BioWare is relying on the success ofDragon Age 4to overcome some recent disappointments the studio has suffered, despite being one of the most acclaimed developers in the RPG genre. BetweenMass Effect: AndromedaandAnthem, BioWare has lost some of their reputation for reliability over the last few years, makingDragon Ageone of their most important IPs to maintain after the relative success ofInquisition.
Inquisitionhad flaws, however, thatDragon Age 4needs to learn from. The next game should take one key feature fromDragon Age: Originsthat was not included inInquisition, which, combined with one featureInquisitionadded to the game, could help give the nextDragon Agethe success it needs to stick the landing on the next generation of consoles.
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Inquisition’s Opening
Dragon Age: Inquisitiongave players the greatest breadth of races to play as in aDragon Agegame, introducingthe Qunarialongside the humans, elves, and dwarves present and playable inDragon Age: Origins. However, while the game gave players more options when it came to their race, it provided the players with far fewer roleplaying opportunities related to their background.
No matter who the Inquisitor is inInquisition, the player character has the exact same introduction to the world, and their personal origins are left to the side. InDragon Age: Originsthere are different race and class-based origins depending on the player’s choices that explain how they came to be aGrey Wardenat the Battle of Ostagar, which kicks of the main events of the story.Inquisitionessentially opens at the same point in the story arc as that battle, but does not take the time to set the stage or explore the world beforehand.
WithDragon Age 4likely set in the never-before visited land ofTevinter, it will be important that players have context for their characters and their place in the world before they begin to roleplay if BioWare wants to avoid creating dissonance between how the player sees their character and how they are seen in the world.
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Origins in Dragon Age 4
InInquisition, for example, the player can play as a Qunari mage, but they are provided with very little context for just how intense of a position in society that is, with almost all other Qunari mages forced into muzzles and shackles, their tongues cut out to stop them corrupting others. With new locations and new classes likedwarf magespotentially on the table, the player will need context to roleplay with confidence inDragon Age 4.
With the next game set in an entirely new country to previous games,Dragon Age 4needs to establish things about the player character’s life through some prologue quests. While some fans may feel this risks slowing down the action, RPGs don’t operate by the same rules as movies, andDragon Age: Originsshows how immersive it can be to spend some time with the player character during their normal life before the events of the main quest kick off in order to fully understand who the player is roleplaying as.
Dragon Age: Inquisitiongave the player character a choice of origins, but without being able to play through any of the backstorythe Inquisitorfelt far flatter, even as a blank slate character, than the Warden. Origins inDragon Age 4could include dwarf mages gaining magic via the Titans, elves living with the consequences of the Dread Wolf’s return, or Qunari arriving on the continent from their homeland.
A human noble Inquisitor is established to be part of the Trevelyan family, but that has nowhere near the emotional impact as the player choosing a human nobleWarden inOriginsand losing their family, or playing as a dwarf noble and being robbed of their birthright. IfDragon Age 4gives players a moment to get to know their character and their culture before the action kicks off, the game could help bring the series back to its former heights.
Dragon Age 4is in development.
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