What an incredibly exciting month we’ve had of tinfoiling and speculating about an actual Dragon Age 4 conceptual trailer with in-game shots, artwork and prototypes of gameplay.
I have broken down, analysed and delved into many aspects of this trailer already, as you can expect from the two of us. We’ve had a ball with it, and this trailer was merely a developer diary creating a mood for the next Dragon Age. Imagine the video’s we’ll be creating when we have a story or gameplay trailer, it’s going to be an amazing time.
However, for now - with this behind the scenes trailer - I have three final takeaways to share that I feel outline, and highlight what may transpire in the next Dragon Age, or at least, what I believe this trailer tells us going forward.
Dark Fantasy Tone
With that said, the first takeaway I have regards the dark fantasy tone this trailer indicates for the future.
With the conceptual work of Lovecraftian inspired monsters and spiders with hands, no doubt relating to Ghilan'nain disgusting creations. And the many dark, macabre and otherwise eerie locations establishing a very gothic and spooky atmosphere and tone, from the red lyrium infested lands, to even Tevinter’s capital city.
It’s all looking very dark fantasy. Which is a return to form of Dragon Age’s original morally ambiguous, overtly tragic world.
Dragon Age: Origins was enriched with this theme, and it really set the bar for how dark a game can be. At least in 2009. With evil options like killing Conner, a very young boy, and knocking out his mother to deal the final blow against a desire demon.
And the majority of us are still having nightmares seeing broodmothers for the first time. In short, the dark tones of Origins really defined the franchise. It’d be a welcome return for this approach to return.
With the assumption of Solas’s genocidal plan to destroy Thedas, in the process of restoring his own time. It most certainly seems like the core of the next narrative will be nothing but dreadful. And, as a melancholic brit, I am most excited to see how truly dark the next game becomes.
At least for now, this trailer is certainly painting a brutal picture of the next Dragon Age’s overall mood, and I am living for it.
Story Beats/Plot Threads
The second takeaway I have, is all about the future story beats and plot threads, while we can’t confirm anything. We can certainly sense an overhaul vision of what the next narrative may entail.
The trailer is filled with:
Dwarven iconography and architecture showing thaigs, cities or ruins. Not to mention the Titan baby.
Grey Wardens, and a Grey Warden Fortress, which is most certainly their headquarters: Fortress Weisshaupt, in the sandy Anderfels.
The Tevinter Imperium, the most prideful nation ruled by mages, once home to the ancient elves. Most certainly one of the most prevalent countries we’ll witness in the next game.
The Antivan Crows: Many of them appear in concept shots, as well as speculatively, Antiva.
Lords of Fortune: A new faction introduced in Tevinter Nights, they’re Riviani Treasure Hunter seeking wealth and opportunity wherever they can find it.
Nevarra City, and it’s Grand Necropolis. Situated right in the middle of Thedas, the nation is known for their powerful death mages.
The Blight via Red Lyrium, the taint is spreading and infesting the entire land, corrupting the eco-system, and everything it touches.
Heists-like missions, with a group of characters infiltrating and sneaking around.
And of course, ancient elves, ancient beings, and an ancient, prideful elven God.
The next Dragon Age’s narrative is going in a completely new direction, not to mention, we’re going to northern Thedas. There isn’t going to be as much familiarity as we’d like to expect. Instead, this new journey is going to feel fresh and a very unique experience.
We’re going to have a new hero, who won’t have a lot of power, and the powerful figures who our hero will come across, are deciding to do nothing against the many threats of Thedas. It seems that our hero instead, will be the one to deal with these oppositions, with limited resources and a smaller team.
No political reputation, no wide-spread army, no magical anchor, just a hero rising to the ranks to be the saviour Thedas needs. Someone who is not known to Solas, who can rival the Dread Wolf behind the seams.
The next Dragon Age is most certainly going to be a refreshing experience, while many plot threads will continue and develop, like the growth of red lyrium and Solas’s scheme, we’ll also witness many new stories, factions and characters that will take this plot into brand-spanking-new territory. So, prepare for an entirely new adventure.
Early Conceptual Art
The final takeaway I have, this trailer showed concept art and early-production work that each create many moods for the next Dragon Age. We have more than just The Dread Wolf Rises Mural to gloss over, but over 40 conceptual shots, and in-engine prototypes of combat.
Each shot tells us so much about what the developers are aiming for with the next Dragon Age, as I’ve already said, we can see dark fantasy tones and themes throughout the concept art, and there are many story threads and plot beats encased within each shot.
However, with each shot being concept art, it obviously means that not everything shown is confirmed to be in the next game. While the artwork reveals many locations, areas, enemies, characters and so on, that provide an overall vision and many insights into what BioWare would like to do with the next game, it doesn’t rightly confirm it.
For instance, there was not a single dwarf character shown throughout the trailer, but just because there hasn’t been a concept piece shown, or created with dwarven characters yet, doesn’t mean we won’t see, or have a lovely, romancable dwarf in the next game, it simply means that this concept art is showcasing very early work of the next game.
And while it’s worthwhile speculating and tinfoiling, hence the number of videos, I’ve created on this trailer given that it is showing the direction of the next game, nothing is confirmed. It’s all just harmless speculation on actual Dragon Age 4 conceptual work.
However, to back up my reasoning for breaking down the concept art, if we look at Inquisition’s concept art, it showed many key things about that game, well before its release. For example, Solas is seen in the concept art always behind the Inquisitor, shadowing them, scheming a plan, and looking very suspicious.
His entire betrayal was hinted at, even in Inquisition’s early concept art. So, it’s always good to read into things, and speculate at least a little bit, because the developers are always trying to tell us something, if that’s just a mood, or a plot theme, or a character’s motivation, that’s still something that is going to have an impact in the next game.
Anyhow, these are just my final takeaways based on this behind the scenes trailer, what are yours, is there anything else that you’re taking away from this trailer, let me know your thoughts down below.
On an end note, I’m trying to do more vlog-style videos, so please do tell me what you think of them. I don’t have the best camera in the world, and my lighting is all dependant on the weather at the moment, but if you’d like to see more, please let me know and I’ll begin invest in more gear and improvements.
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