DA:O had the same problem post-Landsmeet, but it was not as pronounced and it was avoidable, if you wanted. You could always just skip Slim Couldry's quests and plow through from Landsmeet to the end of the game in about an hour or so. If you decided to do what few post-Landsmeet quests there were, you could always alleviate the gloom by flirting with your lover, hearing worn-out alcoholism jokes from Oghren, or snarking with Shale, whatever turned you on. The point is that there were moments of levity available, and they came in a wide variety of flavors.
With DA2, not so much. You can't flirt with your lover, or engage in player-initiated conversation at all, so there's no relief there. Your companions are involved with their own quests and their own lives and really aren't much interested in yours. About the only non-heavy banter you get in Act 3 is between Varric and Isabela, and there isn't a lot of it. There aren't any "fluff" quests to lighten the mood. But there are a bunch of heavy, depressing quests that make you wish Aveline and Donnic weren't already hooked up so you could play matchmaker again.
What would have helped? Well, flirting with your lover, for one. Also, a light-weight jolly quest or two. Yeah, I understand that the game is serious and that Act 3 is all about events set in motion moving relentlessly toward their inevitable conclusions, but playing the game makes me feel like Varric after trying and failing to cheer up Anders. "You're no fun anymore."
While I do appreciate what the game was trying to do, unmitigated tragedy can be overwhelming. Not everybody likes Shakespeare, but he did know how to tell a story. And he understood that tragedy needs comic relief to succeed.
Retour en haut
