Final Fantasy VII Inspired Baldur's Gate Writer to Create More Human Characters

James Ohlen, director of writing for Baldur's Gate 2, was inspired by Final Fantasy VII's characters, which he felt made his own seem like "cardboard cutouts" in comparison.

Ohlen was blown away by the depth of FFVII's troubled, human characters like Cloud and Aeris when he played it.

The FFVII characters deal with relatable issues like regret, loss, and love despite the fantastical setting.

Ohlen had extensive D&D dungeon master experience, "20,000 hours," which formed an essential foundation for his video game writing.

Ohlen admits he "totally ripped off" The Empire Strikes Back when writing the story for Knights of the Old Republic.