Larian Studios, the team behind Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity, have recently offered some philosophical food for thought. These, however, do not pertain to such game mechanics as leveling or tree of skills. Michael Douse, the publishing director, has revealed that the new teaser of the forthcoming Divinity game treated the audience with ‘intellectual respect’. That is correct. They wished to be at our level as far as the ‘powers of comprehension’ were concerned instead of trying to overawe us with thousands of flashes or cheap shocks. Actually, they consider us clever. What a concept, right?
Douse said the intention was to make it ‘resonate’. He did not want it just to be loud. That indeed is a very bold standpoint to take at the time when most of the campaigns are trying to be the loudest in order to get your attention. They consider the trailer as a conversation starter rather than a fireworks display. And to be honest? That’s kind of refreshing. The online gamers are very much supporting the concept behind this new approach.
A user called Glitchy went so far as to say it is a ‘masterclass in marketing’. They think that building real trust with a community using the audience’s intelligence instead of the quick shock value is the way to go. And they are right. Larian has created a niche for themselves offering deep and sophisticated gameplay ina RPGs where each choice is given the same weight. Therefore, a trailer that suggests this complexity is nothing but an obvious idea. Another viewer who goes by the name WorldsNews_24 pointed out that this method corresponds to a lack of faith in the story itself. ‘Death resonates far more than noise when ideas are supposed to last.’ Preach.
But wait, what was I saying? Oh yes, not everyone agrees. The teaser that we have to assume is for the next Divinity game (possibly Divinity: Fallen Heroes or whatever else is in the works) was called ‘brutal’ by several users. A user named Dog posted a very good comment: ‘People forget the opening cinematic for BG3 was also quite brutal. These are the worlds where you run into cannibal elves, not to mention skeletons who have to rip human faces off in order to be able to enter towns and not get killed.’ So in other words, ‘intellectual respect’ does not mean a nice and quiet stroll thru the park. The Forgotten Realms and Rivellon are dark and strange worlds. Respect is shown in the way the darkness is depicted, not by brutalizing it.
There were certainly some hype reactions. ‘The trailer is so peak, I am really hyped for it,’ said Pushi Memes, accompanying his text with a gif. Others commented in the same vein: ‘big flex for a trailer, not gonna lie,’ posted jupturkey. And then there is the classic mix of gamer skepticism and hope. ‘Should they put “intelligent” content in this game, they could have another hit on their hands,’ speculated The Wanderer. It’s like: yes, we want that food which requires us to use our brains. Feed us puzzles, lore, consequences.
A few people were straight to the point. ‘Calling it “intellectual respect” just sounds like a polite way of saying that the mainstream audiences are tired of being spoon-fed empty shock value,’ said unique singh. And iamnoblefx had a bit of a sarcastic celebration: ‘Oh, so we’re playing the “treat the audience like actual humans” card now? Revolutionary. At last, someone makes a trailer that assumes people can think without needing explosions every five seconds.’ It’s amusing because it’s true – it shouldn’t be revolutionary, but here we are.
Misunderstandings in replies will always be funny and there was even one of those in the case of this trailer. One user inquired: ‘Is this a game?’ Yes, my friend. A game. We hope a very clever one. Another individual merely said ‘This is unbelievable,’ which could be taken six different ways at least. But what about the overall vibe? It’s good. People are inquisitive. They are tired of the belittling treatment already. A trailer that challenges you to keep up is like refreshing ice-cold water after a long walk through a desert full of subpar commercials.
Ewphoriac voiced a spicy, perhaps ‘unpopular opinion’: ‘I think they did achieve that but they for sure shocked people who don’t have enough brain left to engage intellectually.’ Ouch. That sounds a bit harsh but at the same time it circles back to the main thought. If one is only expecting action spectacle, he might be confused or even turned off. But if one is ready to participate, to interweave the lore and the tone, then it is not the same. It resonates, just as the JRPG genre often does with its dedicated fans. The community’s reaction, spanning from PlayStation to Xbox platforms, shows a hunger for this thoughtful approach.
