Dragon Age 2 was one of the worst gaming experiences I have ever had. From poor graphics that seemed to have been a downgrade from Origins, to cut and paste dungeons, and terrible user interfaces. I treat DA 2 like the Phantom Menace, I pretend it doesn’t exist. Dragon Age Inquisition is thankfully nothing like Dragon Age 2. Bioware has broken the mold and completely overhauled the series, adding a plethora of new features and really listening to their fans.
For decades, if not centuries, the mages of Theydas have been oppressed by the religious organization known as the Chantry, and their military arm, the Templars. But after a widespread rebellion and consequent violence that followed, the leaders of the Chantry and the Templars have agreed to meet with the rebellious mages and discuss a peace treaty. It is at this conclave that the epic story of Dragon Age Inquisition is set into motion. In an enormous explosion of otherworldly magic and chaos, many are slain and the veil that stands between the world of men and demons is destroyed. You are the lone survivor of this cataclysmic event. Left with no clues as to what happened, and a mysterious mark on your hand wielding unknown power, you must piece together what has happened and face an enemy with the power of a god.
DA: Inquisition runs on the powerful Frostbite engine. The games vast and varied landscapes are sure to run your gaming rig through the ringer as dry deserts, frigid tundra, and rolling green hills are beautifully rendered before your eyes. Combat animations and spells gracefully and menacingly weave their way across the battlefield in a deadly light show that makes the player feel more powerful than ever. Both player and NPC faces and bodies are more realistic than ever before as well, and add an even heavier sense of immersion to the overall experience.
As you ride your horse across the landscape, you can see subtle things like your Inquisitor clicking their mouth or patting their horse to direct or reward them, small details really make all the difference here. At times, the larger areas of the game make you feel tiny and insignificant, especially when a hulking dragon flies over your head and perches on a mountaintop before you, sending shards of rock careening downward as the very ground crumbles underfoot of this massive creature. The visuals of this title are truly “Next Gen”.
As in previous Dragon Age games, players take control of a party of four characters, and have the ability to jump from one to the other instantly. Balancing your parties abilities is imperative, as the right combination of skills and abilities could make you an unstoppable force on the battlefield. One key feature that has made a comeback is the tactical camera. At any point, players may switch to the tactical camera, giving them a birds eye view of the battle, allowing you to assess your enemy and then queue your parties attacks and actions. After familiarizing yourself with these tools, you can find yourself switching characters, switching cameras, and executing complex attacks within seconds of each other. The more frenetic sense of combat that was introduced by Dragon Age 2 has not been lost, but has been given a heightened sense of control along with it, good news for hardcore RPG players and hack and slashers alike.
In true Bioware fashion, your companions are relatable, real, and draw emotion from the player. As you begin to get to know these npc’s they reveal troubled pasts, secrets, and regrets. During my playthrough I began to feel real worry when making decisions that could have placed my favorite companions in danger, you not only want the Inquisition to succeed but for your brothers and sisters in arms to survive it with you. Banter between your groupmates in the field never feels forced and is always amusing, it also does not feel forced, there are no wasted lines in Dragon Age.
Diversity abounds in Inquisition, both in race and sexuality. You can play as and beside Qunari, elves and Dwarves, and each companion has their own sexual preferences. This is the same trend that has carried throughout Bioware titles and has only grown more accepting and well written. From heterosexual to homosexual relationships, to transgender characters, it is a shining example of how inclusive games can be.
Many meaningful and impactful choices must be made by the player in Inquisition. all leading to different stories and adventures. Each choice made comes with very real consequences, and once made cannot be undone. This time around, dev’s have made a visible effort to make dialogue choices more clear concise than in the past. Players are able to make confident choices, without fear of say choosing one option and having their character say something completely unintended. Using the Dragon Age Keep, you can also import your previous characters from Dragon Age 1 and 2, along with all of your past choices.
Player customization or rather, facial customization in Inquisition is fairly impressive. Users can customize and modify their characters in a myriad of ways, from the usual rpg fare of scares and hairstyles to incredible detail like choosing different styles of eyelashes and iris colors. No, not eye color, you can choose the color of your inner and outer iris, blending colors together to give your character the perfect gaze. Individual sliders are available to change the shape of your Inquisitors facial features, tattoos and makeup are also available, making each player feel unique in a way that has not been seen in this franchise before. The possibilities feel endless. Sadly however, things like body sliders have not been made available to players.
The multiplayer of Dragon Age Inquisition follows the same style of Mass Effect 3. This cooperative game mode allows you to choose different archetypes of characters and unlock new playable characters, abilities and armaments over time. Together you must survive waves of enemies as you traverse different dungeons and maps. While this is fun at first, time will only tell if this lasts as a popular game mode among fans.
Dragon Age Inquisition improves on the many issues that plagued DA: 2. The in game camera is no longer obtrusive, the UI has been simplified and is vastly more practical, dungeons no longer feel cut and paste, and a myriad of other issues have been fixed. But there are some minor issues still. The beauty of this game and its immersion can sometimes be broken by clipping textures during cutscenes that are integral to the story, which seems like a small thing, but imagine seeing the boom mic in the most important scene of your favorite movie. It breaks immersion that is really meant to be felt in order to deliver the best experience. Other small issues include errors on console and rapidly changing difficulty in combat. At times players may feel overpowered and find little challenge in their enemies and not very long after you may encounter enemies that send you to your death with one or two hits.
Inquisition is a game that will take up your free time, a lot of it. If you have been looking for the next gen game to sink your teeth into, it is here. Playing the previous installments in the previous series definitely add a wealth of understanding and player choice to the game, but it is still enjoyable for first time players, and with Bioware’s keep, allowing players to go online and create their own character and make choices from previous titles for import into Inquisition, you will never feel out of the loop.