I’m replaying Mass Effect in preparation for its sequel (and to pump Dominic Shepard up to level 60 in order to achieve apparently negligible benefits), and it struck me how crucial religion and faith are to Bioware’s original IPs. Dragon Age and Mass Effect both have several characters who subscribe either to organized religions or to systems very much resembling religions, and those religious alignments affect the way that your character interacts with others – even more so if you dedicate yourself to stricter roleplaying.
I think it points to what I appreciate most about Bioware games: their ability to draw the player into a well-realized environment. Whatever their narrative flaws, they take place in cohesive and sensible worlds that feel extraordinarily lived-in. It makes me wonder, though – is the emphasis on religion just decoration, is it a means to a gameplay end (that is, it’s something that they thought of more because it affects character interaction than anything else), or is its presences as a universal building block in Bioware’s oeuvre a signpost of its deeper thematic relevance to their works? Is there something they’re trying to convey? Is it just an element of the setting, living architecture?
I guess this means I might have to play Baldur’s Gate.