Sure you get to pick your class, gender and can customize your looks, but no matter what you are playing the same character with a few variations in approach.įans of the origin element of Origins might complain but this is not Origins 2, it's a completely new game set in the Dragon Age setting with some overlap and connection to the events of the first. Since you are Hawke (much like you are Commander Shepard in Mass Effect and its sequels), the beginning of the game is fixed. Instead of choosing a race/class combination and then playing through a tailored prologue, Dragon Age 2 shortcuts a bit while allowing you to choose a profession but not a background. Hawke, your proxy, will eventually become the champion of Kirkwall, the game's primary setting, though don't be fooled into believing that champion means hero necessarily. The gameplay is not the same, the focus of this game is firmly set on the development – thematically – of a single person. Those expecting a repeat of Origins with some slight tuning need to adjust their expectations before jumping back into the Dragon Age universe. The main aim of the game is to tell a chapter-based story and while it still has most of the contrivances of a fantasy role-playing game, there is far less focus on discovery and exploration this time out, instead Dragon Age 2 focuses on button-mashing high action sequences told in distinct pieces. The main character, like their Dragon Age: Origins predecessor rises from nothing to become an important figure, the difference this time – it isn't an immediate climb, but instead a ten year epic. Instead of a chronologically linear storytelling mechanism, the player is instead treated to a 3rd person and often unreliable narration. It's adventures followed a fixed path toward an inevitable conclusion with side adventures and later downloadable add on content offering some alternate perspectives on the main game's characters and events.ĭragon Age 2 breaks with this traditional approach. The Warden's tale was fairly standard as fantasy RPGs go – from small fry you develop into a serious player within the kingdom of Ferelden. We came to see the gothic and often very bloody fantasy setting through the eyes of a hero pressed into greater calling through destiny as the Warden. Heroes often come from auspicious origins – that was the story told in the first Dragon Age game as players gained insight into the world of the game thanks to an eternal conflict between inhuman darkspawn and the people of Thedas.

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