I can't speak for everyone, but for those of us in my circle, one thing is clear: this game has strayed far from the dark, gritty fantasy we once loved. Dragon Age: Origins will forever remain the pinnacle of this franchise—nothing even comes close. Even Dragon Age 2, with all its flaws, still held onto that raw, dystopian underdog spirit. After that, though, it feels like the franchise lost its soul. What we’re left with is a generic fantasy underdog story, stripped of meaningful characters, with no real consequences for our choices—nothing that would make the game worth replaying or make us feel like our decisions matter.

This new game feels irreparably broken. I’m devastated because I once looked to this franchise as an escape from the sanitized, ‘Disney-like’ narratives where choices don’t lead to real loss. Instead, it feels like I’m assembling a ragtag team to face off against a comical, over-the-top villain—like something out of Austin Powers. This isn’t the game I fell in love with, and if I’m wrong about that, then maybe what I cherished never existed in the first place.

I can't speak for everyone, but for those of us in my circle, one thing is clear: this game has strayed far from the dark, gritty fantasy we once loved. Dragon Age: Origins will forever remain the pinnacle of this franchise—nothing even comes close. Even Dragon Age 2, with all its flaws, still held onto that raw, dystopian underdog spirit. After that, though, it feels like the franchise lost its soul. What we’re left with is a generic fantasy underdog story, stripped of meaningful characters, with no real consequences for our choices—nothing that would make the game worth replaying or make us feel like our decisions matter. This new game feels irreparably broken. I’m devastated because I once looked to this franchise as an escape from the sanitized, ‘Disney-like’ narratives where choices don’t lead to real loss. Instead, it feels like I’m assembling a ragtag team to face off against a comical, over-the-top villain—like something out of Austin Powers. This isn’t the game I fell in love with, and if I’m wrong about that, then maybe what I cherished never existed in the first place.