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Game profile

Dragon Age: Origins

2009 RPG approx. 50 hrs. Budget 90/100

As a Grey Warden, players confront a demonic invasion in Ferelden while making numerous consequential decisions. This classic party based RPG shines with deep character relationships and several distinct origin stories.

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What kind of game this is

At its core this is RPG, set in a fantasy world. Visually it is going for realism, and the overall tone stays dark throughout. The structure is guided rather than open, so you are moved along instead of dropped into a map. It rewards long uninterrupted stretches more than quick check-ins.

The difficulty is moderate and fair, demanding attention without punishing you for it. The narrative carries the whole thing, and the mechanics serve it. It is a single player experience from start to finish. It runs on 3 platforms. It sits in the budget bracket.

What stands out

  • deep character relationships
  • multiple origin stories
  • classic party RPG

This fits you if

  • you want to live through a story, not just play a system
  • levelling, looting and optimising a build is your kind of loop
  • you can sit down for a proper long stretch without interruptions
  • the writing matters more to you than the mechanics
  • you play alone and want a complete experience without other people
  • you are watching your budget

Look elsewhere if

  • you skip cutscenes and want to get to the gameplay
  • you only ever get short bursts of play time
  • you want something light and easy going
  • you specifically want an open world to roam

What it costs you in time

About 50 hours in total. At three evenings a week and two hours each, you will be busy for roughly 8 weeks, or 25 sessions.

How the rating ranks

Critics settled on 90 out of 100, which puts it above 85 percent of the 1206 games here and at rank 136 overall. That is a strong score, comfortably above what most releases manage.

For comparison, RPG averages 82 points across the database, so this one sits 8 points above its own genre. The figure rests on 1715 collected ratings.

Released in 2009, which makes it 17 years old. A genuine classic, and worth checking how the version you buy holds up today.

The facts

Release year
2009
Genres
RPG
Playtime
approx. 50 hrs.
Difficulty
Moderate, fair
Story weight
Carries the whole game
Play with
Solo
Setting
Fantasy
Visual style
Realistic
Price bracket
Budget
Platforms
PC, Xbox, PlayStation
Critic rating
90 / 100

Direct comparison

Genres Release year Playtime Critic rating Price bracket
Dragon Age: Origins 2009 approx. 50 hrs. 90 Budget
Diablo Immortal 2022 approx. 60 hrs. 71 Free-to-play
SpellForce 3 Reforced 2021 approx. 35 hrs. 74 Mid price
Persona 3 Reload 2024 approx. 75 hrs. 89 Full price

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