I’m shocked how many people don’t like this game. I already know why tho, they want what they’ve always been spooned and aren’t willing to try something even slightly different. Well shame on them cause this game is absolutely gorgeous. Honestly, I’m usually the hater with high brow, unrealistic expectations but this game surpassed my expectations. I am a MASSIVE dragon age franchise fanboy and had extremely high expectations to begin with. I had also read it is a bit different but as long as it’s a great game, I was down for different. This is the Andromeda to the Mass Effect franchise. It’s strays slightly from typical design, writing and mechanics, but I have to say, it’s an absolute masterpiece in beauty, lore, writing, and creative design. I think what everyone loved about Zelda breath of the wild is around every corner, there’s a little something new, a little surprise, a magic mirror, a tiny elf, a giant ogre, something exciting happening at every turn. This game does that wonderfully. There are also some quite challenging and extremely well balanced battles that were perfectly balanced, I felt like I was on a roller coaster just having a great time. The lighting and magic in this game is palpable. The game can feel a little tame at times (Harding and Bellara can be downright annoying at times with their saccharin approval and Dora the explorer personalities), but not enough to even give it four stars. The creativity and design are that out of your favorite fantasy fiction novel and it’s like peering into the imagination of a very brilliant team of creative. The soundtrack is beautiful (I score for a living) and the use of pitch wavering vintage synths (I am sure I heard an Oberheim patch in this game!!) is absolutely wonderful, laid contrast to epic orchestral works. The writing is fantastical and well thought out. If you’re going into this game looking for another sequel to inquisition or origins, you won’t find it here and I think that disappointed a lot of people (diapers baby gamers). I do like what they did with the Solas and blight storyline and I really have no qualms at all with this wonderful work of art. Just play it and enjoy it (and then go play Boulder gate)! It’s a fantastical beauty to behold.
I’d also like to add, in case BioWare is reading this, if you pander to these 7 year old Fortnite gamers and add “live services” or multiplayer function to our beautiful Dragon Age franchise, it will be the end of the franchise. Just don’t. Thats not the problem. At all.