Dragon Age 2 - David Gaider Reminiscences

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Gameinformer reported on David Gaider's responses about what he liked and disliked about Dragon Age 2 when asked on Twitter.

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What was the deal with Orsino?

One of the prevalent themes of the Dragon Age franchise is the conflict between Mages and Templars, with the former being held captive against their will due to their magical abilities. Orsino is the Elven First Enchanter in the Circle of Magic within Kirkwall. He is meant to be in a powerful position to protect the mages under his charge, but Meredith, the Knight Commander of the Templar Order, was convinced that all magic was dangerous, evil, and that mages needed to be kept under heel. Throughout the three chapters of Dragon Age 2, the escalation between the two groups could be felt and Orsino could see the fate of all mages in Kirkwall hanging in the balance. Following the events that Anders kickstarted following failed negotiations between Meredith and Orsino, he did the unthinkable: he turned to blood magic, something he swore he would never do. This turned him into a disgusting abomination that ends up being a boss fight for Hawke and the gang.

This instance could be argued for, absolutely, but it always felt a little rushed, a little off. Understandable, given that much of this game was rushed due to the publisher's timeline, but Gaider added a little more perspective as to what the surrounding conversation was like when looking at the bigger picture.

David Gaider:

DA2 is, however, also where the goal posts kept moving. Things kept getting cut, even while we worked. I had to write that dialogue where Orsinio turned even if you sided with him, because his boss battle had been cut and there was no time to fix the plot. A real WTF moment.

So I think it's safe to say DA2 is my favorite entry in the DA franchise and also the sort of thing I never want to live through ever again. Mixed feelings galore.

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