The Influance of Dragon Age 2 on the Dragon Age Series
Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2020 7:28 am
While DA2 is overall the least popular game in the Dragon Age series I still find it interesting how it's arguably the game that has had the most notable impact on Dragon Age as a whole. Case in point, the artistic style of DA2 is something that has quickly become THE Style of Dragon Age.
While DAO is a great game design wise it wasn't anything special, it was just another generic Dungeons and Dragons and Lord of the Rings clone (again just design wise) and aside from Morrigan every character from the first game who's made a return has been given an alternative outfit that is very much influenced by the outfits in DA2. I honestly think that the reason Morrigan's outfit is the only one that has remained largely unchanged is because it was already very DA2 in look.
DA2's deign in both cloths and building can be best described as Heavy Metal-ish with a Fantasy Twist. Everything in DA2 was REALLY Pointy and looked like it was trying to be as metal as possible and while toned quite a bit that style did carry over into DAI and it looks like it will continue to carry over into DA4.
I think the reason the series has stuck with this style is because it helps make DA more visually distinctive which is good for brand recognition. To go over to Sci-Fi for a moment if you look at Star Trek, Mass Effect and Star Wars you can tell which series is which just by looking at the backgrounds of each series. Even when these series try to break away from that overall look said look will still be present in the series no matter how hard future creators try to get rid of it.
Now look at Fantasy Series. The Owl House, Harry Potter and, of course, Lord of the Rings are all VERY visually unique and you'd be able to tell which series you were in just based on the overall design of the backgrounds. By Contrast, DAO is, again, just another Lord of the Rings series with a heavy emphases on the color Brown and while DA2 isn't exactly the Vincent van Gogh of gaming it was more colorful then any thing we got in DA2.
DA2 also introduced the Humorous option on the dialogue wheel to the series which was also utilized in DAI and will apparently make a return in DA4. While the Dialogue Wheel was obviously included because it as a huge hit in Mass Effect DA2 was the one to turn the middle option from boring neutral to Humorous rouge. Not only did it make the middle option more viable but it also helped to give Hawke more character as now you weren't just restricted to good and mean options but by giving you another options that was just as valid as the other two it meant you could have a more nuanced character.
Hawke can be a Humorous rouge who's smile hides a amoral monster, a virtuous paragon who always puts on a happy face or a Jerkass with a Heart of Gold. While this option was kinda there in DAO you were still mostly forced to play the game as either a Pure Paragon or a Hardened Renegade. Sure, there was nuance in the game itself but the PC was pretty boring. Hawke has problems as a PC but you remember them because they weren't just a Paragon or Renegade and that, again, carried over into DAI.
There's also the fact that Varric seems to be taking on the role of series companion as he will be returning in DA4, voiced once again by Brian Bloom. While Varric's exact role in DA4 is unknown (he might not be a proper companion but an advisor like Cullen, Josephine and Leliana where in DAI) he is the only character to have played a big role in 3 of DA's games instead of just one like other reoccurring characters. Even Leliana was only a major character in DAO and DAI while having only a minor role in DA2 and only if you purchased the DLC of DA2.
And finally, the fact that the next game in the series DA4, seems to be going for something similar to what we got in DA2. From what we've learned so far instead of a large scale war that will decide the fate of the world you are instead going on a small scale story that focuses more on heists, spying and playing as someone who has next to no power in this story.
Now, as Chuck pointed out in his review of DA2 this can backfire HORRIBLY but my focus is just to note that for all it's problems DA2 is, oddly enough, THE most influential DA game in the series.
It's kinda like the Star Wars Prequels when you think about. For all the issues they have the influence of the Prequels is only matched by the Original Trilogy and the Thrawn Trilogy, to the point that they many ideas that Star Wars is returning to are heavily tied to the Prequel Trilogy just as much as they are TOT and TTT.
I just find it interesting how, for all it's problems, DA2 is the game the game that gave DA more of an identity which has helped it stand out as a series. While DAO is still the best in the series and as much as I love DAI DA2 should get a bit more credit for helping Dragon Age to stand out a bit more in pop-culture.
Thoughts?
While DAO is a great game design wise it wasn't anything special, it was just another generic Dungeons and Dragons and Lord of the Rings clone (again just design wise) and aside from Morrigan every character from the first game who's made a return has been given an alternative outfit that is very much influenced by the outfits in DA2. I honestly think that the reason Morrigan's outfit is the only one that has remained largely unchanged is because it was already very DA2 in look.
DA2's deign in both cloths and building can be best described as Heavy Metal-ish with a Fantasy Twist. Everything in DA2 was REALLY Pointy and looked like it was trying to be as metal as possible and while toned quite a bit that style did carry over into DAI and it looks like it will continue to carry over into DA4.
I think the reason the series has stuck with this style is because it helps make DA more visually distinctive which is good for brand recognition. To go over to Sci-Fi for a moment if you look at Star Trek, Mass Effect and Star Wars you can tell which series is which just by looking at the backgrounds of each series. Even when these series try to break away from that overall look said look will still be present in the series no matter how hard future creators try to get rid of it.
Now look at Fantasy Series. The Owl House, Harry Potter and, of course, Lord of the Rings are all VERY visually unique and you'd be able to tell which series you were in just based on the overall design of the backgrounds. By Contrast, DAO is, again, just another Lord of the Rings series with a heavy emphases on the color Brown and while DA2 isn't exactly the Vincent van Gogh of gaming it was more colorful then any thing we got in DA2.
DA2 also introduced the Humorous option on the dialogue wheel to the series which was also utilized in DAI and will apparently make a return in DA4. While the Dialogue Wheel was obviously included because it as a huge hit in Mass Effect DA2 was the one to turn the middle option from boring neutral to Humorous rouge. Not only did it make the middle option more viable but it also helped to give Hawke more character as now you weren't just restricted to good and mean options but by giving you another options that was just as valid as the other two it meant you could have a more nuanced character.
Hawke can be a Humorous rouge who's smile hides a amoral monster, a virtuous paragon who always puts on a happy face or a Jerkass with a Heart of Gold. While this option was kinda there in DAO you were still mostly forced to play the game as either a Pure Paragon or a Hardened Renegade. Sure, there was nuance in the game itself but the PC was pretty boring. Hawke has problems as a PC but you remember them because they weren't just a Paragon or Renegade and that, again, carried over into DAI.
There's also the fact that Varric seems to be taking on the role of series companion as he will be returning in DA4, voiced once again by Brian Bloom. While Varric's exact role in DA4 is unknown (he might not be a proper companion but an advisor like Cullen, Josephine and Leliana where in DAI) he is the only character to have played a big role in 3 of DA's games instead of just one like other reoccurring characters. Even Leliana was only a major character in DAO and DAI while having only a minor role in DA2 and only if you purchased the DLC of DA2.
And finally, the fact that the next game in the series DA4, seems to be going for something similar to what we got in DA2. From what we've learned so far instead of a large scale war that will decide the fate of the world you are instead going on a small scale story that focuses more on heists, spying and playing as someone who has next to no power in this story.
Now, as Chuck pointed out in his review of DA2 this can backfire HORRIBLY but my focus is just to note that for all it's problems DA2 is, oddly enough, THE most influential DA game in the series.
It's kinda like the Star Wars Prequels when you think about. For all the issues they have the influence of the Prequels is only matched by the Original Trilogy and the Thrawn Trilogy, to the point that they many ideas that Star Wars is returning to are heavily tied to the Prequel Trilogy just as much as they are TOT and TTT.
I just find it interesting how, for all it's problems, DA2 is the game the game that gave DA more of an identity which has helped it stand out as a series. While DAO is still the best in the series and as much as I love DAI DA2 should get a bit more credit for helping Dragon Age to stand out a bit more in pop-culture.
Thoughts?
