Summary
BioWareis well-known in the gaming industry for crafting high-quality and emotionally engaging stories. The studio is adept at creating critically appraised role-playing games such asMass EffectandDragon Ageand has also been approached to make games for other original intellectual properties, the most notable beingBaldur’s GateandStar Wars. With the nextMass Effecttitlereportedly in development, BioWare has also promised a full reveal forDragon Age: Dreadwolf, the next game in the franchise. The studio certainly has its hands full for 2024.
Their main characters in BioWare games are often at the center of an epic RPG adventure. They are personas that help the player form deep, lasting connections with the lore contained in their respective games. Fans know that BioWare doesn’t shy away from making the gutsy decision tokill off beloved protagonistswhen the story calls for it. However, the main character’s potential death is often the player’s choice, allowing for different narrative outcomes. BioWare games frequently feature conundrums where sacrificing the protagonist is an option or a consequence of player choices made throughout the story. Optional protagonist deaths provide a ton of creative room in BioWare games and have cemented the studio’s reputation in the industry as a pioneer of multiple game endings, whether good or bad.
Baldur’s Gate 2primarily takes place shortly after the events of the first game and continues the tale of the Ward of Gorion. During the course of the story, like in most BioWare games, player decisions affect the development of the main character and their allies. The player controls the Ward and their allies in and around the city of Athkatla, as they encounter the mage Jon Irenicus, the main antagonist.
About halfway through the game, the Ward is subjected to a ritual by Irenicus, in which their soul is taken away from their body. As a consequence, the protagonist turns into a demon creature called the Slayer and learns to use it to their advantage. When the heroes finally confront and defeat the villain, Irenicus is sent to Hell. But because he still has the Ward’s soul, he drags the Ward and their party along with him. After one final battle, Irenicus is defeated and they return to life. This is one of BioWare’s first games in which the protagonist “dies” and then comes back to life, and it is hailed as one ofthe bestD&Dgamesof all time.
Jade Empireis fondly remembered as a fun combat gamewith great environments, and it reminds fans why BioWare is one of the best at making action RPGs. Set in mythical China, the story follows the main character, who is the last surviving Spirit Monk. They embark on a quest to defeat the evil emperor Sun Hai after their Master, Sun Li, has been captured.
Depending onthe player’s choicesuntil the endgame, one of three endings can play out. The first is the cliched good ending in which the hero saves the day and rescues everyone. The second is an ending in which the protagonist can steal the Water Dragon’s power and become the next emperor, thereby becoming the antagonist. In the third ending, the Spirit Monk surrenders to the villain and is killed. In the end, they are remembered as a martyr.
In the final quest ofMass Effect 3,Commander Shepard learns the purpose of the Reapers and is forced to make a decision about how to stop their attacks. The potential endings that follow are what many fans consider to be some of the worst video game endings ever written. Shepard can either destroy the Reapers at the cost of killing all synthetic life, allow the Reapers to control the Crucible and remake the galaxy as they see fit, or merge all organic and synthetic life into a new hybrid DNA.
The Commander’s actions in almost all endings come at the ultimate price - their own life. However, becauseMass Effect 3infamously received significant backlash over its endings, BioWare subsequentlyreleased alternate endingsin a DLC update in which there was a ‘perfect’ version of the destroy ending. In this version, Shepard survives. The next title,Mass Effect 4, appears to canonize the destroy ending, and this may not be a good idea. Shepard’s death is glorious because the selfless sacrifice capped off one of gaming’s most iconic and emotional sci-fi journeys in a tragic and heroic fashion. In hindsight, the gaming world’s reaction to the endings and BioWare’s response may have been unwarranted.
As one of the remaining Grey Wardens in Ferelden, the protagonist inDragon Age: Originsis a new recruit who gathers companions in their mission to build an army to face the Archdemon, who is corrupted with the Blight. Eventually, at the climax of the game, the Warden and his allies are confronted with the decision to end the Blight and stop it from consuming the lands. Depending on player choices throughout the game, there are several ways the ending can play out.
Depending on an earlier interaction with an ally, the player will either kill the Archdemonand sacrifice themselves, or another scenario will play out. Alistair, another ally and Grey Warden, after being romantically involved with the player, may automatically take the killing blow and sacrifice himself. The option can also be left to the player, although this depends on whether Alistair has reached love in his approval towards the protagonist. Regardless of who dies in the end, it is clear that the developers put a lot of thought into how player actions affect the climax.
Mass Effect 2was lauded for improving over the original game in almost every aspect. It resumes the story of Commander Shepard andtheir ship, the Normandy, as they try to eliminate Geth resistance. The ship is then attacked by unknown assailants, and in a surprising turn of events, Shepard dies from asphyxiation in outer space. As luck would have it, they are revived two years later by the Lazarus Project.
Following BioWare tradition, the game has a customizable ending that is heavily influenced by player choices in different ways. Towards the climax of the game, allies and squad members may live or die depending on their loyalty, the upgrades made to the ship, and the tasks assigned to them. In the last mission, Shepard must leave the enemy Collector base before a bomb detonates, and if enough squad members survive, the Commander will survive. However, if there are no squad members remaining, Shepard will die on the Collector base. Even if this ending isn’t canon, this game is one of the rare few in which the main character dies more than once for the sake of an emotional narrative experience.Mass Effect 2is now regarded as one of the best sci-fi RPGs of all time, and this is partly due to the bold decision to have two potential deaths of Commander Shepard during the main storyline.
