Mass Effect 4: 10 Things It Must Learn From Dragon Age: Inquisition
8. Paragon/Renegade Is Pointless
One area in which the Dragon Age series is better than Mass Effect is the subtlety of the choices you are forced to make. Mass Effect judges the player along a paragon/renegade gradient, and in doing so influences and pushes players to pick a side. While one can see the reasoning behind this design, in many ways it rings false. A players decision within the game shouldnt be explicitly judged by the design because, by knowing this, a player will game the system in order to get the best outcome. On the other hand the Dragon Age series, including Inquisition, doesnt categorise choices along an arbitrary measurement of morality. In Inquisition you are presented with many difficult choices to make, and they arent colour coded or named. This simple design choice force players to make a decision based on context and reasoning. Siding with Templars or Mages isnt a paragon or renegade choice; its just a choice. Its up to you to decide which one is the right one. Playing Inquisition highlights just how useless that paragon/renegade system was in the Mass Effect series. When you really think about it the games wouldnt lose anything if it hadnt been there. If anything the system limited player choice, as failing to consistently choose paragon or renegade responses would close off crucial dialogue options. Its time the series got rid of it. Players dont need colours to guide them through difficult choices. If the Dragon Age series doesnt need a system of morality measurement to guide players, than Mass Effect doesnt either. Removing paragon/renegade choices would bring more nuance and subtlety to the series while making your choices feel more organic and personal.
