While there's still no official title for Dragon Age 4, BioWare's upcoming RPG sequel, the developer recently released a cinematic trailer. Debuting at The Game Awards 2020, the trailer confirmed many fan theories about the fantasy RPG, and set the rumor mill grinding. Dragon Age 4 doesn't have a release window yet, but there's still a lot to learn from the teaser.
To fans of the series, there are some interesting similarities between the Games Awards Dragon Age 4 trailer and Warden's Calling, an early CG trailer in the Dragon Age series, which released at E3 2009. The trailer for Dragon Age: Origins served as one of the first introductions to BioWare's fantasy series, which has grown to be massively popular. Because of this, the two trailers sharing similar vibes is very important to fans who want to make sure that Dragon Age 4 retains that Origins magic.
No Ancient Prophecy
One of the most striking similarities between the two trailers is their theme. "It's time for a new hero,"Â says Companion Varric in the Dragon Age 4 trailer, "no magic hand, no ancient prophecy." These references to the two previous Dragon Age titles make it clear that the story of Dragon Age 4 will be more grounded.
This is something that's also highlighted in the original Dragon Age: Origins CG trailer. As the Warden walks toward his death, the narrator speaks the Grey Warden motto: "In war, victory. In peace, vigilance. In death, sacrifice." These words make it clear that the Warden is no messianic savior or prophesized hero, simply a warrior following a code that compels him to lay his life down to defeat evil.
This similarity is reinforced with a visual reference in the Dragon Age 4 trailer. Just as Varric announces that it's time for a new hero, we see a shot from behind a pair of armored boots, with a number of huge and dangerous-looking monsters ahead of them. There are two very similar shots in the Dragon Age: Origins trailer, the first as the Warden walks away from his discarded scabbard, and the second when he faces the horde of Darkspawn.
The Lone Hero
No protagonist fights alone in a Dragon Age title. As a party-based RPG series, players have always been able to take a few Companions along to help them out in combat. In fact, the new teaser trailer practically confirms that Varric Tethras will return in Dragon Age 4 as a Companion. Despite this, the trailer doesn't show any shots of a party fighting as a group. Instead, we see several solo characters: The armored warrior in the desert, the roguish figure in the city, and the magical archer in the forest.
This bucks a trend among the series' trailers, which tend to show at least a little of Dragon Age's important Companions. However, one trailer that also focuses on a lone figure is the Dragon Age: Origins CG teaser. The Warden has no Companions to rely on as he faces down the endless horde of Darkspawn, and it wasn't until later trailers that BioWare showed how important party combat would be in the series.
The Dragon Age 4 teaser trailer has turned the hype up a notch for fans of the series. As a consequence, it's coming under a lot of scrutiny as the community attempts to squeeze every last drop of information from it. With three other games to reference, it's very interesting that the trailer shares so much in common with Dragon Age; Origin's Warden's Calling. The first title in the series is still fondly remembered, and many fans consider it to be BioWare's best game. Hopefully, these similar trailers indicate that the development studio is focusing on what made the series great as they work toward the upcoming title.
Dragon Age 4Â is in development.