Dragon Age: Origins Co-Director Criticizes the Game’s Fade Sequence
If you surveyed every Dragon Age: Origins player, most would likely have a less-than-positive impression of the game’s Fade sequence, which transports players to a bizarre alternate dimension and separates them from the rest of their party.
Some Fade defenders argue that its tonal and mechanical shift keeps the game fresh. However, the general consensus appears to be that the sequence was not the best use of resources—and one of the foremost authorities on the game has now reinforced that view.
“It’s not very good content,” Dragon Age: Origins co-director Mark Darrah said in a new video posted to his TikTok account, as reported by Kotaku.
In the video, Darrah responds to a commenter who asks which features he would remove from each Dragon Age game if given the opportunity. He immediately identifies the Fade as an example of a sequence that has not “aged super well.”
“I think I would be tempted to either cut or dramatically reduce the dream sequence part from the Mage Tower,” Darrah said. “It’s not very good content. It’s kind of filler. It was definitely done pretty fast in the end.”
For those who have spent the past 17 years defending BioWare’s bold experimentation in the Fade, one of the game’s directors has now offered a contrary assessment. Darrah’s comments effectively acknowledge that the sequence was developed quickly and served partly as filler, even though Dragon Age: Origins would remain an exceptionally large RPG without it.