I’m not sure if this is controversial or not - but I (mostly) don’t like games that are primarily set underground.
There are a few exceptions to this, Dungeon Keeper and The Binding of Isaac spring to mind, but mostly I find it actively discouraging. Perhaps it’s a desire to explore under the sky, perhaps it’s that it feels claustrophobic, or perhaps it’s the gloom.
I don’t have a problem with the dark or claustrophobia in the real world, so it’s not that. Anything that involves dungeon crawling immediately puts me off. I don’t want to go down into the dark! I want to be outside!
I wasn’t a fan of the Metro series until Exodus, I bounced off Recettear as soon as the dungeon element was introduced. Anything that wants me to spend an extended period underground with monsters is just a massive turn-off for me. Sewer levels and the like also have this, to a lesser extent.
Anyone else have this specific dislike?
It’s an odd one for me. I think it’s related to how I like to spend my relaxation time. I don’t want any significant challenge (I have lots of other stuff in my life that scratches that itch, often too much…) and I don’t want to be particularly uncomfortable. I hate games that try to grade my performance (league tables, onscreen timers, ranking systems). I’m not necessarily bad at them - I just do not like the approach.
I’ve not played Baldur’s Gate 3, unfortunately, so I can’t comment on that.
I’m trying to figure out why I don’t find The Binding of Isaac uncomfortable. It might be because I disable the oppressive soundtrack and know that the maps are actually quite sprawling, often with many ways to approach problems. Hmmm…