Summary
When it comes to RPGs,BioWarestands out for placing characters and player choice at the heart of the gaming experience. Whether gamers find themselves attempting to saveFereldenfrom the Fifth Blight of Dragon Age: Originsor simply trying to stop a prison riot in thePeninsula District of Neverwinter, tough decisions and moral dilemmas are always close at hand during the player’s journey.The effects of which may irreversibly change the course of their playthrough.
The goal of immersing the player in the shoes of their character can often highlight the disparity between good and bad choices in a game. However, the answers don’t always come in black and white, and sometimes BioWare’s choices rest comfortably in the more morally grey side of storytelling.
Jade Empire, one ofBioWare’smore underrated gems, seemed to have come out too late or too early to garner the attention it deserved. From the stylish, somewhat repetitive combatto the genuinely endearing characters, Jade Empire may share Knights Of The Old Republic’s somewhat black-and-white takes on morality and player choice, but it’s still a great time.
One of the few more complex choices made in the game can be when picking one of three endings. Players, depending on their choice of morality, can submit to the emperor, who is the protagonist’s past mentor and has since become the game’s primary antagonist, or they can take on the power of the Water Dragon instead of freeing it, in order to make themselves the emperor of a world that’s otherwise bound to end. Jade Empire’s three separate endings don’t garner much more than a simple epilogue cutscene - but many issues arise when players consider the actual implications of each end, whether hopeful or not.
After being dragged into an ongoing murder trial, the player is appointed Arbiter for Sunry, which is essentially a space Lawyer… and Detective. Tasked with gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses to find out who killed Elassa, this case mainly revolves around the player’s ability to deceive or persuade those around them.
Players can choose to defend Sunry without substantial evidence or realize that he did indeed kill Elassa, depending on the mission’s progression. The game reacts differently based on various circumstances. Did the player know why Sunry killed his mistress? If so, did the revelation of Elassa’s Sith nature warrant the crime? The main challenge in this case arises from how much can bemissed and how much is left to player interpretation upon the initial playthrough.
Both characters have grown incredibly close to the player throughout their campaign, making Vette and Taurian incredibly likable.Having been present throughout the majority of the game, their stories come to a climax when both of them are under heavy fire, and only one can be rescued.
Though the decision is more personal, it’s more about how the player generally feels towards their companions—it comes down to who is the more liked of the two. Though saving one and leaving the other leads to them being absent for the rest of the character’s journey, both outcomes can leave the player with a bittersweet taste. No one decision is correct, and it’s a heartbreaking decision to have to make.
5Jaxo’s Trolley Problem
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Over the course of one’s galactic journey in this multiplayer RPG spin-off ofBioWare’spreviousKnights of the Old Republicduology,if a player has decided to start the game as a Trooper, then they’ll find themselves building a strong report with Ava Jaxo, a strong-willedSergeant hellbent on wiping out the crime syndicates in Coruscant.
The player’s relationship with Jaxo comes to a head, however, when she issubsequently taken and held captive as an Imperial Prisoner, which, of course, means that one would have to get her back.Shortly after arriving at the complex, players are informed thather capture was deliberately used as a trap to lure them here in order to capture them and subsequently kill them. After a tense run and gun and successfully evading their capture attempts, The Old Republic gives players a choice. They can either save Jaxo, or the three hundred Imperial prisoners within the vessel. It’s a classictrolley problemscenario - the audience knows that Jaxo is a good person, but is her life more valuable than the 300 prisoners, each with their own stories and lives?
One of the hardest decisions BioWare presents the player with is the option to kill or spare The Architect, a uniquely intelligent Darkspawn who wishes to create everlasting peace between the Darkspawn and all the races in Thedas. His prior actions, however, cannot be ignored.
The architect is adept at deception, but players already have more than enough reasons to strike him down, given that the fifth Blight was his doing. The ultimate he provides is that if spared, he will ally with the Grey Warden to help them take down a powerful foe. Not only that, he insinuates that he will work together with the iconic Grey Warden to put an end to The Blight - for good.Though his ultimate goal may be noble, he consistently does more harm than good in his relentless chase of his aspirations. However, his knowledge of the Darkspawn would be invaluable to the Grey Wardens - and if he does make good on his word - sparing him may prevent another Blight entirely.It’s entirely up to the player whether he lives, but it is good to keep in mind his very well-thought-out genocidal past.
3Loghain’s Fate
Dragon Age: Origins
Loghain’s seemingly irredeemable characterization throughout The Grey Warden’s adventures can make it hard for one to imagine a better fate for him than death. Depending on the choices that players may have found themselves making during their first journey through Ferelden,however, there are numerous conclusions to the usurper’s tale.
Despite having essentially been all but defeated by the time his fate must be decided, Loghain still has his own loyal followers who could no doubt be a danger if he isn’t made an example. He could be recruited into the Grey Wardens and be the one forced to kill the Arch-Demon himself. Saving the player’s own Grey Warden from certain death and preventing the need for the performance of The Dark Ritual altogether. He could be an asset to the Grey Wardens if forced to undertake the joining - but it could be safer to just end his cruel run here and now.
Once Anders' blows the Chantry up towards the end of Dragon Age 2, it’s clear he’s finally gone too far in his crusade against the Templars. Though his motives are incredibly sympathetic, The storyline constantly shows the player just how horribly mistreated the Mages of Kirkwall are.
Anders deceives Hawke into unknowingly providing him with the last ingredient needed to make his bomb to blow up the Chantry. Anders' boiling point seemed inevitable in hindsight, his own troubled thoughts were amplied tenfold as a result of his shared mind with a demon of vengeance. Though it’s clear he expected Hawke to accept his apologies, Anders is, after all, a distraught character who loses all control once possessed, and while one can reason as to why he should be spared. Despite that, the casualties in the resulting explosion - combined with the already elevated levels of anxiety around the Mages of Ferelden, made this attack incredibly shortsighted, where no side came out on top. Whether or not he deserves a chance at redemption is up to Hawke, though he doesn’t seem all that regretful.
1Here Lies The Abyss
Dragon Age: Inquisiton
During the events of the “Here Lies The Abyss” questline, the Inquisitor and their merry crew lay siege to Adamant Fortress to stop Coyrpheus' corrupted Grey Wardens from summoning even more of his ghastly spirits from beyond The Rift.
Things eventually go awry, resulting in the Inquisition being trapped deep in the Fade and haunted by the Fear Demon, Nightmare. After an arduous battle, the party finally gets their chance to escape. Still, the Demon is far from defeated - which leads the Inquisitor to make a tough choice: save Hawke, the protagonist of the prior game - or save the accompanying Grey Warden - who, depending on their choices in earlier series entries, will be either fan-favorite companion Alistair or the noble Stroud. The decision is hard either way. Hawke would naturally be someone that the player sees fondly given their role as Dragon Age 2’s protagonist. Alistair, however, is easily the series' most beloved character and would be the only hope for leading the now stray Grey Wardens.
