Andraste’s flaming leotard! Spoilers ahead. Spoilers ahead.
Okay, I have taken one-year, restricting myself in silent reverie from blogging about Dragon Age, and Maker’s breath—I think it is time to let it all out. Where to even begin? Well, I suppose the easiest place would be Inquisition. (Taps her hand three times on the keyboard.) Never mind. That is not the easiest place. Let’s go back to Origins. Oh, how I love me some Grey Wardens!!
Never in my life, and most likely ever again, will there be a game comparable to that of DAO. It is just one of those sparkles in time that came together flawlessly and left enough of an effect to become the standard (if not top-five) from which all RPG’s would be compared to for all time. (I feel the blaze of Skyrim loyalists searing against my skin. I know. I know. The Dragonborn comes. In about seventy-hours because that is how long it takes to travel. Is he here yet? winky face) Even Bioware has never been able to quite reproduce the feeling this lovely slice of fantastical-pie encompassed its gamers in. And maybe, ahem, just maybe (side glances) we as lovely fans of the series need to make peace with that notion. Yes. I know. Andraste’s long standing grudge! That is easier said than done.
What is the psychology behind Origins that made it so great? Some of you are rolling your eyes, “What didn't make it so great?” and to that, all I can say is: exactly. The story was a phenomenal blend of personal triumph and fantastical spectacle. The characters became your family, one in which you COULD INTERACT WITH OUTSIDE OF THE CAMP—it made them alive. Though—I still give Bioware kudos for expanding the idea of “camp” into Skyhold.
In Origins, everything simply made sense. It wasn’t like closing rifts for hours on end, finding shards or spending crazy amount of time gathering Bloodstone. Everything in Origins had a purpose, and you felt for one sublime moment a part of that purpose. That purpose is what made you loyal. That purpose is what fueled Bioware’s continuation of the series. That purpose is why you spent 78 hours of your life you will never get back playing a bloody video game—and you do not regret it!
It is why you fed Hawk to the spiders in The Fade instead of Alastair without second-thought. It is why you would throw your inquisitor to the spiders, too—if you were forced to choose between them. Because for most of you—not all, I realize, continue to play-out this series because of your loyalty to the first. Even if you hated it, it is what propelled you to at least give it a try.
Origins created a fan-base of loyalists. We are as thick as blood.
Now, skipping over Dragon Age 2 … Because… Well… The entire game reminded me of the time I won an all-expense paid trip to the local 711 after coming home from discovering the inner realms of the seven heavens. I digress. Bleh. Ooh, this Slurpee is good… I wonder if it will be good at night-time as well?
“Andraste’s complete underwhelmed sense of wonder”
My general opinion of Dragon Age Inquisition was: I liked it. Ha. Ha. But, really. I like Dr. Pepper. I like Dragon Age Inquisition: that is how I feel.
Let’s be honest the game REALLY DID have incredible triumphs as well as complete and utter failures! But hey, I overlooked most of them fairly easy, and in the end was satisfied enough to wish there was more to play-out.
Let’s first give shout-out to the magnificence of it all: The game is epic, especially in scale. There is never not something you can be doing in Inquisition! Even if it is gathering herbs in the damn forest for seven bleeding hours. Bioware, true to its promise, gave you creative, varied landscapes to explore, and I appreciated how most of them tied into your inner-circle in some way. It was geographically satisfying to say the least. In addition, your map in terms of choices offered much more than Origins and about one-hundred times more than Kirkwall’s day and night restriction. Light on. Light off!
All-in-all, the story-line was interesting enough, and major kudo’s for all of the creative psychological input! I, mean, come on: the scene when you’re trudging through the ever fall of snow and darkness, right after Haven. Yes, please. The entire idea of the War Table was fabulous, even though I am not sure, within the scope of the game, rather or not those decisions really made any impact at all. The entire Dawn Will Come, finding Skyhold EPIC+OCITY of it all. Yes, please!!! And to be honest, I rather liked everyone in my inner-circle, less for Varric. He has never been one of my fave’s. Isabella may have been a bit more fun!? The banter between (THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS BACK BIOWARE) Blackwall and Cole was hilarious. It reminded of Wynne and Alastair. Some of my favorite stuff. In addition to all those lovely tiddly-bits: I also was a fan of the Wicked Grace scene. It was good fun.
In terms of characterization, I appreciated how diverse and complete the characterization scope truly was within the life-force of this game. Rather or not you agreed with them all does not really matter. Bioware held true to the idea of RPG greatness, in giving you something real, rather than something politically correct. The idea is to make you uncomfortable and test those limits, to see what kind of world you would wield. The play on faith verses a world without it: genius and it shows up within the complexity of its characters. P.P.S Trevor Morris, please compose the soundtrack to my life.
Andraste’s everite-miner’s daughter!
My complaints appear to be on par with most: the game was incredibly glitchy that required monthly updates to fix. The decisions made at the war table did not matter as much as one would hope, being as they took forever to complete. In fact, this game is drenched in meaningless happenings that left me a bit cranky toward the end. Shards. Dumb. I tell you, by the time the end of the game came around, Rifts were on my nerves! As was blood lotus. And Bloodstone. And the fact, the end was just---the end of Corephyusisuseapernicaus (in the words of Sera.) Wait, what was all that other stuff about, then? I thought I was building an inquisition. Wait. What? What did I even do??? I could have killed the bloody bad-guy without the inquisition, really. So none of it mattered? Nooooooo!!! Andraste’s complete and utter confusion. Obtaining specializations was a bit ridiculous, as was trying to obtain armor worth a damn. In normal circumstances, it would not be, but as this game at times has you running every-which-way for no apparent reason-- it makes all the trivial stuff feel… TRIVIAL.
Why have money in this game? Anyone figure this one out?
And lastly, I was not all too impressed with the romance options as they were far too limited and varied inconsistently between characters. You get more with some characters and significantly less with others. Not at all fair for those dedicate the same amount of game play to each. This all sounds pervy, but… Well, I guess it is a bit pervy. I favor romance in fantasy novels. It makes everything that much worth fighting for.
If anyone romanced COLE please let me know. There are rumors you can...
For the record: I am not too sure I cared for the blatant taint of the Grey-Warden persona. Pun intended. Understandably, Bioware wants its Dragon Age followers to move on to some degree. It makes sense, but to have the order give themselves over to abominations? Er…. No. I am sorry. That would never happen. They did this to smash all those lovely warden-dreams of ours right into the mushy, blighted, Thedas-dirt. It sent sort of a dirty little message, don’t you think? I am not sure this one was well played.
Andraste’s massive eye-roll!
I was going to talk about Solas, but that is another topic entirely.
What we can be sure of is that Bioware is sending us to Tevinter to follow a villain we don’t exactly hate, with (or at least a cameo by) a one-armed inquisitor (Huff. So. Not. Cool) who very well may be the only person in all of Thedas that can reason with him—depending on your choices, of courses. Clever of them to give me a villain I kind of like…. Mmmh. Bioware is sneaky and VERY INTENTIONAL. Now, would it not it be slightly thrilling if the Grey Warden, who was looking for a way to stop the calling… just so happened to be in Tevinter? As in that is most likely that is the case. Bioware has not killed the Warden off, and as I said before, they are very, very intentional. My thought is to why.
Or, maybe we will just all play the fourth installment as the Divine. Running the Chantry, forming forbidden loves with templars. Sneaking Red Lyrium for character color. As Lelianna! Only kidding—kind-of. Bioware has a corporate crush on Lelianna. Do not put it past them.
Now would it not be amazing if Bioware gave us a Dragon Age Legends series, where you actually play out the game as Andraste!?!?!
And, yes, for the record: I do not think the Grey Warden could stop Solas, but dammit—I like to see her try!
Andraste’s blissful denial.