The other chief subversion is the nature of magic, which in Dragon Age is born from interaction with a spiritual realm called The Fade, where spirits of good and evil dwell.
Elves are current or former slaves, having been at war with humanity in the distant past, whereas in most fantasy traditions Elves are an enlightened race in their declining years. One of the most interesting aspects of the land of Thedas in the Dragon Age universe is the way BioWare has subverted traditional fantasy lore. Dragon Age II’s story fell apart for me in spectacular fashion on account of the choices I made, which were summarily ignored. The story of a videogame that allows players to make moral choices has to provide narrative quality along all the paths its players may take in order to deserve our critical praise. The challenge with assessing value to videogames on behalf of their narratives is that we cannot read them like ordinary texts, a la books and movies.
It’s therefore natural when games like Dragon Age II, whose characters and story are arguably stronger than their mechanics, roll around, those narrative-loving critics are so pleased. I do not, however, place value on narrative over mechanics. Critics of Dragon Age II who are bullish on the game tend to extol the virtues of its narrative.
