Baldur’s Gate 3 players have noticed that the opening scene was “copied” by Oblivion Remastered developers – but in fact it is an artistic device
Eagle-eyed fans of Baldur’s Gate 3 have discovered that the team behind The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered apparently also played Larian’s hit RPG extensively.
At least, this is what the very similar scene from the official screenshot indicates. The scene is so similar that Google’s reverse search even confuses them.
We’re talking about the very first frame, which can be seen on Oblivion Remastered’s Steam page. It shows a character in armor, holding a sword, standing on a hill, looking down on the Imperial City.
Here is that frame:
And, almost the same scene can be found in Baldur’s Gate 3. Only instead of a character on the hill above the city there is a statue of Balduran – the founder of Baldur’s Gate.
This shot can be seen at the BG3 launch before the menu appears, so it’s safe to assume that someone from the Oblivion Remastered developers who took screenshots remembered this scene well and decided to make a shot inspired by it.
There is nothing wrong with this, it is just a funny fact. Especially since the composition itself is not original. It is a classic “figure from the back” technique, where the main figure is presented surveying the expanses in front of him. This technique is intended to invite the viewer to imagine himself in the role of the character and his adventure to a distant location.
It also aims to create a sense of scale. This method of presentation was popular among the Hudson River School landscape painters, but it also appeared in earlier paintings. In particular, it can be seen in Caspar David Friedrich’s 1818 work “Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog”:
