Dragon Age II Preview

Bioware released their demo for Dragon Age II on Tuesday. The demo gives us, the raving public that is, a taste of what changes they’ve made to one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2010. And my friends, change is good.

On this adventure we follow a character named Hawke, a survivor of the Blight.  Hawke and his/her family (whichever you choose) escape the destruction of Lothering by the darkspawn and flee to the Free Marshes of Ferelden. From there, Hawke rises from his/her lowly refugee status to be known as “The Champion.”

The story is told through a series of flashbacks from a dwarf, Varric, who accompanies you on your adventure. He is being interrogated by Cassandra, a Chantry seeker who is searching for Hawke to save Ferelden. Due to the short length of the demo, this is all we can gather so far.

The most noticeable change is in the style. Character models have been updated and battle flows very smoothly. Every move has been stylized; rogues do flips in the air, mages spin around throwing fire at enemies and warriors swing their weapons with much more animation than in Origins. Not only is this easy on the eyes, but it makes the game feel less rigid. And If you thought you were drenched in blood during first journey into Ferelden, wait until you see Dragon Age 2. The amount of blood and gore that comes with this adventure makes Origins look like a puddle. Enemies explode, lose limbs, etc. Needless to say, this isn’t a game for the kiddies.

Even the potion system has been streamlined with the addition of “quick potions;” ever-present icons on the action bar that replenish your health or mana using a potion with one click. No longer will your AI-controlled allies annoyingly use up every single potion you have when they do so much as skin their knee.

The dialogue system has also been refreshed. Our hero breaks his silence using Bioware’s famous dialogue wheel taken straight from Mass Effect. With each speech opportunity you’ll have 3 or 4 different options, each one affecting the outcome of the conversation. You’re aided by helpful icons that let you know what kind of answer you’ll be giving: Noble, malicious or clever (and this option can be very entertaining.) Not only do these choices alter the outcome of that particular conversation but also how your character is received by others and how he/she speaks in battle. And if Bioware keeps up their reputation, you can expect your choices to shape much more than that.

Though character customization was disabled in the demo, there are a ton of choices in creating your particular champion. It looks like there will be plenty of options on how your character will look as well as act. However, changing your race is out of the question in this title. You’re going to be a human, whether you like it or not. Though this doesn’t hurt the game much, it does take away some freedom you had over the original.

In short, Dragon Age II is looking very awesome. There are a lot of welcome improvements being made in this sequel. But if you aren’t sure, check out the demo for yourself. You can pick it up on the official Dragon Age II website.

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