3 Best Games from BioWare

Since its inception, BioWare has established itself as a premier Western RPG developer. Critics praised the team for their complex worlds, subjective morality, and parties filled with varied and developed characters. Many consider it the apex of storytelling in gaming. Like Bethesda Softworks, most players associate the developer with its flagship fantasy and sci-fi franchise. However, among BioWare’s repertoire of classic games, some stand above others for their contributions to the medium. Below is a breakdown of why the three games offer the best from BioWare.

3. Dragon Age: Inquisition

With the Mass Effect franchise dormant, Dragon Age became the developer’s flagship franchise. While the series may appear to be a standard fantasy saga, it subverts, examines, and deconstructs many common tropes. For example, the series explores how mages and Elves would fair under a religious theocracy. By the time of this third game, tensions have reached critical levels.

Now, the Inquisitor must use his newfound powers to lead the Inquisition to unite Thedas’ factions against the Fade’s breach. Dozens of previous game choices shape the world’s state and cast. As an RPG, players are given major decisions regarding alliances and resources and have their organization live with the consequences of those choices for the rest of the story. This game was BioWare’s first open-world epic, exploring massive maps. This time, the party consists of returning heroes like Varric alongside newcomers such as the Qunari Iron Bull and the elusive Solas. Finally, the game combines the grim realism of Origins with the kinetic combat of II.

2. Mass Effect 2: BioWare’s Opus

Out of all of BioWare’s games, Mass Effect 2 is heralded by many critics as the best the developer has to offer. Set after the events of the first game, Commander Shepherd is brought back from the brink of death to safeguard humanity’s future. This game combined the intricate role-playing elements of the original with refined 3rd-person shooter mechanics.

Mass Effect 2 elevated the series from a simple cRPG to an actual space opera. Commander Shepherd had to navigate several powerful factions as the enigmatic Reapers approached the galaxy. Furthermore, he had to recruit a team of old allies and new faces, such as fan favorites Miranda and Thane. The game expands upon its “Paradon/Renegade” dynamic, adding a political edge to its morality system. As an intergalactic diplomat, the political court became as much of an arena as the alien-infested battlefield. This culminated in one of the most tense and iconic final acts in gaming history, where all players’ choices were tested.

1. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

When Disney bought Star Wars a decade ago, they sadly erased most of the saga’s lore by declaring everything except the films and The Clone Wars non-canon. This was a tragedy, as many of these stories were the best Star Wars had to offer. A case in point is Knights of the Old Republic. The game followed a Jedi Padawan crossing the galaxy to unite the Republic against the Sith menace of Darth Malak.

This single game added volumes of lore to Star Wars’ mythos, shattering the simple binary of the Jedi and Sith. Players themselves could choose to go down the Light or Dark Side of the Force with their abilities and moral stances. Furthermore, the game introduced fans to one of the most iconic characters in Legends: the master Sith Lord Darth Revan. KOTOR exemplified the best parts of the Expanded Universe by building upon the scale of the Star Wars galaxy. The game was so successful that it inspired a sequel and the massive, ongoing MMO The Old Republic. Furthermore, its legacy was so powerful that fans still fought for its return to canon.

BioWare’s Legacy

To conclude, BioWare has graced gamers with many classics that defined Western RPGs. With each game, they had players lead a united party of heroes into a complicated world where every choice mattered. Many of these games also explored how “role-playing” meant standing for certain ideas and using them to shape the world.

While they’ve been off the radar for the past few years, they’re making a strong return. With Dragon Age: The Veilguard and a Mass Effect sequel on the horizon, the company has many more chances to demonstrate its abilities.