Dragon Age: Origins review

He shouted “Lore, Lore, Lore”

It is quite possible to play Dragon Age as a “hack and slash” adventure. Point, click, kill and loot. But for those who are into these story games, Dragon Age: Origins is a real treasure.

First of all, despite the superficial similarities to previous Bioware games, the actual world building of this game is very good. Despite containing fantasy elements like elves, dwarves and dragons, this game world still feels very unique.

Secondly, there is a lot of hidden lore in the game. From conversations to scrolls and texts, there are countless opportunities to enrich your understanding of this world. And yes, this encourages more playthrough, increasing the replay value of the game.

Combat: the mixed bag

Like a crafty scoundrel, I dodged one of the big questions: what’s the fighting like in this game?

It really depends on how you choose to play it. There are basically three ways to personalize your experience of this game.

The simplest option is to simply control your character. This means that you only care about yourself while your party does the duty of him. Such a mode is fun but (obviously) limiting.

The second option is like the first but you have changed the behaviors of your characters. So while the actual fight is still about your character, you have “programmed” how the rest of your party will react to certain situations. This is more rewarding, but still limited.

What is the most robust option? Micro-management, baby! At any time, you can pause the fight and assign different actions to each character. This allows you to control every slash and every spell.

Final verdict

Dragon Age: Origins turns out to be a fantasy game that everyone should play at least once. There are fun battles, classic characters and an epic story waiting for you. Just don’t try any of the accents after playing!