I think the problem with Raphael is
how he is introduced and inserted into the current narrative.
The entire scene just feels those random extra sequences that movies add in so they can add it to a trailer to say "and we've got devils too!"
He enters the narrative with little to no introduction or foreshadowing, and worst of all, completely abandons it immediately after. It feels totally random as there's no clear cause and effect for him showing up (i.e. if he had shown up due to the player tampering with the soul coin, etc, that would make more sense). There are also serious tonal issues with the scene, since it feels like the developers are genuinely trying to surprise the player. However, Raphael's disguise is wax-paper and the transition to the "reveal" happens only seconds later. It's utterly predictable in a hilarious way, but the story seems to want to frame it as serious.
Overall, at this point Raphael feels disconnected to everything else this point - his scene contributes nothing - no new obstacles, no new characters motivations, and no consequences.
This is coming from someone who does not feel like every D&D adventure needs to start slow, mundane, and within a Tavern. I'm perfectly okay with the more high-stakes, cinematic premise that Larian has chosen. HOWEVER, even within that context, Raphael's introduction feels like a DM randomly yelling "If you thought hell, dragon, giths, and mindflayers weren't enough, and now a devil shows up!"
Compare Raphael to a certain character from the Witcher 3 (Spoilers):
Gaunter O'Dimm is a fantastic example of how to properly introduce a Faustian bargain with the devil into the narrative.
Witcher 3 takes the time to introduce both the character and the legend separately in bite size pieces, seeding them both into the player's mind until it all converges into a reveal when it was ready for the narrative spotlight. It serves a purpose in the story because it pays off a series of hints and promises made to the player along the way.
Note, it's not a matter of whether the reveal is surprising or not that makes it good - it's the fact that it feels earned and meaningful.
The delight a player feels with the Gaunter reveal doesn't solely comes from the fact that "I knew it all along", but the fact that "I can't believe these little clues/foreshadowing actually have so much meaning."
+1 very well said regarding how raph and the devil plot is currently introduced and implemented - tbh i feel similarly about a number of other features feeling disconnected too. there are a lot of neat ideas and cool moments in bg3, but all told the mix and delivery needs reworking.
Literally.
Like wtf this game is seriously groundbreaking i have never seen anything like it. There is literally nothing like it available on the market and i would associate it with the equivalent of GTA5 but for a RPG. BG3 is the GTA5 for RPGS.
The combat is unreal, the writing is unbelievable, the graphics are the best. It is immersive like no other game before it. It is far better then both BG2 and DOS2 easily, no contest.
To back up my claims BG3 is currently outselling cyberpunk on steam and cyberpunk is in full release and BG3 is in EA.
Due to BG3 apparent success i am hoping to see more from larian involving forgotten realms and D&D.
WOW so impressed
Edit
PS Larian you need to tone done the wokeness in BG3, we dont need all this diversity and equality BS in our faces. In my opinion i generally tune into games like this to tune out from the world and relax i dont want to see political issues thrust in my face. Apart from this well done 100%.
glad the game is blowing fam away after four hours to the point where we are saying an unfinished ea build is the equivalent of gta5 - it does make the whole thread seem somewhat click baity as others have pointed out but maybe thats the intention
. i think you also dilute and weaken your position editing your post to include a rant about 'wokeness, which reinforces this threads clickbaity nature
And I'm glad you saw fit to highlight the op's comparison while ignoring the many others who compared the game to Disco Elysium, Planescape and Baldur's Gate trilogy. At least this dude followed his statement through with reasons for making it, including a fact, rather than baldly stating his opinion under the mistaken impression that it is a fact (which I note you do). It is unreasonable to compare an unfinished first chapter of a game to a full one favourably or unfavourably to be honest. That doesn't seem to stop people doing it.
I personally hope the game reflects Larian's and DnD's progressive outlook in case anyone is interested.
Second if anyone expects the depiction of a cambion - a 5e half devil - to be anything like the literation depiction of Judaeo-Christian evil incarnate - in collection mode no less- especially when one is basically a whole dlc dedicated to this story... well that is down to them not this game. Even a pit fiend wouldn't come close. The closest would be an arch devil, maybe even Asmodeus himself. Which would be ridiculous in this context.
Devil's m.o., which the witcher gets right, is to offer a deal where the person taking it thinks they'll never have to fulfil the conditions. Or something they think will fulfil the conditions, but at the time don't realise will actually cost them something dear. Like the cultists after Karlach. The devil then manipulates fulfilment to get what he wants. All about the fine print with them.
Raphael *is* a used car salesman. What he's saying is the equivalent of 'sale ends Friday', he's reminding you of urgency when at that time in the story the lack of urgency has become part of the mystery itself. What he's offering on the surface is without a doubt a million times worse than the alternative. Seven days of excruciating agony then your soul gets snuffed out. No afterlife with your god. Versus an eternity of indescribable suffering. No contest. Your companion's give you what to take out of this. Wyl: don't trust him he'll take everything. Shadowheart: there's no right answer here, he's testing you. Gale: what if it's not our souls he's after but the tadpoles. In short he's clearly introduced as another player in the game.
And, no, he's not there to say 'we have devils too'. If you look at the books around, you can see they are foreshadowing hells and devils as an important part of the story later.
And you do in fact know there's something different about your tadpoles: you override the mindflayer's control of the fishermen which clearly shouldn't be possible. This is pointed out by one of your companions. Your tadpole overwhelmed a fully developed , albeit injured, mindflayer.
No-one's claiming that the writing is stellar, but it absolutely is solid - feel free to have your own opinion, but if you want to be convincing about it back it up with an argument at least.
Here is act one condensed:
We have to escape the ship is under attack. We need to get these mindflayers out asap. There's no time to rest we have a timebomb in our heads. Huh, that's funny we should be changing by now, but we're not. This drow seems to be like us but doesn't know about tadpoles and mentions the Absolute. This dying man calls himself a True Soul and think the tadpole makes him special. Says the Absolute is power. This priestess is talking to the tadpole and believes it is a god, something's behind this. The goblin chieftain is infected but doesn't seem to be allied with the mindflayers, or at least he doesn't realise it. The mindflayer calls the Absolute absolute unity. Moonrise towers seem to have something to do with it, maybe dark Justiciars too?
That's act 1's core, but there's also story reasons to explore east and west (Ethel and githyanki). All of your companions have a compelling reason to be with you (they're all using you to some degree or another). There is a strong driving force moving the plot along the whole chapter. When you stop chasing the main story to focus on helping someone you lose approval from the more self centred companions (a fact which annoyed a lot of players btw)
In short the story deepens the more you explore geographically, further you're given good reasons to do this. Writing 101: Act One is the set up. Please stop expecting resolutions in act 1, they won't happen.
Overall though I do agree that maybe more could be made of Raphael, maybe as has been suggested incorporate his agent more or foreshadow him earlier? If you're an elf or half elf you won't even get that scene with her. (btw if you think nothing comes of the scene in Act 1, get the artefact scene with Gale then don't feed him any. You'll be surprised). The devil you know is a bit cheesy too I agree.
On a level of presentation, I think it's a mistake to have him keep the same clothes he wears in human form. That does look a bit silly in my eyes. Maybe an outfit that gives him some more menace in devil form would be better.
