there need to be an emotional understanding to write about those topics and it must be done very carefully. As well as consulting medical and psychological experts to check the appropriateness of the portrayal and possible impacts for an interactive story. Especially in a mainstream RPG, which isn't horror, it's problematic to throw in such topics in the way, it was done with BG3: Disconnected from the story and without player agency.
Absolutely. It's one thing when it's a small Indie game made by one or a couple of people, but when it's a mainstream game it's a completely different story. It would need even more care than usual because of the expectation from a game company like for instance Larian and the reach the game would get. Thrown in casually in an exisiting popular game it would never ever work. I honestly think they just forgot or misunderstood what a romance really is while getting carried away making "sexy" scenes.
Originally Posted by Zayir
You said that "partner abuse" was seen in a cutscene in "The Cat Lady", also sexual abuse? Is there a scene anywhere in a game where the player character is sexually abused (non-con)? If someone knows one, I'd like to look it up.
There is unwanted/forced sexual advances and stalking more than once by male characters. I can not recall any sexual abuse from a partner or similar, but it is a long time since I played it. It's mainly a story of revenge (and forgiveness) and hunting demons, so it is in that you as player get satisfaction. The character growth is really good.
Originally Posted by Marielle
Horror stories rarely give opportunities for roleplaying, they are more likely to have a set story. When the player's participation is so suppressed, and the player character is made into a victim puppet for the sake of “showing a story” (a story of violence, moreover), it violates all the laws of the RPG genre.
A very good point. I think it's a reason we don't see victim/abuse stories in RPG's like BG3, it just don't fit. If they do somehow make it work (in another project, not with Astarion!) I would be very surprised and maybe intrigued(in a curious neutral way). It would still not be a romance though if the premise is partner abuse. Only way I have seen romance and abuse in the same story is if the ex is the abuser and the new romance is the rescuer. Kinda like Astarion and Tav getting revenge on Cazador and freeing Astarion from his abuser to live togheter forever in eternal love. It was the best romance story I have come across so far, so I hope we can get back to that in the next update.
I have also seen Dark romance been called a trope, and been given the feeling a Vampire romance is somehow boring and overdone. But I have not seen any romance like Astarion and Tav in any other game I have played. I think it is really unique the way it is done in BG3 and the story is really good. I just hope it isn't thrown away for the sake of making something "exciting and new" because it truly is excellent as it is. Name me a game with a Dark romance as deep as you can get with Astarion and I will happily look it up.
