Struggling to understand why this game is so popular

[CCore]

So, I played a bit on my brother's family share, since he got the game and there's been a lot of positive buzz about it so I thought I'd give it a try.

What is it about this game that is appealing? Other than the setting, everything else for me just turns me off. The turn based combat feels boring and completely RNG. The animations are uninteresting, even for the small selection of spells I have right now. Using the mouse button for moving just makes me feel like I'm playing league of legends.

It feels like an old game mechanically, but visually looks fairly modern. Is it worth just playing for the story? Or is the combat too big an aspect to overlook? Cause I'm not sure if I want to continue playing if I have to slog through the combat to experience the story. I do enjoy dialogue heavy RPGs, so I'm wondering if the game is worth playing just for that aspect.

[Eddie]

Originally posted by Aldain:

Originally posted by Ponky:

That's only 70%

The remaining 30 is Larian.

There we go that fits

[zpc]

I'd say it's not because of Astarion - so you can scratch that reason from your list. =)

[Crystal]

"Completely rng" I mean, its based on DND so, I hope it would be.

[cfehunter]

Originally posted by CCore:

So, I played a bit on my brother's family share, since he got the game and there's been a lot of positive buzz about it so I thought I'd give it a try.

What is it about this game that is appealing? Other than the setting, everything else for me just turns me off. The turn based combat feels boring and completely RNG. The animations are uninteresting, even for the small selection of spells I have right now. Using the mouse button for moving just makes me feel like I'm playing league of legends.

It feels like an old game mechanically, but visually looks fairly modern. Is it worth just playing for the story? Or is the combat too big an aspect to overlook? Cause I'm not sure if I want to continue playing if I have to slog through the combat to experience the story. I do enjoy dialogue heavy RPGs, so I'm wondering if the game is worth playing just for that aspect.

The combat's not completely RNG, you can greatly tip the odds in your favour through tactical positioning and combinations of abilities. Two of my most played games on steam are XCOM and XCOM 2 though, so I do just enjoy this style of tactical combat.

I love Baldurs gate 1/2 for the story and characters, but I find real-time with pause combat to be a frustrating mess. It's fine when you're just rolling over trash encounters, but when you need to make tactical decisions in a hard fight it's just an impediment.

Baldurs gate 3 doesn't have trash encounters. Every encounter is a unique challenge to unpick, there is no trash, so I'm more than happy for the combat to be slower and more tactical.

Outside of the combat, the game is very responsive. There's something incredible about being able to tackle things in any way you please and the game responds to it. It's the same reason Deus Ex was so beloved back in the early 2000's, it's a great feeling when you get to think about different solutions to a problem and the game respects your choices.

[Bacon Overlord®]

Originally posted by Eaton Knass:

Its very popular in the sexually deprived demographic

This...

100% this. It feels like every single character is some kind of sexual object so far in some way. Geezus. I just want to play a game, not try to sit through a cringe-inducing sex scene in a video game or feel like characters are coming on to my character all the time. I just want to tell them to do their damn jobs.

[F.O.A.M]

"What is it about this game that is appealing? Other than the setting, everything else for me just turns me off"
then dont play it? just because everyone else likes it doesent mean you have to

[Bacon Overlord®]

Originally posted by Cthulhu Allspark:

"What is it about this game that is appealing? Other than the setting, everything else for me just turns me off"
then dont play it? just because everyone else likes it doesent mean you have to

You may have missed the part where he asked a question about why it's so appealing... just shutting him down is rather trollish.

[Deleted *******]

its less about the game being amazing, which it is, and more about the gaming industry becoming such a disaster... The Fallout 4, Witcher 3, and Dark Souls Era was the time of good games.

Now most games are just low quality. Elden Ring was the last good one that i remember.

Blizzard as a company also went full P2W, with their Diablo franchise.

EA destroyed their battlefield franchise with the new Battlefield.

Fallout76 was also a p2W disaster.

[OyajiBR☕]

I bought it for the sex content, simple as that. And I'm enjoying the story, atmosphere, gameplay, etc.

[TripSin]

Originally posted by Bacon Overlord®:

Originally posted by Eaton Knass:

Its very popular in the sexually deprived demographic

This...

100% this. It feels like every single character is some kind of sexual object so far in some way. Geezus. I just want to play a game, not try to sit through a cringe-inducing sex scene in a video game or feel like characters are coming on to my character all the time. I just want to tell them to do their damn jobs.

The romance and sexual content are like 1% of the game. You people are so obnoxiously ridiculous. If you make such a big deal out of this in a fantasy video game, the real dysfunctional person is almost 100% YOU. You people are probably the ones who don't have healthy relationships IRL if this is such a big deal to you.

[Yoinkyz]

man has bigger issues if he doesnt even like clicking to move xD

[CCore]

Originally posted by Yikes:

man has bigger issues if he doesnt even like clicking to move xD

Okay now this comment is odd. What I mean by that, is that I don't feel like I'm in control of the character - it feels more like I'm telling them where to go. I feel like a spectator if that's the word you wanna use.

[kafiSs]

On your point of combat system;
The early game is super easy, and doesn't really give an incentive to the player to make a strategy. It's feels like a breeze and any damage you suffer might seem like the enemy AI just got super lucky.
That'll change around the closing of the first act.
And this is assuming you play on the medium difficulty.
Hard mode is pretty rough, and forces you to use all tools you have available, even the Save Scum potion. This is where the combat gets exciting for me atleast. Having to prepare your casters spellbook to fit the enemy vulnerabilities, the place of engagement etc.

But if you don't fancy the strategic aspect of the combat, it probably won't be for you.

As to why it is so popular, another person in the comment section already pointed out arguably the biggest factor, that "popularity singularity threshold".
There is a lot of positives to be said about the game, and not just subjective stuff like; is combat entertaining etc.
The developer isn't a public traded company, which is huge, in my opinion. As this is the number one thing that destroys franchises. Also no microtransactions and essential content delivered in pricey DLC.
And whatever "diversity" appeasement there is in the game, isn't forced and superficial.
There is also plenty negative. Like a good bunch of bugs and such.

[Orion Invictus]

I'm struggling to understand why people still don't understand that just because they don't like something doesn't mean nobody else does, or that their tastes are a minority.

[CCore]

Originally posted by Orion Invictus:

I'm struggling to understand why people still don't understand that just because they don't like something doesn't mean nobody else does, or that their tastes are a minority.

I don't think that. It just feels like that right now. The game has tonnes of praise online, hundreds of thousands of people are playing it. Overwhelmingly positive steam reviews. All my friends are playing it and they all absolutely love it. I certainly do feel like I'm in the minority at the moment, because my first impressions of the game are middling.