This may be the game I have enjoyed the most this year.
I loved 'Origins. It's a top five RPG of all time for me. The storytelling in this entry of the franchise largely matches it. It has some obvious overtures to appeal to a modern audience but that is to be expected. It features a great cast of characters, most with their own interesting backstories and branching side arcs. I think it relies too heavily on assuming that players are aware of the events of Inquisition and its DLC, but it only took me five-or-so minutes of reading random wiki articles to get the gist of things (I largely skipped Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition for various reasons).
The graphics, in particular the character designs and combat animations, are fantastic. I wasn't expecting this game to look as good as it does in motion on a PS5 (performance mode no less) after seeing the pretty whack-ass teaser trailer I saw a while back. The surround sound treatment is also really good, with voices and environmental sounds drifting believably from location to location, speaker to speaker, as one positions their character or moves about the world.
Combat overall is very good. Fluid, satisfying, a mix of old school CRPG and more modern action-oriented systems. There are some hang-ups and jank but nothing egregious. It feels like a better realized Mass Effect 2 in this regard. Very well thought-out skill trees - no point in a build feels wasted. Early on it can actually be challenging as a mage during some hectic encounters or boss fights, when one hasn't yet enlisted any sort of front line or tank companions. However, it's nowhere near "Soulsborne" levels of difficulty. Rather it feels like group composition and one's selection of abilities and spells matters more than raw reaction time.
The gear and inventory systems are kind of threadbare. This might be a plus for some, a detraction for others. I find it adequete but not exactly interesting or terribly engaging.
Speaking of Mass Effect: it seems as though Bioware is using mechanics and systems in this game to test the waters in service towards an eventual new Mass Effect entry - analyzing aspects of their storytelling and combat mechanics to figure out what players prefer so that they can get the next Mass Effect right. Because this game feels very much like a Mass Effect game in a fantasy setting.
I am about 20 hours in and this is an easy 4/5 for me. It is the belle of the ball over in other social media I frequent, particularly in the PlayStation-centric circles I follow, so between its success on Steam for EA and popularity with the console crowd I hope this baby gets some solid DLC in the months to come.