15 Years of Dragon Age: Origins. Remembering the Best Game in the Series

The Veilguard is BioWare's first major project since Anthem and Mass Effect: Andromeda. But in the 2000s, the Canadian studio released one hit after another. For example, on this day in 2009, the first part of the Dragon Age series was released. This is what our article is about.

Baldur's Gate 3, the main game of last year, was developed by Larian Studios, known for the Divinity series. However, the first two parts of Baldur's Gate were developed by BioWare. The studio was founded back in 1995 by University of Alberta graduates led by Raymond Muzyka. By that time, they were already working on software for doctors, but this activity did not satisfy their creative ambitions. All the guys who founded BioWare were avid gamers and wanted to create their own game worlds.

The studio's first project was the mecha simulator Shattered Steel. The game was released in 1996 and received mixed reviews — it was praised for its lively action, but criticized for its monotony and arcade nature. Four years later, the humorous shooter MDK 2 was released, which was made in the superhero genre. Today, it would be compared to «Guardians of the Galaxy». It received much higher marks from the press, and fans still remember the project with love.

But Shattered Steel and MDK 2 turned out to be steps away for BioWare. The studio focused its efforts on role-playing games. Both parts of Baldur's Gate and their add-ons are isometric RPGs that are based on the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) rules. Fans of board games noted the accuracy of following the canons, but you don't need to know them to play. We got high-quality role-playing games with an interesting plot, thoughtful gameplay and a large open world that was interesting to explore.

Two years after the release of the second Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights was released. It was based on the third edition of AD&D. It is worth mentioning the Aurora Toolset, which opened up huge opportunities for modders. The result was not long in coming — thousands of modifications for Neverwinter Nights appeared on the Internet, and some of them turned out to be more interesting than the main story mode.

In the first half of the 2000s, many games were released based on Star Wars. In 2003, BioWare released an RPG called Knights of the Old Republic, which is considered one of the best interactive projects within the Star Wars brand. The game took place several millennia before the events of the films, so we saw a completely new story about noble Jedi and insidious Sith with their secret plans. The result is a quality role-playing adventure that can captivate you for hours. In 2021, a remake was announced at PlayStation Showcase, but its fate is currently in question.

BioWare's shooter skills came in handy while working on Mass Effect. The Canadians offered us a hybrid of a classic role-playing game with third-person action. This time, they came up with their own setting from scratch, showed how humanity explores space, meets representatives of other alien races, and takes its place in the galaxy. Many fans of role-playing games did not like the fact that in Mass Effect, accurate shooting is more important than pumped-up parameters. But in future parts of the series, BioWare placed an even bigger bet on the shooter component.

The term «return to the roots“, which is now used to describe The Veilguard, was also relevant for the first Dragon Age. In the original game of 2009, we saw a complex role-playing system with dozens of parameters and a variable plot, in which much depends on the player. Moreover, the choice of race and class directly influenced the hero's backstory. Each prologue skillfully revealed the world of the game, demonstrating the beauty and cruelty of Ferelden, where the action of Origins unfolded.

From the very first scenes it became clear: we are dealing with a dark fantasy. Any pompous and romantic speeches here were interrupted by a blow of a sword, people were killed for the slightest offense and disobedience, and the locals sometimes turn out to be no less cruel than the creatures of darkness. Often, it is impossible to make the rightchoice is impossible, because we only choose between different shades of evil. This is especially vividly felt during the struggle for power in the dwarven city of Orzammar.

The action of the game unfolded on the continent of Thedas, in the kingdom of Ferelden. The country was attacked by hordes of monsters led by the Archdemon, who took the form of a huge dragon. The decisive blow to him must be dealt by the Gray Warden, a representative of a special order that was created to fight centuries-old evil. We play as one of them. But to stop the demons, the efforts of all the peoples that inhabit the state are needed, including elves, dwarves and people. As the game progresses, we negotiate with all the factions, after which they send their troops to the decisive battle.

A brief retelling of the story may seem banal. However, its charm lies in the details and individual small plots. The young king is hungry for glory and is eager to fight, but dies in the very first battle. The dwarves can send huge stone golems to help you, but you must remember that each of them contains the soul of an innocent halfling. City elves are driven into local ghettos, where they are treated as second-class creatures. And free representatives of this people suffer from a terrible curse that turns them into werewolves.

You can also show cruelty for your own benefit. For example, increase the parameters of your character with the help of blood magic. To do this, you will have to kill prisoners who have done nothing bad to you.

The plot of the first Dragon Age is closely intertwined with the characters that are part of your squad. Moreover, their personalities can change over time. For example, if at first Morrigan seems like a cold and sharp-tongued bitch, then over time, as your relationship develops, she will begin to open up, tell you what she is afraid of and what she hopes for. And if you help her, the girl will transform and confess her feelings. But this will not affect Morrigan's main goal, which you will learn about before the final battle.

Wynne the sorceress is a kind healer who only approves of merciful acts. However, she can be deeply offended, for example, if you complete the quest to desecrate the Urn of Sacred Ashes. It contains the remains of the savior Andraste, who is revered as a messiah. Wynne, along with the bard Leliana, are the most religious characters in your party. They will not forgive such sacrilege and will leave you forever.

The protagonist of Dragon Age: Origins is not the only Grey Warden in Ferelden. For example, Alistair, a noble knight with rights to the throne, will join your team. Depending on the decisions you make, he can be crowned king, remain in the order, or leave it and disappear into obscurity. Under certain circumstances, he can even be executed.

During the next battle, the elven bandit Zevran will attack you. You can kill him immediately or allow him to join you. Further actions depend on the character's approval level. If it remains unchanged, the guy will betray you and go over to the enemy. But if you have endeared the elf to you, he will remain on your side and go against his former friends from the Antivan Ravens.

Battles in Dragon Age take place in real time. We can control four squad members at once, but switching between them in the heat of battle is not very convenient. Therefore, the game has a tactical pause, which allows you to give commands to your party members or even build a clear sequence of actions. Moreover, if at a low difficulty level it is not needed, then in hardcore mode you cannot do without it.

Characters of the same class can differ significantly from each other depending on the chosen skills. As a result, the game suggests thousands of different combat tactics. In addition to the standard combinations of warriors, support heroes and healers, you can use an unusual option, for example, take three mages with you at once. The game has special skills that are tailored specifically for this strategy. Some players even completed Dragon Age with one character in a squad, without the help of allies.

If the tactical component of Dragon Age is all right, then in terms of the dynamics of the battles seem too slow. Moreover, over time, the situation worsens, because the battles become larger in scale, strong opponents and bosses appear. Each battle takes more and more time, which can start to irritate. However, this approach also has its fans.

The first Dragon Age received only one major DLC. It's called ”Awakening», and it offers to eliminate the consequences of the plague after it ends. Some of the creatures of darkness freed themselves from the influence of the ancient gods and gained intelligence, while others went mad and continued to attack people. A special feature of this add-on is the need to build your own settlement. Later, we will see something similar in «Inquisition», the third part of the series.

In addition, seven small DLCs were released for Dragon Age: Origins during the year. They better revealed the history of the world and its characters. Witch Hunt focuses on the fate of Morrigan, while Leliana's Song focuses on the Orlesian bard in your party. The Darkspawn Chronicles lets you see the events from the perspective of the Archdemon's minions, while The Stone Prisoner adds a living golem to your party.

So far, we have seen four numbered parts of the Dragon Age series, several spin-offs for mobile phones and browsers, as well as books, comics, board games and cartoons within this universe. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the work of David Gaider, the screenwriter of the original trilogy. He wrote the novels The Stolen Throne, The Calling and Asunder.

But let's get back to the games. The second part turned out to be much worse than the first. If the dynamic combat system caused controversy, but was accepted by the players, then no one liked the small open world, which was limited to one city. Even the plot turned out to be much simpler than in the original game. It's no wonder that Dragon Age 2 was considered BioWare's worst game before Mass Effect: Andromeda.

With the threequel, the situation is a little better. The developers took the criticism into account and offered a really big open world in «Inquisition“, which covered Orlais and Ferelden. It unfolded a new large-scale story with the participation of characters familiar from the first part. The problem with the original Inquisition is that it remained unfinished. We saw a full-fledged ending only in the ”Trespasser» add-on. But if you play the full edition with all the DLC, you will get a full-fledged role-playing game in the best traditions of the genre.

And we will tell you about Dragon Age: The Veilguard in our review.

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Have you played Dragon Age: Origins? Or are you just planning to get acquainted with the classics? Share your opinions in the comments!