They improved the Eclipse Engine, renaming it Lycium, to enhance the game's visuals and lighting, and accommodate a new art style inspired by movies like Yojimbo and Conan. BioWare looked at players' feedback and reviews of Origins, and decided to improve its gameplay, making it more action-oriented. EA gave them only 14 to 16 months to finish the game's development, thus forcing the team to crunch for an extended period and reuse assets.
Depending on players' decisions and dialogue, a companion will either recognize Hawke as a friend or a rival.īioWare began the game's development during the production of Origins 's expansion pack Awakening. Players encounter various companions, who play major roles in the game's plot and gameplay. In the game, players explore and engage in combat from a third-person perspective. Set in the world of Thedas, players assume the role of Hawke, a human mage, rogue, or warrior who arrives in the city of Kirkwall as a lowly refugee, and becomes its legendary champion over a turbulent decade of political and social conflict. It is the second major game in the Dragon Age series and the successor to Dragon Age: Origins (2009).
Dragon Age II is a 2011 action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts (EA).