Things are immensely different this time around, that much is made clear in the first 15 minutes of game play. If you played the demo that dropped a couple weeks ago, the intro is not much different. A tall tale is told regarding an event in the player character’s life. You’re thrust onto a mountaintop surrounded by an army of Darkspawn blighters and given an arsenal of devastating new abilities based on what class you picked. This serves the purpose of letting you figure out at the offset that, while war never changes, the combat in Dragon Age obviously has. As a warrior, I was pulling off whirlwind cleaving attacks that would turn large arcs of 5+ foes into a fine red mist. The pace of combat is much faster, the attacks are far more devastating, and the number of enemies thrown on screen at once would make Origins‘ frame-rate develop a stutter. 2-3 hours after your character has been reset to the reality of only having one ability, it becomes clear that the handful of skills they let you sample at the offset are an amuse bouché compared to the sheer volume and intensity of attacks available.

As always, the world is rife with rich characters, gorgeous set-pieces, and enough collectible lore to make an ogre choke. So far, the game feels much more geographically concentrated in comparison to the first. Much of the game takes place in the city of Kirkwall, a large metropolis that used to function as a slave trade capital. Quests will take you into the outlying wilderness, but for the most part you will be traveling the mean streets, making a name for yourself. Whether that reputation is good or bad is entirely up to you, considering BioWare’s signature dialogue options are back and more diverse than ever.

For all the good, there are a few things that still don’t sit very well with me about the title. For one, you can no longer pimp your companions out with all of that sweet armor you’re going to be finding, because a companion’s head, chest, and boot slots are all taken up by a special set of companion armor. These can only be upgraded by completing certain companion quests or finding the proper vendor to sell you upgrades for specific characters. Granted, this prevents the issues from the first game where characters would get pissed off and walk out with your premium gear. Aside from that, there is the issue of not actually generating your character until after the previously mentioned intro. This led to me finding out 15 minutes into the game that my Dragon Age: Origins save file was on another memory unit and in one of my finer moments of impatience I just said “Fuck it” and kept playing as a fresh character.

At the end of the day, Dragon Age 2 is still a damn fine game. Despite the previous issues, I’ve gone back and relocated my old saves and started a new character based on my main character in Origins. So far, there isn’t much that I can tell is effected by the events of Origins, but I’m sure as the timeline pans out, some of those characters and actions will come into play in the faraway city of Kirkwall.  As long as you don’t mind a little less customization of your companions and a combat system that seems a bit more God of War, Dragon Age 2 is sure to be a game that will easily get the most mileage out of your gaming dollar.

In Return to Ostagar, the player is tasked with returning to the battlefield of Ostagar where a majority of the Grey Wardens were exterminated by the Darkspawn. Arriving on the scene, you find there are no survivors and a lot of Darkspawn to be punished. Along your way, you’ll reclaim the lost arms and armor of King Cailan and Duncan. Not only do these look pretty cool, they are statistically superior to much of the armor in the game.

This is basically where the content stops, however. Ostagar hasn’t changed much, aside from now being covered in snow and in a state of crumbling disrepair. There is one additional achievement to be earned, and all in all the Return to Ostagar mission takes all of 30 minutes if you’re quick about it. For the amount of content, I can’t personally see what caused all the delays.

The price point seems to be on par with the rest of the DLC for the title. 15 bucks will get you a new character and a few new quests and items. 7 bucks will get you a new quest, a storage box, some new powers, and some new items. And apparently for 5 bucks you can just get a new quest and some items. If you’ve already got the MS points burning a hole in your pocket, or 5 bucks is just a trifle to you, by all means add this little bit of spice to your already zesty RPG experience. If not, I would certainly wait for the chance of a sale or DLC bundle to be released on the cheap.

To start, the player creates their character from a fairly straightforward character creator which is essentially a much simpler version of Origins‘ creator. The player’s character begins on a journey with their unit to the Deep Roads to do battle with the rising number of Darkspawn in the area. Barely escaping an ambush by an unusually large force of Darkspawn, you escape to the Dwarven capitol of Orzammar and attempt to rally support against the Darkspawn threat. Throughout the game, battle goes down on a hex grid in a style similar to the Might and Magic series. As you gain experience, you can level up your characters and assign their talents, giving you a little bit of insight into the way characters will advance in Origins.

For a program constructed in Flash, the visuals are fantastic. Characters and environments contain a high level of detail by Flash standards, thanks in great part to Adam Phillips of Brackenwood fame. My only beef with the visual design of the game is that the dungeons one must crawl through are quite mundane, repetitive, and flat. Some effort could have been made to at least throw in the illusion of vertical depth. One assumes that a massive series of underground caverns would not be a perpetually flat plane. All things considered, the visual experience is quite refined for a platform that is primarily used as a workplace time waster.

On its surface, Journeys is a pretty unassuming strategy RPG with some solid dialogue and graphics. As mentioned previously, EA2D has employed some distinguished veterans from the field of Flash gaming, so the game doesn’t mess around. Where the game truly shines is the way it factors into the overall Dragon Age marketing plan. For completing surveys, unlocking achievements, or accomplishing certain quests, one may unlock equipment which can be downloaded and used for your characters in Dragon Age: Origins. In this way, a continuity is created between platforms, and the IP gains integrity as a well-constructed, connected mythos. This manner of storytelling and multimedia integration is truly an epoch-making endeavor.

In terms of replayability, the game will take up several hours for each playthrough. Also, considering that the greatest of the unlockable items, the Helm of the Deep, requires an achievement that demands playing through the game as each of the three classes, it will take multiple replays of the game to unlock everything. The multiple dialog choices and varying talent specs for each class allow for a fresh experience each time, making the replays quite enjoyable.  Overall, between the immaculate crew of flash authors, brilliant marketing tactics, and superb storytelling, Dragon Age Journeys is a franchise that I look forward to seeing more of. Keep up the good work, EA2D.