Incredible storytelling, great characters, and exciting battles are just a few of the things that make

this fantasy role-playing game so extraordinary.

When was the last time you felt totally lost in a fantasy gameworld? When was the last time you
played a game with such a well-crafted and enjoyable story that you knew you’d remember it for a
long, long time? Dragon Age: Origins is that kind of game, so rich and involving that you are
powerless to resist its wiles and whims, so touching and triumphant that your mind and heart will
be moved. In the fictional land of Ferelden, you meet memorable characters and fight for a cause
you believe in, and it's this backdrop that makes developer BioWare's newest role-playing game
so extraordinary. Dragon Age is more than a well-crafted story, however: It's a lengthy, intricate,
and thoroughly entertaining adventure that's easy to fall in love with.
Dragon Age's plot, which deals with the impending invasion of a horde of demonic creatures
called the darkspawn, isn't where the story's biggest surprises lie. The shocks, the joys, and the
disappointments spring from the repartee among a number of remarkable characters; they lurk
within books of lore and stories of martyrs; and they burst forth during spine-tingling moments
when you must choose from a selection of difficult choices that affect the tale's direction--and the
way your associates interact with you. Ferelden is a colorful and fascinating kingdom that takes
enough cues from well-known fantasy tropes to be familiar, but bends enough conventions to feel
original. Dragon Age features dwarves, but their caste-based society and the social paragons that
rise above it twist the norms enough to keep you intrigued. Mages remain under the constant
watch of templars, a restriction that doesn't sit well with those who view such policing as virtual
slavery. The role of religion in human circles is of particular note. Chantries provide refuge to
those worshiping the all-powerful Maker, and chanters recite the holy word near their houses of
prayer. But lest this world sound too serious, don't despair: One such disciple slides food
references into her chant, and a few dwarves warn you not to fall into the sky. Small, humorous
touches like this are plentiful. Even if you aren't the literary sort, Dragon Age may inspire you to
read every note, every character bio, and every creature description, thanks to the richness of the
world and the consistency with which it's presented.
You'll learn even more from the companions who join you, and you'll grow to care about them on
your quest for glory. There's Morrigan, the cynical apostate mage bound to your cause for
reasons that become clear only late in the journey; Sten, the strong, silent type who isn't so quick
to reveal his innermost thoughts; and Zevran, a darkly mischievous would-be assassin with a wild
streak and a playful disregard for the law. There are others too, including Alistair, a wisecracking,
vaguely insecure member of the Grey Wardens, an elite group of champions that recruits you
early on. Great dialogue and fantastic voice acting make these characters leap off the screen as if
they were real friends, and the way they interact with one another feels authentic. Morrigan and
Alistair banter about the role of templars in the lives of mages, and the sweetly devout Leliana
tries to communicate with your trusty canine cohort in some amusing exchanges. You may even
develop a romance (or two) before all is said and done. The course of love isn't always a smooth
one, though it can be a bit steamy, in a PG-13 sort of way.

Relationships must be nurtured; in the world of Dragon Age, love doesn't develop at first sight.
Rather, you must improve your standings with available party members by giving them gifts and
fulfilling quests in ways that please them. Doing so opens more dialogue options and may even
reward you with unexpected gifts beyond the private pleasures of your tent. Your personal
relationships aren't all you need to worry about when facing a difficult decision, however. On
significant quests, you'll encounter complex choices that force you to weigh the risks against the
rewards, even as you try to stay true to your own vision of your character. Are werewolves
heartless killers, or is there a method to their madness? Should you wholeheartedly embrace a
political candidate, or will some unexpected information have you playing double agent--or just
killing the opposition? Such open-ended quests have become staples in many similar RPGs, but
few make these decisions feel so momentous. The anxiety that results when you encounter
important choices is a result of superb writing and character development: When you care about
your destiny, decisions have more weight.
Even Dragon Age's initial moments present important decisions that affect how your adventure
plays out. You'll customize your own avatar's look from a variety of presets, but more importantly,
you'll choose a race and class. The choices may seem initially limited, but your options eventually
expand. Later, you can choose up to two subclasses once you reach the necessary level
requirements, and there are a few different means of unlocking additional skill trees. Your initial
race and class choices don't just determine the kinds of skills and spells you will have access to,
however; they influence how the first few hours of the game progress. You will experience one of
six different "origin stories" that follow the events that lead you to the elite Grey Wardens. Every
origin story leads to the same place, but that doesn't mean you leave these events behind for
good. Characters you met early on will cross your path again, and crucial moments of your origin
story will continue to haunt you. The varied origin stories not only provide plenty of replay value,
but allow you to see familiar characters from a different angle. A prisoner you meet within a dank
dungeon may not have much impact on you if you are playing as a Dalish elf, but if you play as a
human mage, this encounter is a bittersweet reunion.

You aren't a lone adventurer, however. You can take up to three companions along with you, and
eventually you will meet more willing (or unwilling, as the case may be) darkspawn slayers. You
can switch out party members back at your camp or in other friendly areas. Party members you
don't use will remain at camp, though they thankfully level up even when you don't take them
along. Your comrades aren't just AI-controlled henchmen; you can take full control of any party
member at any time, though how you do so depends on the platform. PC owners get the most
versatile and rewarding experience in this regard. You can zoom the camera in to a close third-
person view when exploring and conversing with non-player characters, or pull the camera back
to a tactical view, which makes it a breeze to quickly and easily micromanage every spell and
attack, in true Baldur's Gate tradition. On consoles, you always view the action from behind a
single character, and you use a shoulder button to switch among them. It's a great way of
experiencing the buzz of battle, though occasional pathfinding quirks are more apparent in the
console versions, simply because you experience the action from a single perspective at a time,
rather than while managing four characters simultaneously.
If you've played a BioWare fantasy RPG in the past, you'll feel right at home with the combat
system. By clicking on your target or pressing the attack button, you don't just swing a sword, but
you approach your target and queue up your attack. Once your party has gained access to a
good number of spells, stances, and skills, battlefields explode with bright colors and raucous
sound effects, and it's a lot of fun to switch back and forth between party members, managing
your abilities and taking advantage of various spell combos to wreak havoc. There are dozens of
different types of enemies to slice up, from giant spiders and darkspawn, to ghosts and walking
trees, to demons and, of course, dragons. Allies will join you in the biggest battles, and the best of
these, particularly those toward the end of the game, are thrilling. On the PC, they're particularly
challenging, and many battles benefit from frequent pausing and tactical thinking, so that you can
queue up attacks across your entire party. The same battles on consoles are noticeably easier.