Nostalgia is an ugly thing. Almost every series will evolve over time, and the fact that we're not getting a reskin of Baldur's Gate 2 with better graphics isn't a bad thing. The expectations that people have can and never will be reached, because most people aren't game developers with decades of experience under their belts.

I don't think that it *is* a fair criticism that the mood and feel are different. It's been 20 years. The landscape has changed. Marketing a clunky UI, dated systems, and esoteric invisible mechanics is silly.

And as with every large gap between sequels and releases, there's always going to be the "game hipsters" that will invariably write something off because what's being produced isn't identical to their rose-colored memories. The people complaining about it will buy it, and even if they enjoy it, they're still going to huff and puff in the public eye about how it's too different in order to validate their status as a long-time fan of the series in some weak attempt at impressing people with their dedication to the Baldur's Gate name.

And can we just be really honest here and say that the fact that Baldur's Gate 3 even exists as a concept is because of Larian's excellent efforts and successes at reviving *an entire genre*?

As a long-time fan, I think they're doing great, and I'm happy that they've taken this new direction with the series and have set the industry standard for what RPG storytelling is supposed to look like.


I don't want to fall to bits 'cos of excess existential thought.