Premiering on Netflix on December 9, 2022, Dragon Age Absolution, the new 6 part adult animation series is based on the mega fantasy role-playing video game franchise developed by BioWare. The series has been produced by Red Dog Culture House and directed by Ki Yong-bae. Starring Kimberley Brooks as Miriam, Matthew Mercer as Fairbanks, Phil Lamarr as Roland, Ashly Burch as Qwydion, Sumalee Montano as Hira and more, the series transports us back to the environs of Thedas.
With great power at stake, a group of misfits must work together to steal an artifact from a sinister mage. Based on BioWare’s video game franchise.
-Dragon Age Absolution Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
A band of mercenaries heads into a heist to retrieve an antique relic possessing grave demonic blood magic powers. The widely accepted leader of the group, though not official, the rogue elf – Miriam is pulled into the case despite her unwillingness to be dragged back to her painful past spent in Tevinter where she faces off again the powerful mage Rezaren Ammosine, who might up to another fatal plan which requires the same golden ring.
Following the release of the third instalment of the video games, Dragon Age: Inquistion, Absolution takes up a rather smaller scale, character focussed presentation. It’ll remind viewers of similar counterparts of the adventure, fantasy and heist genres. Leading the squad of mercenaries to the land of Tevinter, symbolic of traumatic memories for some.
Despite its fantastical approach and representation of mythical creatures like elves and giants, the storyline is replete with imageries close to reality, especially through the hierarchy prevalent in their society. Miriam’s character provides the poignant thrust for the depiction of this case, being an elf herself, her childhood had ample instances of tormenting experiences related to her (and her kind) being subjected to slavery. Carrying the same weight of the past, though now a mercenary, she steps back into the land that birthed those horrors on being urged by her beloved Hira.
Through their relationship, we get a glimpse into an inter-class romance, wherein, though Miriam falls back on Hira’s idealistic approach (presented through her rather privileged stance in society) as her anchor, the latter doesn’t see through the nuances of the former’s living conditions, and the repercussions of her past. As opposed to Miriam, Qwydion’s character is structurally built up as a minor character, but her purpose in the story is never to solely provide comic relief but also a warrior learning to accept others around her.
Absolution plays the role of bridging the gap between Inquisition and the fourth game instalment titled Dreadwolf by opening up the pathway for the next story arc. While fans of the games will seamlessly grasp how the series isn’t as expansive as its source material, the focus on specific characters (even if not all) is a relieving touch for those who’ve found this chapter as the introductory ground to the franchise. It doesn’t pick up too many subplots or leave you puzzled despite the endless mentions of events from the precursor.
Dragon Age Absolution: Final Thoughts
Although new to the franchise myself, I’m already intrigued about the characters present in the storyline and their respective origin chapters. The show doesn’t introduce us to these backdrops and keeps on dropping grand terminologies and intertextual references from the games that may get easily lost on newcomers, but it doesn’t play off as a downfall for the series’ reputation.
With all the new information in hand, the ones coming across these characters for the first time are rather curious to find out the significance of it all, thus working in the favour of the franchise. And all the credit for the same goes to the fluid and attractive visuals of the animation, which are complimented by the accompanying action sequences.
There may be some to come forward with complaints about how the episodes majorly highlighted Miriam’s ordeals, but I particularly found her to be the perfect standalone main character owing to her personal conflict with her identity and her struggle to establish herself through her own choices in a world that overtly pushes her kind back.
Due to the numerous visuals of bloodshed and violence, and occasional curse words being uttered by the characters, the 6 episode release is restricted to the adult audience’s viewership. People into adult animations, specifically featuring action-themed adventures and also including LGBTQI+ romance tropes (with two such pairs), will find this an appropriate fun watch even if they’re not well acquainted with the overall saga.
Dragon Age: Absolution is now streaming on Netflix.