Despite everything, Bioware makes sure that Dragon Age fans do not forget about the existence of the universe in the meantime. From time to time there are new projects directly related to the series. On December 9, the highly anticipated animated film Dragon Age: Absolution hit Netflix . The production consists of 6 episodes, each of which lasts about 20 minutes, which is ideal to consume the entire series in one evening, but not enough to actually get involved in the production. The series was directed by Mairghread Scott, previously known for animations such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Transformers Prime .
The series takes place immediately after the events of Inquisition : the Breach was closed by Herald Andraste, and the organization fell apart shortly thereafter. However, the Inquisition orders one last mission to recover an artifact from the Summer Palace in the dangerous Tevinter. This task falls to a group of rebels who have to stand against an extremely powerful mage and templars.
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Too little, too fast
I think the biggest complaint that can be made about the series is the small amount of extremely short episodes. Although at first glance this does not seem to be a particularly big problem, unfortunately it generates several others. What caught my eye was the noticeable lack of development in the relationships between the characters. Analyzing the plot, we know that they have been together for a really long time since the team was formed: first traveling through the continent of Thedas to Tevinter, and then – operating in the middle of the empire. Despite the passage of time, the relationship between them looks similar both in the first episode and in the last. I can’t help feeling that there’s just something missing in the plot and characters.
The animation is also quite heavily dominated by fight scenes and – although they are really good – I get the impression that this is at the expense of deepening the plot, the development of the characters and the relationship between them. The fight scenes add a dynamic character to the production, which, combined with the limited time, makes the animation quite chaotic. However, I realize that this is probably due to its testing nature. Perhaps, depending on the results of the first season, the creators will see the potential for the development of the production.
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Lost dark atmosphere
Dragon Age is primarily a dark fantasy universe. From the first part, we get to know a world full of dangerous, ancient magic, contaminated with darkspawn, full of prejudices and conflicts. Although this character fades with subsequent parts, it remains quite an important aspect of the plot. The animation, although it is really nice to watch, does not fully reflect what is associated with the universe.
It is also worth mentioning that in the animation for the first time we actually saw Tevinter from the inside. But it wasn’t the perspective games and books prepared us for, especially in terms of blood magic. In games, we get to know it as an extremely dark, dangerous area, but at the same time widely practiced in the Tevinter Empire. It was she who was associated with the power of the local magisters, who used their slaves as victims. Although it actually seemed that mages were superior to the Templars, I got the impression that we did not see the power of magic associated with Tevinter, as it was shown, for example, in Dragon Age II .
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What’s the plus?
Although I do not think that Dragon Age: Absolution is the pearl of animation, I have to admit that I was surprised by the amount of negative comments that have appeared since the premiere. The production is light and pleasant to watch, the fight scenes are impressive, and the characters, despite their untapped potential, are easy to like. The fact that “on both sides of the barricade”, morally gray characters appear on the plus side. I also liked the soundtrack, which combines a new form of presenting the universe with the character known from the games.
It is also interesting to place the plot of the animation in time. As far as we know, Tevinter is set to play a significant role in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf . So there is a chance that references to the events from the animation will appear in the continuation of the games. On the plus side, we see the world of Thedas in its freshest form, right after the events of Inquisition. While it’s quite interesting to delve into the universe through the prequels, it’s definitely more interesting to see a world that, in a way, we, as players, influenced the development of.
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Animation and knowledge of the universe
When watching Absolution , a basic knowledge of the world of Dragon Age will definitely come in handy . There are quite often references to games, and some elements of the world may seem incomprehensible to people who have never had anything to do with the series. The production may appeal to fans of classic fantasy, but I think that the lack of knowledge of the world takes away a lot of animation.
As players, we know the importance of Katorga mentioned in the series, what the relationship between mages and Templars looks like, and what the use of blood magic involves. The series explains these issues quite superficially, which makes it difficult to fully understand the significance of the events. It is also impossible not to mention the ending itself, which is very shocking for the players, but will not arouse such emotions in a person who has not played the games.
Summary
Apparently, “how many people, so many opinions”, but – as a huge fan of the universe – I really liked the series. Perhaps it’s partly a matter of sentiment, but I can’t say that Netflix’s production is bad. Despite a few shortcomings, I would love to return to it in the next season, especially after the shocking ending. In the meantime, all that remains is to turn on the game once again and delve into the world of Thedas, awaiting the release of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf .
