeing him as a safe harbour in the storm of the events during chapter 3 end and chapter 4. She was a smart person, so when she got a certain call from Zacharius, she realized what would happen to her beloved if she were to continue on her pursuit for Lichdom.
She didn't renounce to her holy duty of "redeeming people" by undeading them and then releasing them into proper death after the worldwound's sealing... but she did love Daeran, so she ended up turning the fling with Wenduag into a "romance" so that Zacharius would capture and tell her to sacrifice her instead of the character's actual beloved. After her transformation, her love for Daeran weakened and waned as she was now Undead, but her will was strong and managed to end up as one of the rare Undead who manage to suppress their hate of the living to a mere apathy, becoming True Neutral. In the end, she retained a good friendship with him.
By comparison in bg3 they throw themselves at you like Wenduag does... but way earlier compared to the "Powersexual" spoodercat.
