i have some minor issues with this game that bring it down, but on the overall this game is great fun. there is a caveat however, that being that if you go in expecting this game to be like baldur's gate 2 and comparing the two games, you will be sorely disappointed. this game is not better than baldur's gate 2. however, they play very differently from each other despite being a part of the same series and can't really be compared as a result.
i found the companions to all be really interesting and fun, at least the ones i didn't miss in act 1 anyway. they all have their own unique struggles and personalities, and act in believable ways. as you learn more about them, you empathize with their struggles more, as all of them have something gnawing at them. it's astounding that this game made me go from disliking laezel to absolutely loving her. i have a really soft spot for shadowheart and astarion as well, with shadowheart being the character i chose to romance, and astarion being probably my favorite personality-wise. shadowheart and astarion have beautifully written companion quests, ESPECIALLY shadowheart. i seriously recommend keeping her around, and not just because clerics are strong in 5e.
though, i thought the character writing to be stronger than the actual main plot itself. i felt way more engrossed in seeing what happened next in the companion quests than i did the main story, and honestly i think the game doesn't do an amazing job at setting up a BBEG. i know i just said that you shouldn't compare baldur's gate 2 and 3, but it's difficult to step out of the shadow of jon irenicus, and this game doesn't manage to do that. i didn't manage to identify any deeper themes that run in the plot of this game, either. which isn't necessarily something that everyone craves within RPGs, but definitely something i do. it's for that reason why i absolutely adore planescape: torment, another d&d game. the main story of this game did feel pretty cut and dry. HOWEVER, you are given a lot of different options as to what kind of decisions you'd like to make. i've only gone for one ending so far, but i'm curious to see what the others bring.
i really fucking wish they would fix companion tethering, add group roll, fix the camera, and add a pause button. in the words of avgn:
"i mean, if you have to answer the phone or take a shit, it's like, tough shit if you gotta take a shit. you gotta take a quick shit. you gotta have turbo turds. i'm trying to play the game, i've got shit stains in my pants, and an answering machine that says sorry, i'm playing ghostbusters 2 on nintendo. what a selfish game. bottom line, have a fucking pause button, goddamn it."
i found the companions to all be really interesting and fun, at least the ones i didn't miss in act 1 anyway. they all have their own unique struggles and personalities, and act in believable ways. as you learn more about them, you empathize with their struggles more, as all of them have something gnawing at them. it's astounding that this game made me go from disliking laezel to absolutely loving her. i have a really soft spot for shadowheart and astarion as well, with shadowheart being the character i chose to romance, and astarion being probably my favorite personality-wise. shadowheart and astarion have beautifully written companion quests, ESPECIALLY shadowheart. i seriously recommend keeping her around, and not just because clerics are strong in 5e.
though, i thought the character writing to be stronger than the actual main plot itself. i felt way more engrossed in seeing what happened next in the companion quests than i did the main story, and honestly i think the game doesn't do an amazing job at setting up a BBEG. i know i just said that you shouldn't compare baldur's gate 2 and 3, but it's difficult to step out of the shadow of jon irenicus, and this game doesn't manage to do that. i didn't manage to identify any deeper themes that run in the plot of this game, either. which isn't necessarily something that everyone craves within RPGs, but definitely something i do. it's for that reason why i absolutely adore planescape: torment, another d&d game. the main story of this game did feel pretty cut and dry. HOWEVER, you are given a lot of different options as to what kind of decisions you'd like to make. i've only gone for one ending so far, but i'm curious to see what the others bring.
i really fucking wish they would fix companion tethering, add group roll, fix the camera, and add a pause button. in the words of avgn:
"i mean, if you have to answer the phone or take a shit, it's like, tough shit if you gotta take a shit. you gotta take a quick shit. you gotta have turbo turds. i'm trying to play the game, i've got shit stains in my pants, and an answering machine that says sorry, i'm playing ghostbusters 2 on nintendo. what a selfish game. bottom line, have a fucking pause button, goddamn it."