The choices are yours to make, but they’re not made in a bubble. Or maybe you’ve got idealistic views of changing the system? Well, that involves kinda bullying Alistair into being king when he doesn’t want to. Play them right, and you may have become part of the corrupt politics of Ferelden itself. Play your cards wrong, and you’re fighting your way through the Landsmeet. You gradually grow your influence as you run between the various factions around the country - mages, elves, dwarves, human politicians - but there’s always a bigger fish around the corner ready to keep you humble. Throughout the game, this power and powerlessness work in tandem to paint a vivid image of Ferelden. This entire opening segment teaches you two important messages that Dragon Age is all about, but is best balanced in this game: you have the power to make a difference, but you can’t do that alone.
However, you have the promise of power - the treaties with all the different factions in Ferelden, so you can build that army up again once more. You’ve also got a couple of companions in tow, but they’re just as lost and constrained by their own upbringing as you are. You’re let loose in a country you’ve never explored, but one that you know will already have an opinion on you based on your origin. And then, you guessed it, that’s suddenly violently taken away from you too.Īfter a whirlwind of being told to know your place, and then being part of a massive army, you’re left with pretty much nothing. You’re part of an ancient army headed by the king himself. Your peaceful way of life is suddenly violently taken away from you and you’re whisked away to the all-powerful Grey Wardens. A Luke Skywalker-style farmer backstory was eventually cut, but basically, you’re Luke before RD-D2 and C-3PO show up. The first hour of the game is you experiencing your backstory - a relatively mundane life, at the bottom of the pile, and with nothing going on.
The best RPGs walk a fine line between making you feel all-powerful yet powerless all at once, which is what the origins in Origins are there for. Related: Dragon Age's Grey Wardens Teach Us That Our Pasts Don't Define Us Dragon Age: Origins is the best game in the series, and this is because of the titular origins themselves. Without retreading too much of the same ground, I’m going to go even further today.
I’ve written before about how Dragon Age: Origins is still very, very bloody good, even if it looks dated. Yet it bridged the gap in a way that exemplifies the best of both eras. A love letter to BioWare’s older RPGs, it was the perfect farewell to lore heavy, PC classics like Baldur’s Gate, as smoother, more direct controller-based titles like Mass Effect instead took its place. Dragon Age: Origins only gets better with each new playthrough.
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