Why Dragon Age Is Secretly Better Than Mass Effect

Mass Effect: Telling An Intimate Narrative

Despite this, though, there’s an even bigger distinction between these titles that gives Dragon Age a significant edge against Mass Effect. Whereas the latter tells one contained narrative spanning an entire trilogy, the former tells multiple tales, each as epic as the last. Consequently, the realms of Thedas make for a richer and more interesting place than Mass Effect’s futuristic Milky Way.

This is not to dismiss Commander Shepard’s interstellar saga entirely. In fact, playing as the same protagonist throughout the span of three massive games is an arguably more intimate experience. Especially if you play each entry chronologically by carrying over your saved data from the previous game, the series is a continuation of your adventure.

Each difficult choice you’ve had to make, all the relationships you’ve forged through dozens of hours with your companions, everything that you’ve been through has all been part of your Shepard’s quest to save the galaxy.

All you need to do is look at the impact of Mass Effect 2’s suicide mission to see the emotionally devastating impact your choices can have.