izigame.me

After almost 300 hours in-game, I might be qualified to review this. I'll start by saying that Larian has really got something special here. I'm glad that the work is ongoing, but the progress is palpable. I've broken down my review into a couple sections to hopefully give you a better idea of what you can expect.
1. Graphics
BG3 has the best graphics in any CRPG I've played up until this point. The animations still need work, as there are a number of cutscenes where things and characters are misplaced. However, environments, spell effects, equipment, characters, etc., are all meticulously designed and you can rest assured that Larian has painstakingly made even the most inconsequential NPC stand out.
2. Sound
The sound design is fantastic. Each spell and weapon attack has a unique sound. The ambient sounds are distinct with each area you are located in, as well as the soundtrack. The soundtrack, in general, is well composed. I could sit on the title screen and just listen to the opening song for a long time. The voice acting is fantastic, especially the narrator. The only issue that I've found with the sound is similar to that of graphical bugs: cutscenes need polish. Sometimes characters don't properly voice their lines when cued. If there is a large fight going on with many different effects at once, some new effects may not properly play either.
3. Story
Not a whole lot of tied up loose ends story-wise as of yet. However, the intro scene is phenomenal. Probably the best intro cutscene in just about any game I've played. From there, the story picks up on a grand scale, then drops you off in the starting area. You then begin to pick up the pieces to figure out what is going on and how to best solve your little problem. The storyline so far as what's available in EA isn't overly complex, but the particularly enticing part about it is the number of other smaller plots and characters which lend to the main. Over the course of my playthrough, I've picked up several potential paths which could ultimately be taken probably closer to the midpoint of the finished game.
4. Characters
I'll keep this one brief, but I just want to take a second to say that all of the characters are very well fleshed out and distinct. Even simple NPC's have personalities which, for the most part, don't strike me as cookie cutter in any way. Care has been taken into writing seemingly each and every character, even many animals and corpses. Many actions you take have an effect on your party's opinion of you, but each character has different preferences. Some party members, however, are a tough to nail down as to what makes them happy, even after almost 300 hours. The personality differences between what is expressed through character dialogue and what changes their opinion of your character can feel a bit inconsistent.
5. Combat
The combat is fun and rewarding. Each action you take feels as if it has a distinct impact on the battle. This is partially due to the aforementioned animation and sound effects, very punchy and flashy, lots of pretty colors. This is also thanks, in part, to the combat system adopted from 5th ed. D&D. The die rolls, while not visible during combat, add quite a bit of tension and strategy to a fight. You can't just fling cantrips and spells willy-nilly at random enemies and expect to come out on top (for the most part). The balancing is done well enough to allow for a fair fight, but one that doesn't hold your hand throughout and is rewarding when you win. The world design is also done so well that, anywhere a fight could possibly break out (you can attack/kill anyone), the environment lends a lot of variation and strategy to the fight. The enemies are also very smart, to the point where they will flank and take the high ground on you. Stay frosty!
6. Exploration
Expanding on the final point of the Combat section, the world design makes Faerun feel alive. There is usually something to find around every corner; exploration is very rewarding. Exploration is rewarded in a few different ways. You can get unique loot (while not necessarily as distinct as titles such as Elden Ring, there is a good variety of equipment to find), find interesting social encounters, or battles. Furthermore, battles can be turned to social encounters or vice versa. The versatility in how the player overcomes different situations is very well thought out. My main grip with the exploration is a personal one, but it's the map. It can get sort of tedious trying to navigate the world using the map. But, the exploration area is not particularly sprawling, so you won't be caught wandering around looking for a particular area for too long. A few important items for side quests also come to mind as being particularly hard to find, as they don't really stand out from the background. But, holding Left ALT will bring up titles for items lying around the area if you want to go that route.
7. Races/Classes
The current races available are as follows: drow, human, githyanki, dwarf, elf, half elf, halfling, gnome, and tiefling. The classes are fighter, wizard, rogue, ranger, cleric, warlock, druid, sorcerer, warlock, and bard. Larian has done a good job distinguishing each race and class from one another, whether the customization options or progression. The only issue that I have is that the full PHB selection is not yet available. There are subraces available for each race, each with differing characteristics from another. The subclasses are all very self explanatory, if you are familiar with the 5th edition Player's Handbook. A few names had to be changed for certain things within classes, probably due to licensing issues. Also no multiclassing as of just yet. Curious to see if they decide to patch that one in.
8. Character Creation (Visual)
Kind of simplistic at this point. There are no sliders which allow to you to sculpt the face or body, although there are a fair number of preset faces. A good number of hairstyles and facial hair options, as well as colors to apply. And yes, you can apply beards to female dwarves (lookin' at you, Rings of Power).
9. Progression
Similar progression to 5e, except that there are several events which grant XP other than just slaying your enemies. Now comes the main problem I have with EA, the level cap. The world is very well designed and very dense, each action you take for the most part feels well rewarded with XP. But, a full playthrough of all the content could see you sitting at 4th level for several hours before completing. This is especially frustrating because 5th level is when you get your second attack and 3rd level spells. But the loot in the game still allows for a little more variety as it does continue to progress in power/utility even up until the end.
10. Optimization
I run this on a pretty mid-system (Ryzen 5, 1660ti, 16gb RAM) and I can hold between 50-60 fps when exploring on high settings. When in a busier fight, my fps ranges from 35-45 ish. There are a few bugs which impact functionality (dialogue not displaying during conversation, getting stuck on a character's turn during combat, random crashes, etc.). Luckily, these have all vastly reduced in frequency. While the gameplay is by no means flawless, it has reduced frequency enough to where it's not so bothersome as to ruin the game for me. Just depends on your bug tolerance. If you're a Bethesda fan, you'll be just fine.
Just a final thought before I end this thing. If you just want to experience something different and don't mind playing a work in progress, this game is for you. Larian is fantastic at listening to user feedback for optimization to things as small as simple tooltips. If you want a full experience (and I 100% would not blame you if that were the case), just wait until it comes out. Hoping for early-mid '23.