1. Summary
2. Background
3. Hype

BioWare has a history of making great role-playing games. This history starts with Baldur's Gate, one of the most influential and excellent computer RPGs ever made. Following the path of a Bhaalspawn through the troubled world of Faerun, it was easily the best Dungeons and Dragons game ever released. Then came Baldur's Gate 2, which blew it out of the water and then piledrove it into submission. Featuring a complex world full of complicated factions, one of the few true morally grey storylines in any game, and an excellent combat system to boot, it is still the benchmark by which many RPGs are judged. As Atari now holds the Dungeons and Dragons license, and BioWare is an EA subsidiary, Dragon Age: Origins is the spiritual sequel to Baldur's Gate as much as BioShock was to System Shock. A very familiar strategy-oriented combat system, an in-depth character creator, and various other similarities to BioWare's masterpiece all point to Dragon Age: Origins pulling straight from its roots.

There are similarities to more than just Baldur's Gate and D&D, however. Perhaps the most striking comparison is that of the dark fantasy world of Warhammer. Created for the tabletop wargame Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the Warhammer universe shares many similarities to the Dragon Age universe. Perhaps the three most notable are the inclusion of magic-hunting religious fanatics, the process by which the army of Darkspawn was created, and the plight of the Dwarven people. In the first case, the Templars are one of the most notorious of the Dragon Age factions, being subject to a particularly revealing comic by Penny Arcade. They are religious fanatics that kill off those that practice magic without supervision due to intense devotion to the Chantry and the desire to never see another swelling of Darkspawn. In Warhammer, these fanatics are called the Witch Hunters (or Inquisitors) and they root out those who practice magic that is not licensed by one of the eight schools in the name of Sigmar, as an amateur magician acts as a beacon for the reality-tearing forces of Chaos.

The forces of Chaos and the Darkspawn are also very similar to one another. In the case of Dragon Age, the Darkspawn were (supposedly) created by magic running awry and altering those that practiced it, turning them into bloodthirsty monstrosities that begat more monsters. In the case of Warhammer, the ranks of Chaos are bolstered (but were not created) by the practice of rogue magic, which warps and changes the wielders according to the whims of the Chaos gods. In both cases, magic users end up as gibbering abominations that swarm across the land and tear down kingdoms, forcing those in peril to fight back at intense and bloody costs.

Finally comes the plight of the Dwarves. In Dragon Age, the Dwarves have come under attack thanks to a swelling of Darkspawn in the mining shafts beneath their fair cities. In the case of Warhammer, it is not Darkspawn that seek to overrun and slaughter the Dwarves, but Greenskins. In both cases, cities being overrun, a dwindling reproductive rate, and isolationist tendencies are quickly driving each race into near-extinction. While the particular Dwarven attributes applied to both versions (such as a desire to mine, underground cities, and a hardy constitution) are common in fantasy lore, it is the specifics of their endangerment that link the two together.

Dragon Age also draws upon the fantasy epic Lord of the Rings in its setting. While the Darkspawn reflect Chaos in origin, they greatly resemble the Uruk-Hai that compose the vast armies of Sauron, especially visually. There is also a set piece in the game that resembles the defending of both Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith, including the vaguely incompetent ruler. Other fantasy parallels can be drawn to media such as The Witcher or traditional Sword and Sorcery. In all, it looks very much like a classical, epic, dark fantasy tale.