Later, you can choose up to two subclasses once you reach the necessary level requirements, and there are a few different means of unlocking additional skill trees. The choices may seem initially limited, but your options eventually expand. You'll customize your own avatar's look from a variety of presets, but more importantly, you'll choose a race and class. The anxiety that results when you encounter important choices is a result of superb writing and character development: When you care about your destiny, decisions have more weight.Įven Dragon Age's initial moments present important decisions that affect how your adventure plays out. Are werewolves heartless killers, or is there a method to their madness? Should you wholeheartedly embrace a political candidate, or will some unexpected information have you playing double agent-or just killing the opposition? Such open-ended quests have become staples in many similar RPGs, but few make these decisions feel so momentous. On significant quests, you'll encounter complex choices that force you to weigh the risks against the rewards, even as you try to stay true to your own vision of your character. Your personal relationships aren't all you need to worry about when facing a difficult decision, however. Doing so opens more dialogue options and may even reward you with unexpected gifts beyond the private pleasures of your tent.
Rather, you must improve your standings with available party members by giving them gifts and fulfilling quests in ways that please them. Relationships must be nurtured in the world of Dragon Age, love doesn't develop at first sight. The course of love isn't always a smooth one, though it can be a bit steamy, in a PG-13 sort of way. You may even develop a romance (or two) before all is said and done. Morrigan and Alistair banter about the role of templars in the lives of mages, and the sweetly devout Leliana tries to communicate with your trusty canine cohort in some amusing exchanges. Great dialogue and fantastic voice acting make these characters leap off the screen as if they were real friends, and the way they interact with one another feels authentic. There are others too, including Alistair, a wisecracking, vaguely insecure member of the Grey Wardens, an elite group of champions that recruits you early on. There's Morrigan, the cynical apostate mage bound to your cause for reasons that become clear only late in the journey Sten, the strong, silent type who isn't so quick to reveal his innermost thoughts and Zevran, a darkly mischievous would-be assassin with a wild streak and a playful disregard for the law. You'll learn even more from the companions who join you, and you'll grow to care about them on your quest for glory. Even if you aren't the literary sort, Dragon Age may inspire you to read every note, every character bio, and every creature description, thanks to the richness of the world and the consistency with which it's presented. Small, humorous touches like this are plentiful. But lest this world sound too serious, don't despair: One such disciple slides food references into her chant, and a few dwarves warn you not to fall into the sky.
Chantries provide refuge to those worshiping the all-powerful Maker, and chanters recite the holy word near their houses of prayer. The role of religion in human circles is of particular note. Mages remain under the constant watch of templars, a restriction that doesn't sit well with those who view such policing as virtual slavery. Dragon Age features dwarves, but their caste-based society and the social paragons that rise above it twist the norms enough to keep you intrigued. Ferelden is a colorful and fascinating kingdom that takes enough cues from well-known fantasy tropes to be familiar, but bends enough conventions to feel original. The shocks, the joys, and the disappointments spring from the repartee among a number of remarkable characters they lurk within books of lore and stories of martyrs and they burst forth during spine-tingling moments when you must choose from a selection of difficult choices that affect the tale's direction-and the way your associates interact with you. Now Playing: Dragon Age: Origins Video Reviewĭragon Age's plot, which deals with the impending invasion of a horde of demonic creatures called the darkspawn, isn't where the story's biggest surprises lie. By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's