There’s power in stories. That’s all history is: the best tales. The ones that last. Might as well be mine

Varric Tethras (Dragon Age II)

The Dragon Age series is a franchise that I’ve recently explored after playing and completing Mass Effect, its sister trilogy. I had really enjoyed playing as Commander Shepherd and seeing how the many different decisions affected my companions, and how each successive game just upped the stakes that I had to face and overcome. A couple of years after completing the trilogy, I was browsing in a local video game store when I overheard a casual conversation between the cashier and a customer about both the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series. I listened as they compared the similarities and differences between the two, and I soon became determined to dive into the Dragon Age series for the first time if, only out of curiosity. I was able to purchase both Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Inquisition and complete them both…but it took some time afterwards to do the same for Dragon Age: II.

First of all, just what is Dragon Age and what is the series about? Dragon Age is a fantasy role-playing franchise developed by BioWare set in the fictional world of Thedas, and focuses on characters and storylines set in the various nations and factions throughout that world. Magic is either coveted or feared, and themes of faith and prejudice are multifaceted and explored in each game.

I didn’t know much of Dragon Age II going in, but I had heard and got the impression that it was seen as the black sheep of the franchise. Development for II was concurrent with Origins‘ DLC and was released in March 2011, not even two full years after the release of Origins. While critical reception for II was generally positive upon its release, fans were much more divisive and critical, especially in the changes of gameplay and locations. After having completed the game myself, I could definitely see how fans were frustrated with the overall experience while playing it. Here are my thoughts, good and bad, for Dragon Age: II.

Taking place immediately during the ending of Dragon Age: Origins, you play as Hawke, who with their family flees the capital city of Ferelden as refugees to the city-state of Kirkwall. Stripped of their home and without any means to support themselves, Hawke begins work as a mercenary, building a reputation in order to earn enough gold to reclaim their family’s title and property in Kirkwall and support their loved ones. Along the way, Hawke begins to uncover conspiracies that lead them and their companions to investigate and put an end to – including abuse of power of the ruling leadership of Kirkwall. Things begin to take a turn for the worst when the Templars (the holy warrior order that hunts magical abominations and dangers) begin ruling Kirkwall with an iron fist and begin executing Mages for no apparent cause except fear. This leads to an all-out battle between the Templars and Mages to determine the fate of Kirkwall – a fate that Hawke has a hand in determining for the entire city-state and all who live within.

One of the things I enjoyed about Dragon Age II while playing through it were the dynamics and different views that each of the main characters had. The main conflict of the game centers on the rising tensions between the ruling Templar faction, the military branch of the religious Chantry vs. the Mages, people with the gift of magic who are often treated as subhuman by others and are mistreated, as they can easily be possessed by Demons, thanks to their magical capabilities. Your party members will have vastly different views and loyalties that they may share with you throughout the story, and your choices impact whether they become closer friends or heated rivals. Depending on your dialogue and action choices, you can have a hand in their character development, helping them grow and change their perspectives. Your opinions will also shape which side you ultimately help by the conclusion of the story – will you help the Templars, who are sword to protect all of Thedas from the evils of magic? Or will you side with the Mages, who only want to be treated as equals and not as ticking-time bombs, doomed to become monsters as their magic grows stronger.

On the other hand, while I liked seeing these characters have such strong views and opinions about the Mages and Templars, I grew annoyed by how much disdain they often had for each other if they had opposing views with one another. In Origins, not all of the main characters didn’t like each other, but it was apparent that they did respect each other. Here, I often felt that some of the characters seemed to outright hate and antagonize one another. It made the already gloomy atmosphere that Kirkwall had even more dismal.

As already mentioned, there were numerous conspiracies to uncover in II, and I enjoyed seeing how they affected the everyday populace of Kirkwall. It helped me learn more about the world of Thedas, and since I had already played both Origins (which takes place before II) and Inquisition (which takes place after), it was exciting to see how these conspiracies grew bigger and bigger and connect the two other entries.

Origins‘ gameplay felt very stiff for me and was based more on strategy and and figuring things out one step at a time on a methodical level; it was very slow and often tedious, but still engaging. II in contrast is a lot more hack-and-slash; I remember button-mashing quite a lot in order to land as many blows to nearby enemies as I could. Unfortunately, the complaint that spawns of never-ceasing enemies and randomly encountering them did feel valid for me. I often struggled on pivotal missions where I often ran out of potions and my party members would fall quickly, one at a time. With no way to revive them, this would often result in a game over for me, forcing me to start from the last checkpoint again.

The locations were also criticized for being barren, and often copy-and-pasted. This was another criticism that I agreed with; Kirkwall felt lifeless compared to Origins before it, and again, it felt annoying moving from one location of the city to another before suddenly being ambushed by randomly spawned thugs. The NPCs nearby had no reaction if there was a battle happening before them, and it felt more like a trifle than something that was necessary to add to the plot.

In conclusion, I am glad that I did give Dragon Age II a chance and play it. While it is my least favorite of the Dragon Age titles, I don’t think it’s as terrible as fans have made it out to be in the past few years. I think if the developers had more time to flesh out the gameplay and locations, then players would have enjoyed exploring the city of Kirkwall more, and be more invested in the story. I hope that you may give Dragon Age II a chance if you haven’t played it yet and are interested in the Dragon Age series; there are many events and revelations here that become pivotal in Inquisition, which was released several years later.