This is a really astonishing game, worthy of all the praise it gets. I wish it were a little more subtle (in all regards: melodrama, sex, visual effects, horrifying storylines, etc), just for my own taste, but I really enjoy moving around in this world. I find the mechanics difficult to master, and the plot difficult to keep up with, especially given irregular play sessions.
I love the slightly creepy bureaucratic brutalist vibe, and the world is pretty fun too.
Clearly, the game is well made and enjoyable for those who want what it has to offer. I found the turn-based combat to be cumbersome and difficult to feel competent with. The turn-based nature of the whole paradigm also made it more difficult for me to get involved in the story. (To be fair to Dragon Age, I have this same problem with Baldur's Gate 3, which is obviously NOT a terrible game, so it's more a matter of preference than design). The cut scenes seemed to be too frequent, too long, and too unimportant. It was often that while I was playing I was irritated anytime a cutscene started because I knew that I'd be out of the game for a few minutes. I also found the characters/writing to be unenjoyably anachronistic. They often use rather modern phrases, which feel out of place in the fantasy setting and aren't consistent with their other fantasy-style language that is often used. The inconsistency of theme was difficult to get past.
