PC and console games

Developer: BioWare	Graphics:
Publisher: Electronic Arts	Sound:
Year: 2009	Difficulty:
Genre: Role-playing game	Lastability:
Number of players: 1	Rating:	9/10

Everything I’m going to say about Dragon Age could easily apply to Baldur’s Gate (PC-DOS, 1998), from which it draws a lot of inspiration. But, I must confess, that game is a glaring hole in my gaming experience. I don’t know the series at all, so I’m only now discovering the impressions PC players had years ago.

Dragon Age is a conventional RPG at first glance, steeped in heroic fantasy and, plot-wise, comfortably within the Tolkien universe. What sets it apart, however, are the brilliantly written dialogues (and impressively voiced, at least in the original English version), charismatic characters, and the choices offered to the player, from character creation to story paths and moral decisions. All these elements create an immersive experience—precisely what I expect from this type of game. Let’s just say I’m rarely satisfied. In fact, I think this may be the first time I’ve seen all the ingredients come together in one game!

You’re free to play as a dwarf, elf, or human, pick your class as usual, but more importantly, choose your background (noble, commoner, etc.). This could have been more developed, but the options give you a customized starting scenario to kick off the adventure on the right foot.
[Cute mixed-metaphors. – Ed.]

Your traveling companions come with their own complex backgrounds and personalities, revealed through numerous branching dialogues. You can befriend them, romance some, or even have fun antagonizing them. Occasionally, your companions will comment unprompted on your actions or squabble with each other (which often has me laughing out loud at the screen—a first for me!).

Since you’re allowed to play as a hero or villain, with choices that are permanent and consequential, you’ll definitely feel like replaying the game, trying all the prologues, watching every ending, seducing everyone you can…
And on top of that, the backstory is incredibly rich. The dense mythology and history of the game world are hinted at by various characters or through “codex” entries you pick up along the way. So, there’s always something new to discover in each playthrough.

The combat sequences didn’t leave much of an impression. You control four characters at once, pausing the game as needed to strategize. This leads to tactical battles that leverage class synergies. Standard fare.

But, as you’d expect from such a sprawling game, bugs are plentiful. Thankfully, the player community has patched many of these via free mods that you can install to tweak the game. There are hundreds of fascinating mods that I recommend checking out (though maybe steer clear of Improved Atmosphere, which corrupted my save files).

The game was also followed by several paid DLC (downloadable content), most of which aren’t great (with the exception of The Stone Prisoner—Shale the golem is a fantastic character!). I believe they’re now sold as a bundle at a discount, so why not.

The sequel, Dragon Age 2, was poorly received, though not for the right reasons, in my opinion. My complaints are twofold: a pre-set main character and voiced dialogue. Less immersion, less appeal.

* * *

I finally dragged myself to the end of Dragon Age 2 after two attempts, several months apart.

Where to start? Maybe with the “dynamic” combat system, which has you circling a pillar for over an hour to beat a boss on higher difficulty levels—or running in circles with a parade of enemies hot on your heels. This is the hallmark of modern RPGs that I find repulsive. That, and the game’s excessive reliance on copy-pasted environments: building interiors, warehouses, alleys … we spend our time traipsing through the same instanced zones endlessly, between loading screens (artsy, yes, but way too frequent).

It feels like the game never gets off the ground after the prologue: there’s no continuity, a bare-bones story leaving you little room for significant choices, unlikable companions, background characters relentlessly repeating the same lines every few seconds. Oh, and the final villain? An old woman in plate armour, wielding a massive sword on her back—literally wedged into her rear end when she stands up. A model of credibility! And I’ll spare you the rundown of bugs in quests and dialogues that were never fixed.

* * *

One thing that really cracks me up when I’m watching a so-bad-it’s-good movie is when a character earnestly questions the absurdity of their own situation—like a cry for help from someone trapped in a mindless plot. That’s exactly how I feel talking to Varric, the dwarf. I’d sum up his thoughts like this: “This is nonsense. I don’t know why I’m here, or why I’m sticking around.” You’ve got it, buddy!

This third instalment is chock-full of “areas” and “quests”, but, utterly soulless. It’s like a fast-food game, in line with MMO standards, where you spend all your time following arrows and collecting whatever’s lying around.

To start, I find the plot and dialogue beyond dull, wrapped in a staging style so naive it’s laughable (the pinnacle being when you’re watching the band of idiot-mercenaries die—I can’t imagine a self-respecting player letting them get away; there’s a limit to schmaltz).

Then there’s the atrocious interface. The inventory management, through a drop-down menu like on consoles, was so cumbersome that I quickly gave up on the crafting system, which was supposedly well-developed. Meanwhile, other features that were handled well in the first game—like tactics or spell/skill customization—have been outrageously simplified. The camera is all over the place, making “tactical mode” useless. The AI is dreadful: my teammates sometimes just stand there while I fight alone, and at other times they’re off chasing a squirrel 10 kilometres away.

Yet for the first two hours, it doesn’t seem that bad. The scenery isn’t unpleasant, and you get carried along by the plot, cheesy as it is, packed with twists and turns. But that’s the problem: the illusion lasts for two hours. Then you start to realise that the story, the quests, the combat, and the characters are all just … bland.

For me, the breaking point came right after moving into the fortress (Skyhold). There’s this gaping lull when four or five new regions open up all at once—massive wastelands stuffed with side quests, all identical and endlessly recycled. It’s just clicking on map markers at every corner. Never felt more like I was at work! The only entertainment left is the random dialogues between companions. Sadly, after about an hour, a well-known bug (never fixed) permanently silences them, leaving you to follow a GPS, click on points, slog through yet another fight every 10 metres, for hours on end, in dead silence. I don’t mind repetitive games if they’re fun (example: Vermintide, couldn’t help me!), but what am I supposed to do with a drawn out, boring game? Oh, I know, complain about it on my site…

All of this brings up a few questions: When will developers cut back on graphic designers and hire decent writers? When will they add cooldowns so NPCs don’t repeat the same lines in an endless loop? When will we break free from this manga-style good-versus-evil, from being the savior of a kingdom full of idiots, under the heel of an army of evil demons corrupted by magic crystals (red, obviously)? I don’t want to save the world! I don’t want to help Granny find her cat/brother/daughter/ring. I want to be a bastard! I played this neurotic detour for a single goal: to hook up with the brunette sporting the German accent (Cassandra), only to get shot down. Guess I told her what I thought a few too many times … or maybe the game hates me too.

On a side note, I’d love to throttle that requisitions officer. And the developer who thought it would be a great idea for her to say “Inquisitor! Nothing to report, sir!” every time you walk by. And then to put her in every camp, right in front of the supply points, making her impossible to avoid.

I’ll end on a positive note, because apparently I’m negative—no, really, I found one, see: the characters bend one knee when they’re standing on a slope. Bravo to the legion of graphic artists!

* * *

Hahahahahahahahahaha! No.

Where to buy it? GOG Steam