Character depth meets side quest obsession. You have my attention!
We’re not talking about a movie today. Sorry, but I got distracted by the entertaining Dragon Age: Vows and Vengeance. This is a podcast, or I guess you’d call it a radio play if you were born in 1923.
It’s an episodic dose of good times. If you read original Witcher short story compilations The Last Wish or Sword of Destiny, this is those, but with a Dragon Age twist.
A Hero’s Journey of Side Quests
The podcast builds its mansion on the foundations of a hero’s journey, but all the magic comes from the side characters. Our hero, Nadia Carcosa, is on a quest to rescue her almost-betrothed. Her life is the way it is because she keeps running from her problems, which has given her some cool skills, but also a somewhat rudderless existence. She’s joined by Drayden Keil, AKA Books, who’s similarly lost, but in a different way.
Each episode, like the Witcher collection, closes in on this rescue quest. And like the Witcher stories, it uses each episode to focus on a new character. You’ll meet assassins, mages, thieves, and warriors, all of which bring some A-grade voice talent to the radio play. Where it teaches Witcher new tricks is in its focus on side questing; while Nadia’s journey is important, she’s learning to not be a dick, and so we get to watch her grow through completing her companions’ side quests.
Aside from being a major gamer drawcard, this is a cool narrative component. Why is the hero’s journey more important than everyone else’s? Dragon Age: Vows and Vengeance knows none of us want to be NPCs in someone else’s life. In this show, everyone’s story is interesting, fun, and world-changing levels of importance.
Vengeance vs. Absolution
If you’re thinking this sounds a little familiar, you’re right! This trick was used to great effect in the Netflix animated series Dragon Age: Absolution. Absolution spends a lot of time on its supporting cast so you feel part of a team. Vows and Vengeance puts the team and their goals at the front. It uses a clever narrative trick: making us care for the supporting cast makes us care more about the world they live in. The stakes are high, and everyone gets a chance to be a hero.
Side Quests as Storytelling
There are no kill-ten-rats stories in this show. While there’s a little too much hand-wavium in the plot arcs for my liking, it’s serviceable and gets the job done. Each quest deepens the lore of the world, and presumably the upcoming Dragon Age: The Veilguard (because it features all companions from the game). At its core, it deepens those character relationships. Anyone can enjoy this show for what it is: a standalone quest collection where heroes kick ass and save the world (and each other).
But those who are about to get into the game? I feel you’re in for an extended treat: it’s a real showing of the heroes you’ll quest alongside in your digital journeys.
Flaws? What Flaws?
There are two cautionary tales for this show. The first is that the evil people can be too evil; while we expect a little transparency of nature from Dragon Age’s demons, the human counterparts we encounter in the world are a little too predictable in their inevitable betrayals.
Second, sometimes the production gets in the way of the … production. This show has a sound stage from Nam, and I felt like the sword clashes, grunts, and screaming detracted from the story itself. I worked out what was happening, but honestly the voice work was so good it didn’t need the extra production work.
So, What?
If you’re into Dragon Age, you’ll dig this, but non-fans might be drawn to the games if you listen to Vows and Vengeance. It’s a strong, character-driven series that builds on cool heroes doing epic shit, and there’s a shedload of story spread across eight episodes. Not a one of them is a downer; it’s all class, all the time.
Take a risk. Hit that play button. I believe in you, and so does Nadia and Books.
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