While Iām hopeful about this new dragon age game and happy to see familiar faces like Varric and Harding, I really struggle with the overall premise of playing a new character for each game. And that isnāt to say that I havenāt enjoyed playing the warden, hawke, and the inquisitor, because I have. I have my attachments to each of them which I think makes knowing I only get to play through their eyes one time that much harder. I know that we get bits and pieces of what happens to them in later games, or they make a cameo, or we interact with other old characters who know them, but I never get to be them again.
I donāt get to resolve my wardenās infection and see them through to a happy ending with their partner, or sail the seas with Hawke and Isabela, or process and heal from the trauma the inquisitor goes through being affected by such volatile magic. Epilogues, cameos, and rumors are nice. But it is hard to keep going through the same āyouāre the new chosen oneā arc when all I care about is what happened to the last character I built and invested in.
Mass Effect at least allowed you to keep playing Shepard, to keep your story and your relationships going, which only made those emotional beats that much more intense and meaningful. Maybe Dragon Age isnāt meant to be played that way but I wish it could be sometimes.
This isnāt a DA4 hate post either and I am excited the series continues. I canāt wait to get to know the new companions and hopefully meet some old fan faves again. Itās just bittersweet for me I think.
