Game Review: Dragon Age

Platform/s: PC, Playstation 3 (reviewed), Xbox 360

Developer: BioWare

Publisher: EA (Electronic Arts)

I am not a fan of high fantasy. I have never finished a book authored by Tolkien and I have never played Dungeons and Dragons. I just can't get into the whole high fantasy vibe. It just doesn't click for me. Never has. High fantasy has always seemed childish with its overuse of racial archetypes, reoccurring plot elements, and its over abundance of the mythical. When I hear the word Wizard, I just can't help but laugh. I prefer a world that seems more plausible then what most high fantasy tends to offer.

Before some of my more overzealous readers decide that I should be magic missle'd for my previous statements, know that Dragon Age is for people like me. Although, I'm pretty sure you guys would like it as well.

The world of Dragon Age is a smartly constructed homage to earlier works of high fantasy that does not allow itself to become constricted by the archetypes of its predecessors. While populated by the standard fantasy fare of elves, humans, dwarves, and various other more wicked races, Dragon Age decides to break away from our common conceptions of these by adding enough originality to make their world seem more plausible and intriguing. The most profound example of this, for me, can be seen in their version of elves.

The elves of Dragon Age once, a very very long time ago, were an enlightened and immortal race of beings much like the elves seen in Tolkien and various other works of high fantasy. However, unlike Tolkien's elves these elves were conquered and subsequently enslaved by the humans. So, these once majestic people have lost almost all of their magic and are now not only mortal but considered lesser beings by the much more abundant humans. They now live in two separate societies of Dalish elves, wondering nomads that are desperately searching for their lost power and the much more subjugated city elves who live in separated districts or alienages from their former human slave masters that are more reminiscent of ghettos.

Why this example is so profound for me is because of my previous dislike for the standard interpretation of elves. The standard elven archetype of the stoic, wise, effeminate immortal has always seemed so boring to me. So much so in fact, that I always wondered who, beyond the crowd that read all the Twilight books, found them at all appealing. However, BioWare's elves, especially the city elves, are such a breath of fresh air that I decided to pick one as my character.

Beyond my previous elven aversion, this is especially worth mentioning because every one of the races and classes have been modernized in this manner making them just as interesting. Dwarves live in a caste society, Mages are the most regulated and feared beings on the planet and being able to play the game through these various lenses not only adds to replayability but makes the experience offered that much more unique.

This is because at the onset of starting Dragon Age you are tasked with making your avatar. This aspect is pretty standard fare for western roleplaying games. You choose your race and class with three choices available for each. In addition, the amount of options in which to modify your appearance is almost daunting. After all of this is completed, you are told what your opening story mission will entail.

These opening story missions set the stage for what type of person you will be playing. For me, I learned about how the city elves live in constant fear of their human oppressors. I was forced to watch as my would be wife and cousin were drug away by the local lord's son to be ravished on our wedding day; this was just my beginning.

Because unlike all other roleplaying games of the past, the choices you make when creating you character have serious impact upon the story and the way it is delivered. Being an elf I was almost constantly looked down upon by humans. My background allowed for countless personalized dialogue options for me to choose and changed how many of the NPC's treated me as well. These changes allowed my character to be more then just an extension of myself but rather gave him his own identity. Dealing with racial injustice and bigotry became a constant concern for me.

This attention to detail coupled with BioWare's signature level of high quality storytelling makes Dragon Age a must play for the western RPG aficionado. My only real complaint, in regards to storytelling, is that your avatar does not have a voice actor. While this might not be too much of a concern for some people, when juxtaposed against the very strong acting of all of the rest of the cast I find this lack to be that much more glaring. While I do feel that this causes an unnecessary disconnect, It only marginally deteriorates the overall experience.

I could rant for several more pages about how much better this game's story is when compared to what is normally offered not only in the same genre but games in general. This is no hyperbole, Dragon Age's narrative is that impressive. This is because Dragon Age lives in its minute interactions with the world. When viewed in macro, the story is a pretty standard ode to the works of Tolkien or Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Evil creatures threaten the land and it is your charge to unite the lands to defeat them. However, it is in the micro that this game excels.

Much like BioWare's previous release Mass Effect, Dragon Age forces the player to make tough decisions that can drastically change the world. These choices often challenge the player's morality, not in a binary manner like Fable, but rather seem much more subtle and ambiguous. Are you an “the end justifies the means” kind of person? Dragon Age forces to find out. I found these moments while some of the most difficult they were also the most satisfying.

Storytelling aside, we are talking about a game that is said to be the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate 2 here, what of the strategic combat?

Dragon Age plays similarly to a single player version of a World of Warcraft five man instance. Much like WOW having a diverse group of specialized components working in concert is a necessity. The further into the game you get the more this becomes apparent. This is not a game where you can blunder you way through level up menus randomly assigning points. Dragon Age was designed for seasoned RPG players.

The level up system of two separate talent trees and stat increases might seem daunting to those people unaccustomed but as one of these seasoned players I can't help but appreciate the attention to detail. Although, the tutorial sections at the beginning do not explain this system well enough to encourage the uninitiated. In a climate of games being designed to more palpable to a larger audience I have to congratulate BioWare on deciding to go with a system that includes such depth even if at the expense of greater appeal. Thankfully, BioWare decided to include the ability to adjust the difficulty on the fly which should alleviate any sense of frustration.

Combat itself is handled by controlling one party member at a time. Those not under your direct control at that moment are automated by guidelines that you can dictate much like Final Fantasy 12's Gambit system. These guidelines can be set to one of many presets or can be completely customized. Also, at any point in combat you can pause and shift perspectives to another character and either take control of them or merely select a spell or ability allowing for more direct control of combat. This allows you the freedom of either dictating each action much like a turn-based RPG or trusting to your presets making small adjustments when you deem them necessary.

That said, Dragon Age further proves BioWare's pedigree as the premier RPG developers. Its dark blood soaked narrative tries to push the envelope in regards to videogame's maturity not only with its liberal use of violence but in its difficult moral quandaries. Frankly, Dragon Age is the best RPG I have played in this console generation, which should be all the recommendation I need to give considering my bias on high fantasy.

Score: 5 out of 5

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