200 Hours Honest Opinion About the Story and Writing

[Mr. Otter]

Just wrapped up the game, folks, and I gotta say, it's left a real sour taste in my mouth after investing so many hours. I know there's been plenty of talk about the game's bugs and performance issues, but honestly, those didn't get under my skin as much as the story did.

The combat? Yeah, it's good - downright fantastic at times. The graphics? Gorgeous. Soundtrack, voice acting, sound effects? All top-tier stuff. But the story...

If all the bugs were ironed out, Act 1 would be a masterpiece. No complaints whatsoever. Companions actually communicate their thoughts, the open map where quests unfold gives you real decision-making power, a sense of consequence, or at least a resolution to those conflicts. And the leveling is on point. It's the perfect starting place.

But Act 2 is where things start spiraling downward. I seriously thought Act 2 was part of Act 1 due to the bizarre transition. You can even backtrack to previous areas and tackle certain quests despite receiving two separate messages warning you about advancing the story. They only lock you out after Dame Aylin is freed.

The whole Shadow Curse thing is okay, and curing the land is cool, but exploring that map? It just doesn't grab me. Few side quests, mostly just okay/mediocre ones, everything's dead so NPCs are scarce except those at the Inn or Moonrise, and everything else is tied to the main story. The rest of your time? Battling the same foes like six times and dealing with a handful of hidden bosses - creative in design, but more often than not, a pain to fight.

Then there's the issue with companions going off the rails. Maybe it played out differently for others, but for me, with SH, Gale, and Karlach, things got wonky. Gale hits the brakes mid-Shadow Curse to express his lust for me, Karlach turns mute after her second upgrade, I had to off Lae'zel due to a bug in the creche, Wyll's pushed aside, and Halsin only hops aboard after a rather tiresome quest. It's odd how he says he'll join but just hangs around until you do his work for him.

I get that not all companions can be equals, but Act 2 feels like Shadowheart Land. She's deeply woven into the main plot for a companion. Not a biggie if others matched her involvement. Lae'zel's the closest. Gale? Virtually no dedicated quest; it's mainly dialogue and the artifact spiel. Wyll brings in the quest dispenser Mizora, often glitching the game. Halsin fades post-curse from the picture almost entirely. By Act 2's ending, I swapped Karlach for Jaheira due to her boredom - she barely talks, just "Gortash this and Gortash that."

Jaheira actually spoke more in Act 3 than any other companion (apart from Shadowheart) across Acts 2 and 3 combined. Everyone's interaction dwindles after Act 1's rapid-fire momentum, only picking up again towards the end. Minsc? Odd placement. He joined me right before the final quest, so not much interaction time. Bringing a new member into Act 3, where time to know them is slim, puzzles me.

This gets me questioning the companions themselves. I like the ones we got, but imagine if they nixed Jaheira, Minsc, maybe even Minthara during development to add three more companions right from the story's start. Different races (I was really craving a gnome or dragonborn companion), varied classes (I think I encountered only 1 or 2 combat bards in the whole campaign), and generally more party composition options. And the Wither hirelings? They fell flat for me. You can't build them from scratch; they're preset. Sure, you can alter their class, but their race and appearance stay unchanged unless I've missed something.

Let's talk about the quests themselves. Act 2 was the last time I came across a main quest or any quest for that matter that had some genuinely interesting choices to make - particularly the Dame Aylin one. However, once Act 3 kicks in, things take a nosedive. With the exception of Lorroakan, the Bhaal murder mystery, and the Gondians, there's a serious lack of engaging quests. It's hard not to dread the cut Upper City and the evident rush in the city's design. The experience is like aimlessly wandering from door to door, engaging every human in sight until someone brings up a problem. There's no stumbling upon quests or situations, and when it does happen, it's squandered.

Remember the skirmish between The Guild and Zhentarim agents at Wyrm's Crossing? Well, where did that lead? Absolutely nowhere. Later in the story, when I visited The Guild for the first time, Zhents were assaulting the hideout. I aided them, and Nine Fingers said they'd help me in the upcoming battle. And that was the end of it. Could be a bug and that's why nothing triggered but I honestly don't know. The haunted house is an absolute nightmare to navigate, and once you figure out where to go, it all turns painfully boring. You encounter the necromancer (I've forgotten his name), who sends you on a quest to locate the other guy with his heart. You find him, discover the necromancer is some kind of mummy, kill him, and lift the curse. Ok? I guess you get a portrait out of it. It just feels disjointed and underwhelming. Later, Raphael reenters the scene, offering either a meme ending or a really good boss fight after a lackluster house with a more impressive intimate scene than other romances.

And speaking of romances, they're very much middle-of-the-road. I understand casual sex exists, and it's not necessary to have years of bonding before confessing feelings, but please, let's add some depth. As I mentioned earlier, Gale decides to announce his arousal after a random battle, Halsin comes for me after 2 or 3 lines of dialogue, Shadowheart gets amorous at the tiefling party after having no previous flirty/suggestive lines, and even THE EMPEROR comes on to me in my dream. The bluntness works for Astarion and Lae'zel, but for the others, it just feels awkward. After starting these relationships, there's not much development for most of them. Sure, you can opt for kisses and breakups, but their interactions with you remain largely unchanged. Perhaps it's because they don't engage with you. They practically go back to becoming mute. For my romance with Gale, it shows at the end him asking you to marry him and then the game ends. You don't even see anything else.

Now, let's delve into the major issue: Ketheric, Orin, and Gortash. Ketheric was handled reasonably well, albeit a touch rushed. It might have been better to introduce or interact with him earlier in the game. Regardless, there's buildup to him, Moonrise Towers (his base), and the climactic showdown. His fight even boasts a second stage. The story surrounding him is engaging, featuring Dame and Isobel, and the twist of immortality is clever. Preparing for the showdown with him also adds a layer of depth. This is not the case for Orin and Gortash. They're essentially enemies, urging you to eliminate the other. That's fine, but is that it? Act 3 kicks off, and you can head straight to Wrym Rock to dispatch Gortash. Do a bit more digging, then toss Orin off the cliff - and that's all. These battles don't feel significant; they're not these monumental moments. They come off more as filler. As for "preparation," it mostly involves grinding XP from random foes and quests to avoid getting one-shotted. Orin initially really intrigued me with her doppelgangers, and I enjoyed her constant taunting throughout the Act. However, her role is disappointingly limited. She captures one out of the set companions or the little girl, in which case it's hard to care. I feel like she could have done more to sabotage the party while undercover. Also, I wish there were more ways to identify her. I've seen her be discovered by Lae'zel, but for me she was dead so there was no avoiding the kidnapping. Still, she's miles ahead of Gortash. He proposes an alliance, and then what? You leave, only encountering him again if you decide to slay or ally with him. It's baffling. He's less engaging than a side character. He contributes nothing. While it's okay that not every quest needs to connect to the main plot, none of the quests, except "Save the Gondians" and the murder mystery, establish any sort of link to these two or the overarching storyline. It's alright if they don't directly relate, but they should at least possess some form of intrigue, particularly if they're not addressing the main plot.

As you progress deeper into the story, the overall experience takes a huge dip, which ultimately culminates in a disappointing ending. The descent is particularly evident when considering the conclusion. I managed to achieve the good ending and also took a peek at a few of the alternate ones. But really, what's with that? After all the trials and challenges, the final showdown against the brain is astonishingly easy and over in a flash. Then Malady (The Narrator) chimes in with a simple "Congratulations, hero," and it's a cut to black. Seriously? No resolution for any of the lingering plot threads, quests, or companions? It feels like a major letdown.

Additionally, the endings should have been more tailored to your choices. I opted to free Orpheus, and in my mind, I anticipated some serious consequences for the last quest, assuming he'd distance himself from my actions. He even brings up the massacre at the creche, initially suggesting he should kill me for it, but he conveniently forgets about it moments later. He even transforms into a mind flayer, and I ultimately end up having to kill him. It's a flat and uninspired outcome, considering the buildup. A staggering 130 hours invested for an abrupt fade to black with zero resolution for anyone. Even the allies gathered throughout the campaign aren't as impactful or helpful as expected. I had hoped they'd engage in the battle with you, but no, you have to manually summon them, and they leave immediately after the fight making it seem as if they were never there. Adding to the frustration, I encountered a bug that turned all my allies except for Dame Aylin and the owlbear against me as soon as I summoned them. Furthermore, not a single one of them appears in the concluding moments. Only your party is visible, which, in my case, underwent an arbitrary reshuffling.

In the grand scheme of things, the journey towards the final act felt more like a chore, a stark contrast to the exhilarating adventure and storytelling of Act 1. While gameplay improvements might come with subsequent patches, it's uncertain how much they can truly enhance the story. Time will tell, I guess.

[Razzen]

I think a lot of people who's finished the game agree, but it won't matter. Because most players have already given it a positive review before even making it out of Act 1, most reviewers won't make it to Act III before giving it a positive review, hell most people won't even finish the game. You have people who are defending the game as the greatest thing to happen to RPGs since Baldur's gate II, even though they haven't even made it to Act III yet.

If we're very lucky they might add the removed content in a year or two for a definitive edition, so they can advertise the game again to the ones who still haven't purchased it, and rake in even more money. Win-win for them.

[Odyssey]

something that could happen is everyone just neutralizes their upvotes to get larian to hard focus on the issues talked about in the topic because they do make valid criticisms about the game and i do think they did a good job talking bout it. sadly though nothing will probably come of it and if it does itll be released as dlc or even expansions, i was truthfully hoping for an ending similar to wotr ending where it showed a slide show, or hell even animate certain scenes out, but the fade to black was really disappointing.

[yuzhonglu]

A game can't be in early access forever. Sooner or later they have to publish it.

I wish they would have put more effort into the ending. That's actually important because people will remember the ending.

DOS 2 did a much better job with the ending narration than this game.

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

BG3 and Star Citizen are the games that finally convinced me to stop gaming.

[paulblopez88]

bugs i think is a person to person issue i havnt had any bug im sure with the many many pc out there gonna be issues

[Ol'Chum]

I still think the game is good and very much enjoyable but towards the end of act 3 I definitely feel like that drawn horse meme where the head is beautiful (act 1) and the rest is a scribble. Act 3 feels incomplete, writing on some replies is weird and not as thought out and in general feels weirdly rushed. Some companions also kinda.... go flat? Honestly I think this game could be in development for maybe 1 more year?

I won't deny I enjoyed it and I praise the game a lot but it is not perfect that much I can very easily concede. I think there will be a lot of hecklers and salty people who would say 'Look act 3 is trash, the game is bad, everyone got high on hype yada yada yada' I disagree, I stand by the game being phenomenal but I am not in denial to say it's a perfect 10/10

[HTakara]

the ending is soul crushingly bad

[Big]

Well put the game is great and ticks almost every box I wanted out of a game like this. But to have this massive experience where you have made countless decisions and impacts on the world and its inhabitants, only for the game to not show any of that as if it never happened is a smack to the face. I can only hope that in the future we can get restored content and I ain't picky either make some fallout style slides and add a paragraph or two about our various companions and where they are now. Other things like how the grove is healing if you went the good route and the shadow lands things like that, good enough for me just some kind of closure beyond, "I kicked that big brain's ass" everyone did some variation of that, not everyone made the same choices I made to get there though, highlight those.

[Nuee]

Holy smokes. Well posted.

[Mr. Otter]

Originally posted by Razzen:

I think a lot of people who's finished the game agree, but it won't matter. Because most players have already given it a positive review before even making it out of Act 1, most reviewers won't make it to Act III before giving it a positive review, hell most people won't even finish the game. You have people who are defending the game as the greatest thing to happen to RPGs since Baldur's gate II, even though they haven't even made it to Act III yet.

If we're very lucky they might add the removed content in a year or two for a definitive edition, so they can advertise the game again to the ones who still haven't purchased it, and rake in even more money. Win-win for them.

Well said. Honestly even if I was a reviewer I wouldn't want to give it a bad review. Neither a good one. It's just a bit mediocre. Not the whole game for sure, far from it, but what comes in the later acts spoils the goodness of the beginning.

[Nuee]

Aspects of it are excellent, but that doesn't mean they all are.

[Mr. Otter]

Originally posted by Nuee:

Aspects of it are excellent, but that doesn't mean they all are.

Absolutely. A few mishaps are enough to damage some of the good parts.

[Amateur Nitpicker]

200 hours also. It's an okish game but I have an opposite opinion on Minsc and Jaheira. Honestly I wish they didn't join us as companions. I mean for me its ok to make references or cameos but this is just milking the Baldur's Gate series

I also wish there was urgency on finding a cure of the tadpole. Like its an interesting plot but it got downgraded into saving the world. I mean BG2 did this also like his soul being corrupt, but saving the world is just a sidequest. The main goal of (well for the most part) is either to accept or deny his Bhaalspawn heritage.

Like manipulating the audience ("oh my favorite characters in BG2 and BG1 is here I should buy the game). Its like holding nostalgia goggles to appeal to the players.

My complain in ACT 2, I wish they have explored more on the Thorn children. Or the life of kethric thorm. This goes for Orin and Gortash. You will find tiny tidbits like Gortash was sold by his parents to Raphael and became a bastard. Orin was manipulated by sarevok to become a champion of bhaal.

A good game shouldn't use crutches like that. I have fun in the combat But the story is nowhere near Bioware standards. If I have to pick Astarion's story arch was the most satisfying.

Gale's story is a bit unresolved, Lae'zel was ok and so was Shadowheart's. Karlach is just there to pull the heart strings.

Wyll's story is all over the place, so do you us to focus on his parentage, his contract or his willingness to be duke of Baldur's gate and Larian just dump a big ass dragon into the mix that is nowhere related to him BUT to the emperor like WHY?

The most fascinating for me is the soul thing, like what happens to the soul of the person possessed by an Illithid, and why do people the Soul disappears like are souls in the brain? I thought souls were immaterial.

I mean there is so many good plot lines that the main quest, to stop giant brain destroying the world.

[Tootsy]

I'm still trying to figure out where all my companions that arent part of my final party are at during the final fight.

[thrax7545]

I would say that I absolutely loved the first two acts, and the third one just needed more time in the oven. There's nothing but love poured into every inch of this thing, and while there are probably missed opportunities in terms of [insert which part of the story you wish was deeper] , it's honestly enough content, and the sheer ambition here is pretty mind blowing. You can feel it all creaking under the weight of itself, mechanically, technologically and narratively.

I won't compare it to other, older games because those games aren't as technically advanced as this, and if I wanted to play older games with "better written, more fleshed out characters" than these (and I love all these characters, btw), I would rather just read a book because BG1 and 2 are dogs, where this game is beautiful.

The impression I get, is that these crazy people over at Larian realized that in order to achieve their vision they needed to build the whole damn city of Baldur's Gate, and after doing that for a couple years they decided they needed to release the damn thing if they were ever going to see the light of day again, and this is the result.

Your milage may vary, but I think it's a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ masterpiece.