There are several problems with how romance is approached in BG3, but the worst is that it makes people feel out of control. The central theme that makes games stand out from every other media type is control, and with this we don’t have it. This can throw people out of the moment, especially as in several of the ‘romance paths’ there are no easy ways to let the person down. Its like, you were building a friendship and looking for lore in their past, but suddenly you have to be a total asshole because the game thought you were trying to get in there pants. When you weren’t.
I completely disagree with this. Game and its characters do not need to sugar coat NPC/PC relationships and make you feel good about yourself all the time. Absolute control makes for a power fantasy rather than a lIving world. Characters should be disappointed, should be blunt, should argue AND they should also be cool about things and be kind and nice. They are called NPCs for a reason, they are non playable character and their reactions should not be managed based on how players feel about things. I am pro-personality when it comes to NPCs.
This also goes for their sexual preference, and in this regard, I agree. Having all characters like you regardless of sex and race as well as having all characters acting on their feelings makes them all bland.
I'm so conflicted with this.
I actually agree with both of ya'll in different respects. Personally I think there's nothing more fulfilling than fulfilling the power fantasy in an RPG. I just like to have to work for it. But by the time the RPG is wrapping up there is some serious entertainment value from the game adhering and rewarding all your effort, work, strategy, character building, and exploration to result in a well developed power fantasy.
With that said... yes NPC's should have their own goals and ideas. I think it's perfectly natural for you to "befriend" someone in an RPG that you don't particularly like, or that you disagree with, because you either need them for plot or you simply need their help to solve a situation. Friction causes drama, and drama always makes an epic tale (or game) even more fun that it would be without it.
As far as romances... I love romances in RPG's. But my issues with romances start to arise when you have games like Dragon Age: Inquisition where the only romance options for the straight male player were masculine butchy, unattractive women. I can enjoy unattractive companions, I just don't want to romance them. It's a real shame when someone who typically likes romance in stories has to go out of their way to avoid it in a game with romance options because the options provided were not appealing in the least. This is the reason why I can't shame the way Larian handled BG3 romances. For me, I see player freedom in it. And in many ways, when crafting a good RPG player freedom is an important part of satisfying that players view of the RPG... and that goes doubly for romance.
I guess I believe romance options should definitely be available in deep narrative driven RPG's like this, but it never feels good when the person you fall for can't be romanced in the game. If you interact with enough people it happens enough in real life I don't need it to be happening in my fantasy adventure.
