What is your opinion about Dragon Age's artstyle and identity?

[SofNascimento]

Although I quite like the Dragon Age franchise, and have enjoyed all three games, I can't say I'm among its biggest fans. And one of the things that really stop me from appreciating that universe like I do from other games, most notably RPGs, is what I perceive as a lack of identity, derived strongly (although not exclusively) from a lackluster artstyle.

Simply put, there is nothing I look at and thinking: this reminds me of Dragon Age. Or in the game I look at a building and think: this was definitely built by this or that faction (with some exceptions). Or armors, weapons, etc...

I was rewatching the recent semi-trailer for Dragon Age 4 and some other images from EA Play and found myself thinking of this. If I didn't already know it was Dragon Age, there would be nothing in those pictures to make me think that (with the exception of the Qunari, which I think is a particularly interesting aspect of DA's lore). And playing the games everything feels... without identity. A castle just feels like a generic castle. A city just a generic city. An armor just a generic armor.

It's hard to not to think of Mass Effect. In a way, both series have a similar beginning which is to try to put together a lot of different influences from their respective genre and create a new universe with them. But where ME became something that is much more than the sum of those influences, becoming a rich and unique universe in its own right, Dragon Age never managed that. And I feel the lack of a cohesive artstyle that creates a signature look to the universe and each of its races and places is a important factor in that.

And I was wondering what do you think.

edit: one thing that I should add is that I do think the games try. I think Dragon Age do try to look like something that isn't just a copy from some human culture, which is commendable. Both in terms of architecture and equipments, but most of the time it ends up just looking bland and uninteresting.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Dragon Age's art style is so inconsistent I honestly can't really point to anything about it that sticks out aside from Morrigan looking sort of the same each time she shows up.

 

[Lowrys]

I found the characters in Inquisition to look very shiny, as if there were made of plastic. And extremely shiny lips, like they were all wearing lip gloss.

Like something went wrong with the PBR. That's the only thing I remember, which probably isn't what Bioware want.

 

[TheUnsungHero26]

Its OK.

The fantasy setting in RPGs is pretty crowded, so its really hard for it to stand out.

Whereas Mass Effect is best in class for Sci-Fi, I can think of a lot of Fantasy games I would put above Dragon Age. The Witcher and Pillars of Eternity for example.

It also doesn't help that all three Dragon Age games look pretty different from one another. Not very cohesive.

 

[Deleted member 31817]

Uh considering all 3 games have vastly different art styles... it's complicated.

 

[skeezx]

i think the whole series was conceived behind being relatively bread and butter high fantasy, for better or worse

 

[Jimnymebob]

As someone who knows very little about it, what I've seen seemed very generic fantasy.

 

[SofNascimento]

Dragon Age's art style is so inconsistent I honestly can't really point to anything about it that sticks out aside from Morrigan looking sort of the same each time she shows up.

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Uh considering all 3 games have vastly different art styles... it's complicated.

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Yeah, that's another aspect of it. It doesn't feel like each games build upon each other as much as it one tries its own thing.

 

[NeoBob688]

The art style certainly has been inconsistent.

Dragon Age Origins style was quite alright, just held back by not being technically advanced.

Dragon Age 2 art style was bad in my opinion.

Dragon Age Inquisition style was very good and distinct and I assume what they are going with from now on.

 

[MerluzaSamus]

DAO was too generic.
DAII too pointy, with a really bad elf design.
Inquisition found a nice balance, and its my fave (Despite the 'shiny metal' issues).

 

[Quinton]

The artstyle specifically in Inquisition is phenomenal. The design team did an incredible job crafting a beautiful yet jagged world, with so many lovely touches. The tarot cards are particularly gorgeous, and exactly the kind of visual that will age like fine wine.

I was rewatching the recent semi-trailer for Dragon Age 4 and some other images from EA Play and found myself thinking of this. If I didn't already know it was Dragon Age, there would be nothing in those pictures to make me think that (with the exception of the Qunari, which I think is a particularly interesting aspect of DA's lore). And playing the games everything feels... without identity. A castle just feels like a generic castle. A city just a generic city. An armor just a generic armor.

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I don't agree with this. The castles have had regional flavor ever since the beginning. Origins had a tendency to look same-y in some ways, and 2 as well, but they were both smaller in scale (especially 2, obviously) than Inquisition. Even within that scale, I can sense an identity to the series that isn't present elsewhere.

Inquisition just took all that and amplified it wonderfully.

 

[Phamit]

Before Inquisition the art style wasn't really the strongest part of the series.

 

[Hailinel]

The art style is inconsistent from one game to the next and other than that makes me feel nothing.

 

[Lord Vatek]

Dragon Age began life as a spiritual successor to a Dungeons & Dragons-based video game and it accomplishes that sort of "all-encompassing fantasy" feel just fine.

I mostly just wish that the same character didn't look wholly different from one game to the next but Solas looks good in DA4 so maybe that won't be an issue.

 

[Vulcano's Assistant]

Origins is just about the most generic fantasy possible. Like an all encompassing pastiche.

DA2 is actually pretty inspired, best of the three on paper, but the game itself doesn't have the best execution. What the CGI videos of it show is really great however.

Inquisition has the best executionn in- game, and many elements are very fresh, but they also went backwards on many of the things 2 did that actually gave a more unique feel to the setting, so it also has less of a visual identity than 2.

 

[BobLoblaw]

The first and third were really good. The second was...yeah.

 

[PinkCrayon]

Inquisition looks overall pretty good. All those damn rich Orleasians with their stupid hats and masks, love it.

 

[ultramooz]

First two games had bad art direction and poor graphics - 2 especially was pretty janky considering the constant circle jerk around bioware games at the time.

Inquisition made some progress but some textures were horrible, hair and beards looked like shit. Everything is generic, but still better than oblivion or skyrim.

I remember some tarot cards that were beautiful though, and some 2D illustrations that were nice .

 

[Jawmuncher]

It just kind of has one. I think Dragon Age and I just think typical Fantasy with nothing that really sticks out.

 

[Deleted member 31817]

The art style certainly has been inconsistent.

Dragon Age Origins style was quite alright, just held back by not being technically advanced.

Dragon Age 2 art style was bad in my opinion.

Dragon Age Inquisition style was very good and distinct and I assume what they are going with from now on.

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Agreed.

 

[CottonWolf]

I agree with everyone saying that DA has been too inconsistent to have an artistic identidy. The universe definitely has an identity, it's just not through the art.

 

[shoemasta]

I think DAI achieves a nice balance between the art style of Origins and II. So going forward, I hope Bioware uses that. And judging by the behind-the-scenes video, it looks like thats what they are going with

 

[GearDraxon]

DA:I is one of the only games that my wife has said, unprompted, "wow, that is pretty!" I don't think that the art style is particularly unique, but I think it's very, very well-executed.

 

[SofNascimento]

I don't agree with this. The castles have had regional flavor ever since the beginning. Origins had a tendency to look same-y in some ways, and 2 as well, but they were both smaller in scale (especially 2, obviously) than Inquisition. Even within that scale, I can sense an identity to the series that isn't present elsewhere.

Inquisition just took all that and amplified it wonderfully.

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Let's take Skyhold as an example:

It does look a very ordinary castle to me, and this in many ways is the most important area of Inquisition. And there is nothing about it that really stand out. And to me at least its architecture tells no story. Compare it with the bridge from the beginning of Shadow of the Colossus:

Does this bridge makes any sense whatsoever? No, it defies physics, but it also memorable. And Dragon Age could have more of that since it doesn't want to simply copy real world cultures. Something more bold and strking. Tevinter was supposed to be that world Rome, but look at their castles:

It tries to have a identity I think. And it's not the same as Skyhold or Orlais' buildings, but it's... bland? Definitely uninteresting. Kirkwall is the same thing, and that's Tevinter architecture if I'm not mistaken:

I believe a closer look at Inquisition alone will reveal more coherence between the structures. And if you put pictures of different arquitectures side by side a patterns might emerge, but I never felt that in game, and that's the point. I think the import thing about these things is to be felt by the players.

 

[Stone Cold]

It's kinda okay, I thought the first game looked fairly original, shit mountain was shit mountain, and inquisition looked pretty if not fairly bland

 

[marimo]

Origins was incredibly generic looking but by Inquisition they found their visual identity, though everything looked a little unpleasantly moist in that game. My favorite art in 2 and 3 is actually the 2D stuff, like load screens, maps, wall paintings, the tarot cards, things like that. I'm excited to see more of what 4 looks like.

 

[Legacy]

It's nothing more than ok

 

[PenultimateFantasy]

I don't really like it but I never like that fantasy setting really.

Gaming's weird obsession with Lords and peasants and magic has always mystified me

 

[Dr. Ludwig]

The series doesn't have a visual identity. Inquisition looks wonderful but definitely lacking the grit of the original. DA2 is actually interesting but you could clearly tell it's underdeveloped and unfinished due to budgetary constraints. (Something about Kirkwall seemed off to me)

Also yeah, the 3D art doesn't come close to the wonderful 2D art and concept art in the tarot cards and loading screens. I wish they leaned more into that style instead of focusing on realism.

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

Uh considering all 3 games have vastly different art styles... it's complicated.

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This.

DA: Inquisition certainly has the most distinct and visually appealing artstyle.

Hopefully they stick with that for the next game.

DA2 was by far the most fugly game in terms of artstyle. I couldn't stand the angular designs of the armour especially for the darkspawn.

 

[Fisty]

Something about the Origins style stuck with me, like a dirty-ass LOTR or something. Inquisition is a bit more distinct but eh its not as appealing to me

 

[DontHateTheBacon]

Most of the time, if I saw a picture of Dragon Age out of context, I wouldn't know it was Dragon Age. I don't know what that means. It's not bad or anything, I just don't recognize it.

 

[Niklel]

All DA games have different art style, though.

I really like UI style in DAI (how it looks, not necessarily how it functions). That art, which was going for tarot cards style, was incredible.

 

[Ralemont]

Inquisition was really good, but the series was done no favors by Origins being made in the height of "EVERYTHING MUST BE BROWN". It's really ugly and unappealing and only the armor/robes had some sort of visual identity.

 

[carlsojo]

2 had the best artstyle.

 

[HBK]

"DA's artstyle is just ok, and it often struggles to have an identity."

Looks like I'm in the majority this time 🤷‍♀️

I don't have a problem with DA's art direction in general, in each game it's pretty solid, if rather uninspired. It's just that, well, it's mostly uninspired. And it changes with each game, which makes it pretty inconsistent.

 

[nrtn]

 

[Zephy]

Unlike Mass Effect, I never got into DA's lore. But maybe that's just me being into Sci fi and not so much into Heroic Fantasy. Pretty much every fantasy game I've played feels more or less like a LOTR knockoff to me.

 

[Darkstorne]

It's a series that's been in permanent search of a visual identity. I completely share your concerns OP, and fondly remember one of their hype videos leading up to Origins' launch when they proudly stated they wanted this world to feel completely unique, and not like a generic fantasy world, and to express all that through environment design. They then immediately demonstrated this by showing how humans like to build structures from wood in Thedas, and how dwarves like to build giant stone structures underground, and how elves are an ancient race who have lost their former glory days to the humans, and I was like 😐

To their credit, I do think Inquisition's concept art team fucking nailed it. They have a very unique art style here:

And you know it works well as an identity when fan art picks up on these motifs:

And when key art to tease a sequel with feels instantly YES THIS IS DRAGON AGE:

The art is laced with so much symbolism that fans can derive amazing amounts of information from it.

That said, you're right that their environment/architecture design is severely lacking, and suffers from generic bland western fantasy syndrome, that they've sadly written themselves into with Origins, doubled down on with DA2, and tried their best to work with in Inquisition. I do think Skyhold worked relatively well within that limitation, and did enough with its surroundings to make it feel somewhat unique. But yes, I hope they push harder when they visit Tevinter to create some truly unique architecture that finally gives the game visuals themselves an identity (much like Morrowind did for TES for example). And there's always Par Vollen (Qunari lands) to fall back on as something they can get really creative with. Fingers crossed they also move back towards the DA2 visuals for Qunari faces rather than Inquisition's approach (human face photoshopped onto a demon) because that was one area that DA2 really shined compared to Origins.

 

[ItchyTasty]

I liked what they did in Inquisition, best character select

 

[Necron]

The "2D art style" is all great.

However, everything in the game (architecture/environments etc) is "just fine". Nothing amazing.

 

[dancingphlower]

Origins was kinda generic visually but with II and Inquisition they seemed to have found their niche with a more stylized look.

 

[RedSwirl]

It's a series that's been in permanent search of a visual identity. I completely share your concerns OP, and fondly remember one of their hype videos leading up to Origins' launch when they proudly stated they wanted this world to feel completely unique, and not like a generic fantasy world, and to express all that through environment design. They then immediately demonstrated this by showing how humans like to build structures from wood in Thedas, and how dwarves like to build giant stone structures underground, and how elves are an ancient race who have lost their former glory days to the humans, and I was like 😐

To their credit, I do think Inquisition's concept art team fucking nailed it. They have a very unique art style here:

And you know it works well as an identity when fan art picks up on these motifs:

And when key art to tease a sequel with feels instantly YES THIS IS DRAGON AGE:

The art is laced with so much symbolism that fans can derive amazing amounts of information from it.

That said, you're right that their environment/architecture design is severely lacking, and suffers from generic bland western fantasy syndrome, that they've sadly written themselves into with Origins, doubled down on with DA2, and tried their best to work with in Inquisition. I do think Skyhold worked relatively well within that limitation, and did enough with its surroundings to make it feel somewhat unique. But yes, I hope they push harder when they visit Tevinter to create some truly unique architecture that finally gives the game visuals themselves an identity (much like Morrowind did for TES for example). And there's always Par Vollen (Qunari lands) to fall back on as something they can get really creative with. Fingers crossed they also move back towards the DA2 visuals for Qunari faces rather than Inquisition's approach (human face photoshopped onto a demon) because that was one area that DA2 really shined compared to Origins.

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If the actual game looked like this it'd be great.

 

[Greywaren]

I think it's peak "generic fantasy setting". I like it, but it's hard to know if something is from Dragon Age or from literally any other fantasy game sometimes.

 

[eXistor]

It's definitely not a strong art-style and every game feels very different from each other (not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not cohesive to say the least). I don't particularly mind it though, it's just not a strong suit of the series.

 

[JuniperAndSage]

All three games have distinct styles. And if I'm being honest, they were all pretty ugly. The only art that sticks out for me as being really cool were the tarot-like cards in Inquisition.

And when key art to tease a sequel with feels instantly YES THIS IS DRAGON AGE:

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The thing is, we all know the game isn't gonna look anything like that. They could stylize it, they could make it look like that stuff. It'd be amazing, but there's no chance they'll do it.

 

[BossAttack]

Well, the artstyle has changed with each game, its clear though that Inquisition will be the artstyle going forward.

Origins had a very early 00's artstyle where everything is brown and is essentially just riffing off of LOTR. There isn't really anything distinct about it.
DA2 is when they tried to push to do their own thing but the short development time meant they had yet to lock it down.
Inquisition builds off of DA2 far more than Origins and is when you can clearly see they nailed their artstyle for the series.

 

[thepenguin55]

For as rough as DA2 was/is as a game I actually like the art in that game quite a bit as i think it actually has the most distinct art. I can't really speak to Inquisition as I haven't played much of it and I don't think Origins has bad art by any stretch but it's much more just typical D&D/fantasy stuff which I'm largely indifferent to.

 

[Garlador]

As much as I love the games, they're... not very pretty.

Granted, much of Bioware's other games are just very bold and colorful that the muted grays, browns, and earthen tones of Dragon Age feel hohum by comparison.

Granted, I think Inquisition had the best use of color thus far.

 

[Z-Brownie]

It's a series that's been in permanent search of a visual identity. I completely share your concerns OP, and fondly remember one of their hype videos leading up to Origins' launch when they proudly stated they wanted this world to feel completely unique, and not like a generic fantasy world, and to express all that through environment design. They then immediately demonstrated this by showing how humans like to build structures from wood in Thedas, and how dwarves like to build giant stone structures underground, and how elves are an ancient race who have lost their former glory days to the humans, and I was like 😐

To their credit, I do think Inquisition's concept art team fucking nailed it. They have a very unique art style here:

And you know it works well as an identity when fan art picks up on these motifs:

And when key art to tease a sequel with feels instantly YES THIS IS DRAGON AGE:

The art is laced with so much symbolism that fans can derive amazing amounts of information from it.

That said, you're right that their environment/architecture design is severely lacking, and suffers from generic bland western fantasy syndrome, that they've sadly written themselves into with Origins, doubled down on with DA2, and tried their best to work with in Inquisition. I do think Skyhold worked relatively well within that limitation, and did enough with its surroundings to make it feel somewhat unique. But yes, I hope they push harder when they visit Tevinter to create some truly unique architecture that finally gives the game visuals themselves an identity (much like Morrowind did for TES for example). And there's always Par Vollen (Qunari lands) to fall back on as something they can get really creative with. Fingers crossed they also move back towards the DA2 visuals for Qunari faces rather than Inquisition's approach (human face photoshopped onto a demon) because that was one area that DA2 really shined compared to Origins.

Click to shrink...

none of those is actually translated to the models and in game at all