I consider the original Dragon Age game to be an incredible game. It's definitely up there on my list of games that I look back on fondly. It is far from perfect, though it had a lot of depth to it. Every subsequent entry sought to erode what came before it, with the most recent entry being a complete and utter parody.
I believe an apt term is 'spite writing'. It is not uncommon for many modern day developers to latch onto existing settings that are memorable for a specific aesthetic and tone only to completely change everything from the art style to the dialogue.
The original game felt very immersive. Characters looked, spoke and acted like they belonged to the setting. I cannot begin to express how much second hand embarrassment I felt watching the infamous Taash scenes, though I am thankful I saw the writing on the wall due to pattern recognition and did not play or purchase the game.
It is my hope that Larian do not fall into the same trap and allow themselves to be strong-armed or guilt tripped into doubling down on divisive 'representation' that comes at the expense of immersion, tone and aesthetics. That's especially true when it comes to established lore elements. I am tired of cool, gritty fantasy races being sanitised as to not offend the mythical 'modern audience'.
Last edited by Chadston; 21/01/26 08:03 PM.
