Trailer Analysis | Dragon Age 4: Game Awards 2020

Few concrete details are known about Dragon Age 4 aside from its seemingly troubled development cycle. The first build, nicknamed "Joplin", is said to have been smaller than Inquisition but more focused on player choice and consequence. It was scraped so that the team could restart with a new build, nicknamed "Morrison", that was designed with multiplayer and "games as a service" in mind - as mandated by EA. The mandate was removed in 2021 when EA discontinued support for the failing, always-online Anthem. Dragon Age 4 has since been restarted as a single-player experience.

I did a trailer break-down for Mass Effect 5 but have been hesitant to touch Dragon Age because I am not as well versed in the lore and missed out on most of the DLC, so apologies if I miss something. The latest 2020 and redundant 2018 trailer are both included here due to their short length; approx 1 minute each.

Game Awards 2018 / Dread Wolf Rises - "Morrison" build

The Dread Wolf Rises trailer is pretty self explanatory. It shows off the red lyrium idol from Dragon Age 2 against a depiction of Fen'Harel (the Dread Wolf) in the Elven art style. The voice line at the end is taken from Solas (aka the Dread Wolf) at the end of the Trespasser DLC.

Game Awards 2020 - "Newest" build

0:01 - The opening shot is of a fresco in the Elven art style. The figures appear to represent Knight-Commander Meredith from Dragon Age 2 corrupted by the red lyrium idol, and Corypheus from Inquisition holding Solas' golden orb. Two of the Evanuris (Elven gods) appear upside-down with a golden sphere (moon? Sun?) behind their heads. The two Evanuris appear to be male and female, but its anyone's guess as to who they are.

In the 2018 mural (to right) there were seven moons surrounding the tainted idol - all but two of which had been darkened. There are seven Old Gods in the lore that can awaken, triggering a Blight. Only two still slumber - Lusacan, the Dragon of Night and Razikale, the Dragon of Mystery (the only female old god). The constellation Tenebrium (owl - omen of loss) is associated with both Lusacan and the elven god of death Falon'Din, who is often depicted as a cloaked and hooded figure. The constellation Eluvia (lady - wishes and sacrifice) depicts a woman with a domed head, representing clouds, and is associated with both Razikale and an Orlesian tale (called Eluvia) about a woman who was sent into the sky to escape a lustful mage.

0:21 - Giant tortoises stroll across an arid landscape. The scene could be set in the Anderfels, which are known for being barren with dangerously hot summers. It is also the birthplace of the Grey Wardens and the site of their headquarters - Weisshaupt Fortress. This aligns with the winged greaves in the foreground, which resemble the armor worn by the Grey Wardens.

0:29 - A palace encased in light or magical energy.

0:31 - An Antivan crow or Tevinter Agent drinks from a goblet. The same palace from the previous shot is visible in the background. The waterway and gothic architecture with stained glass windows makes me think this could be Antiva, which draws inspiration from real-world Spain and Venice.

0:37 - The Tevinter Imperium. A flag with the Imperium's heraldry hangs off of a building to the right and magic glyphs appear throughout the scene.

0:41 - A robed figure brandishes a winged dagger. They appear to be dressed in gold, but I can't pinpoint any of the designs. Tevinter?

0:44 - An archer walks through a snowy forest. They are completely covered in a red and black outfit, carrying a bow identicle to the magic triangle bow from concept art (to right) posted to Twitter by producer Christian Dailey (no longer at BioWare as of February 23, 2022).

0:47 - The archer attacks a hurlock in what appears to be the same area from the Gamescom 2020 concept art.

0:56 - The fresco from the beginning (see below), showing the Dread Wolf bearing down on the Black City. The enormous size of the wolf relative to the other figures indicates an event more catastrophic than the ones before. Unlike the 2018 mural, the wolf's eyes are blue instead of red; reminiscent of Solas eyes when using his powers. The wolf's mouth is bright red with blood or tainted by red lyrium.

Thoughts

Varric Tethras, one of two confirmed returning characters, acts as the narrator throughout the trailer. The line, "No magic hand. No ancient prophecy. The kind of person they'll never see coming" likley refers to the player character being an average Joe with no Inquisition or Warden type status. BioWare has stated the next Dragon Age game will focus on "what happens when you don't have power. What happens when the people in charge aren't willing to address the issues." Other than that, the trailer acts as a showcase of locations and factions we may see. Concept art revealed during a Behind-the-Scenes feature at Gamescom 2020 offers some hint as to who the next cast could be.

First posted to videogamegeek.com on September 23, 2021

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