In the end, I think Dragon Age: Origins hits those notes, but does so with a slick new interface that new players will find intuitive, whether on PC or a console. That sense that you’re on an epic quest, surrounded by characters that feel fully realized and embroiled in tough but rewarding fights that make you think about your tactics. Our goal was to create the same feel as the Baldur’s Gate games. Laidlaw: It’s larger than just the combat. Vitka: What precisely do you mean by ‘spiritual successor’? Is it with regards to the tried and true combat system? A setting like that makes the adventure our main character, the Grey Warden, experiences that much more compelling, because he or she is dealing with the fantastic in a more mundane world. The team was also keen to work in a style we think of as “dark fantasy,” and develop a setting where magic is less common, the day to day is more gritty, and the world feels more grounded. Laidlaw: While we loved working in the Forgotten Realms, Bioware felt it was time to develop our own world. What prompted the decision to stray from the D&D universe? Ray Muzyka has described Dragon Age as the spiritual successor to the Dungeons & Dragons-based ‘Baldur’.
Vitka: The Baldur’s Gate series – aside from being wildly popular – set a new standard for Role Playing Games.
