123 hours for the first complete run by review time!
For the new player: I recommend this, no previous knowledge needed. Don't read the rest of this review.
For the old super fan: I think you already played, if not... you should try it and form your own impressions. Don't read the rest of this review.

This review is for my own sanity and some feedback to BioWare (as much as I'd love to think this will matter and anyone will see this).

Disclaimer - I am currently (and have been for almost two decades) working as a game developer in tripple A studios, so I understand were some of the directions and decisions come from, I won't address those. This is my hardcore super duper fan thoughts as someone who has been OBSESSED with this IP since DAO.

You made it clear this is the last Dragon Age.
I am so divided in my thoughts right now. I love this game because it answered a lot of questions and mysteries we had fan theories about over the years. I cried so hard at the end because I understand that even if you are not saying it out loud, this is the end for Dragon Age. It is so strongly hinted it is almost as if Morrigan says right at me through the screen, locking eyes with me; THIS IS THE END OF THE STORY. A new age will begin, but this is clearly a wrap up of story.

I wish BW wanted to develop this IP, however I understand that Mass Effect is the favorite golden child. I guess you only can deal with one product at a time now and the next time slot for DA will be "never". Not even a lowly DLC thrown as a bare bone to us craving.

I think the overall epic save the world story was amazing, as always, seeing new parts of the world we have longed for. And they were incredible. I enjoyed level design, art, animation and the tone. I got used to the cartoony concept and tone of the character design. Mostly I really appreciate that BW is on the forefront of acknowledging everyone is different and we should include as many players as we can. The accessibility and UX design is impressive for a game with this much controller mapping. And the inclusive design is "chefs kiss".

I thank you for including cameos and roles from previous games, thank you for not killing everyone (as we should be expecting). I appreciate the additional lore we got to learn. I enjoyed the new people we met along the way in this story. Good epic world story, great acting! Thank you for the cats, the griphons and the brilliant photo mode.

At the same time I am also immensely disappointed, and have never experienced playing anything Dragon Age without feeling complete satisfaction. I don't feel invested and I don't feel satisfied with this game.

You dropped the ball on the Rook relations to companion stories. I talked to everyone, I read all the codex entries, but I didn't feel "it" for the first time. I don't feel like we are friends, I don't feel we have bonded, I don't feel that there is any personal development in my Rook, I don't feel there was a developing dynamic between me and my team. The team though, they are fine together, and it could have been anyone else but me leading them. I am nothing.

My Rook was just around to pep-talk and solve every ones problems, and there was no give and take. No one in the team bonded with them and no one stepped up and boosted Rook (except Varric... which he DID NOT in the end!). (As an example, even in DA2 were sarcastic Hawke has lines to point out these type of story beats, the companions would still bond with Hawke and they would discuss things together.)

I sobbed my eyes out, at the end of act 2. Well done! But that is also where I realized that Rook was meaningless, there seems to be a lot of missing story content to forge Rook together with her team. I felt abandoned and bullied thinking back on my teams growth, and me only being the servant and enabler.

Now to the romance... You market this as the steamiest?
I had my first kiss after 121 hours (yes I kept track, one hundred and twenty one hours) in the game. I saw a pair of boobies. That was it and to be honest, seeing boobies isn't really impressive. I didn't get anything remotely making me feel invested. And to be honest there was no response, no flirting, no tugging the heart strings, no swooning. It was lego child play.

And to top it off, my love interest clearly had the hots for someone else, and the attention they paid them was so sweet I got jealous. Why did you do that? It didn't even get a resolution. I got cucked and honestly, no kink shaming, but that ain't my thing. It is a huge turnoff for me, and I wish you'd had WARNED me so I could have chosen another love interest that doesn't have that kink. Iron Bull was very clear what his romance is all about. So was Isabella, and then you could even address it with her further down the story line.

The romance is a huge part of investment and engagement and urgency and finally satisfaction of the incredibly brilliant stories BioWare usually writes. I am not looking for a romance simulator, none the less a romance is such an incredibly important ingredience in a good story. You used to understand that this was a HUGE part of the BioWare magic.

You threw away all the amazing work you did through the three previous titles, where you improved the romance aspects, to the point where we felt listened to. An example would be being able to go and get a cuddle from your love interest in between mission when playing DAI. It meant so much and made the game feel more real, warm, and it was investing me even more, to get through and go home to get a smoosh - like a Pavlovian dog... I guess LMAO. This was one of THE BEST THINGS you improved through the different games. There is more, things like the work you put in to make the love interest pursue, woo and seduce you, strong examples would be Alistair, Anders, Dorian.

And my last point which I don't care much about, because I would still play the game, but it just rubs me the wrong way.

I think it is great that you try to reinvent and improve game play and combat between every game. However, with this ground up change, you messed up the expectations us age old fans had on how to approach combat and game play. This is were you lost the majority of old fans and went for a new target audience. I wonder if you understand this point? Or if everyone at BW just wants to make Mass Effect instead? Do you not have anyone working at BW that is a fan of party RPG combat? Are you all hack and slash, twitchy FPS people?

Dragon Age was never a one man show like Mass Effect. We were based in team composition and tactics. I expected at least something like DAI however more simple. Maybe even remove the tactics and gear, but at least keep companions as part of a controllable character. This is Mass Effect ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Dragon Age tried action game since DA2, but this moved it into some type of brain dead hack and slash. I am so bored with this combat. Where is the challenge? Why is my ranged character meleeing everything?

I love this IP. The fandom gets targeted by haters. This is nothing new, it's been this way since forever. This time though, I don't have the energy right now to engage all my friend and rally around our shared love. I am currently more disappointed and sad, almost feel cheated. Where is your communication BioWare? Where can we talk to you? Where are you?

And so is the Golden Dragon Age blackened
With each step you take in my Game.
Marvel at perfection, for it is fleeting.
You have brought Sin to Heaven
And doom upon all the world.

BioWare you have some explaining to do.

123 hours for the first complete run by review time! For the new player: I recommend this, no previous knowledge needed. Don't read the rest of this review. For the old super fan: I think you already played, if not... you should try it and form your own impressions. Don't read the rest of this review. This review is for my own sanity and some feedback to BioWare (as much as I'd love to think this will matter and anyone will see this). Disclaimer - I am currently (and have been for almost two decades) working as a game developer in tripple A studios, so I understand were some of the directions and decisions come from, I won't address those. This is my hardcore super duper fan thoughts as someone who has been OBSESSED with this IP since DAO. You made it clear this is the last Dragon Age. I am so divided in my thoughts right now. I love this game because it answered a lot of questions and mysteries we had fan theories about over the years. I cried so hard at the end because I understand that even if you are not saying it out loud, this is the end for Dragon Age. It is so strongly hinted it is almost as if Morrigan says right at me through the screen, locking eyes with me; THIS IS THE END OF THE STORY. A new age will begin, but this is clearly a wrap up of story. I wish BW wanted to develop this IP, however I understand that Mass Effect is the favorite golden child. I guess you only can deal with one product at a time now and the next time slot for DA will be "never". Not even a lowly DLC thrown as a bare bone to us craving. I think the overall epic save the world story was amazing, as always, seeing new parts of the world we have longed for. And they were incredible. I enjoyed level design, art, animation and the tone. I got used to the cartoony concept and tone of the character design. Mostly I really appreciate that BW is on the forefront of acknowledging everyone is different and we should include as many players as we can. The accessibility and UX design is impressive for a game with this much controller mapping. And the inclusive design is "chefs kiss". I thank you for including cameos and roles from previous games, thank you for not killing everyone (as we should be expecting). I appreciate the additional lore we got to learn. I enjoyed the new people we met along the way in this story. Good epic world story, great acting! Thank you for the cats, the griphons and the brilliant photo mode. At the same time I am also immensely disappointed, and have never experienced playing anything Dragon Age without feeling complete satisfaction. I don't feel invested and I don't feel satisfied with this game. You dropped the ball on the Rook relations to companion stories. I talked to everyone, I read all the codex entries, but I didn't feel "it" for the first time. I don't feel like we are friends, I don't feel we have bonded, I don't feel that there is any personal development in my Rook, I don't feel there was a developing dynamic between me and my team. The team though, they are fine together, and it could have been anyone else but me leading them. I am nothing. My Rook was just around to pep-talk and solve every ones problems, and there was no give and take. No one in the team bonded with them and no one stepped up and boosted Rook (except Varric... which he DID NOT in the end!). (As an example, even in DA2 were sarcastic Hawke has lines to point out these type of story beats, the companions would still bond with Hawke and they would discuss things together.) I sobbed my eyes out, at the end of act 2. Well done! But that is also where I realized that Rook was meaningless, there seems to be a lot of missing story content to forge Rook together with her team. I felt abandoned and bullied thinking back on my teams growth, and me only being the servant and enabler. Now to the romance... You market this as the steamiest? I had my first kiss after 121 hours (yes I kept track, one hundred and twenty one hours) in the game. I saw a pair of boobies. That was it and to be honest, seeing boobies isn't really impressive. I didn't get anything remotely making me feel invested. And to be honest there was no response, no flirting, no tugging the heart strings, no swooning. It was lego child play. And to top it off, my love interest clearly had the hots for someone else, and the attention they paid them was so sweet I got jealous. Why did you do that? It didn't even get a resolution. I got cucked and honestly, no kink shaming, but that ain't my thing. It is a huge turnoff for me, and I wish you'd had WARNED me so I could have chosen another love interest that doesn't have that kink. Iron Bull was very clear what his romance is all about. So was Isabella, and then you could even address it with her further down the story line. The romance is a huge part of investment and engagement and urgency and finally satisfaction of the incredibly brilliant stories BioWare usually writes. I am not looking for a romance simulator, none the less a romance is such an incredibly important ingredience in a good story. You used to understand that this was a HUGE part of the BioWare magic. You threw away all the amazing work you did through the three previous titles, where you improved the romance aspects, to the point where we felt listened to. An example would be being able to go and get a cuddle from your love interest in between mission when playing DAI. It meant so much and made the game feel more real, warm, and it was investing me even more, to get through and go home to get a smoosh - like a Pavlovian dog... I guess LMAO. This was one of THE BEST THINGS you improved through the different games. There is more, things like the work you put in to make the love interest pursue, woo and seduce you, strong examples would be Alistair, Anders, Dorian. And my last point which I don't care much about, because I would still play the game, but it just rubs me the wrong way. I think it is great that you try to reinvent and improve game play and combat between every game. However, with this ground up change, you messed up the expectations us age old fans had on how to approach combat and game play. This is were you lost the majority of old fans and went for a new target audience. I wonder if you understand this point? Or if everyone at BW just wants to make Mass Effect instead? Do you not have anyone working at BW that is a fan of party RPG combat? Are you all hack and slash, twitchy FPS people? Dragon Age was never a one man show like Mass Effect. We were based in team composition and tactics. I expected at least something like DAI however more simple. Maybe even remove the tactics and gear, but at least keep companions as part of a controllable character. This is Mass Effect bullshit. Dragon Age tried action game since DA2, but this moved it into some type of brain dead hack and slash. I am so bored with this combat. Where is the challenge? Why is my ranged character meleeing everything? I love this IP. The fandom gets targeted by haters. This is nothing new, it's been this way since forever. This time though, I don't have the energy right now to engage all my friend and rally around our shared love. I am currently more disappointed and sad, almost feel cheated. Where is your communication BioWare? Where can we talk to you? Where are you? And so is the Golden Dragon Age blackened With each step you take in my Game. Marvel at perfection, for it is fleeting. You have brought Sin to Heaven And doom upon all the world. BioWare you have some explaining to do.