Dragon Age Inquisition

Overly Dramatic Review in One Sentence

An excessively large game that tells a great story, but bogs you down with items, requisitions, and an empty world.

The Actual Review

Game time:

PC: 60 Hours
Xbox: 37 Hours

Gameplay

Loading into the game in the beginning and trying to understand the game mechanics for fighting is annoying. You have to push and hold to attack rather than an auto attack. It is so annoying. However, once you get used to it, it's fine.

We also got this collection of materials to craft weapons, armor, potions, grenades and then requisitions. Honestly the crafting portion is pretty cool. Based on what you put in what position you get a boost to certain attributes, however, they had so many items that 4 or 5 of them did the same thing. Made some search irrelevant. The requisition task honestly were the most annoying. They cycled over and over and every time you loaded a map you'd be pestered to add it to your quest log.

I really liked the war table aspect of the game. Allowed for you to be involved in the expansion of the story and the codex additions. Rather than just collecting them around the game you kind of get to do this side mission without leaving the main area. The timeline for completing these missions is OUTRAGEOUSLY long at times, in fact one of them takes 24 hours, but it is real time not game time. However, on PC you can get a mod that makes it instant, the downside is that if you choose the wrong person you won't get more missions in that line at times.

My big complaint about Dragon Age 2 was the fast travel system and this game redeems itself. Made jumping between places relatively easy. Where they absolutely failed in traveling is with the horse. Just a waste of time. Yes it was "faster" than walking, but the sprint with a horse was a lie. What makes it more of a lie is just how empty the worlds are. You spend so much time running around these VAST areas with very little to do other than maybe a random patrol.

Graphics and Sound

This is a very beautiful game with a sound design that puts the previous ones to shame. I mean it did come out after some leaps in technology so no shame on the previous games.

There is a section early in the game where you can go through is probably one of the best looking sections of an open world game I have ever seen.

One last note about the graphics. This game also is the end of a cohesive design of characters and villains. If you look at the designs of the demons and blight characters, they have been consistent until Dragon Age The Veilguard. I knew that I didn't like it and I figured it out in this game. This game is beautiful, the character and animation is beautiful. The people have the same almost model as previously. In Veilguard, it feels like the characters are smooshed and in a Japanese anime style for the main people and the blight/hurlocks just look terrible.

Story and Characters

Honestly, let's be real, what they did to Mórrígan is criminal. In this game, she has her classic outfit from Dragon Age Origins and she is just as badass as she was then. I wish she would have been a playable companion rather than just hanging around in the third act at Skyhold. She and Liliana are the only tie in to Origins and I just wish that we got more from that story like we get with "Hawke" in this game. I think that is mainly because I prefer the Origin's story over DA2, and so I feel cheated of that interaction, especially with Liliana's love interest in the game story that I had. Speaking of that, the "Dragon Age Keep" system was a really cool way to make changes to the story that you had previously and giving you a way to change it. Makes for a versatile backstory for the universe. Especially if you make multiple playthroughs.

Most of the characters are really well done. Blackwell's story is so good, and I really like his character. He, Solas, Cassandra, and Varric are outstanding characters. Cole is cool, but I never really fully experienced his character. The one character I can't stand is Sera. Her voice just grates my ears and I don't think her character makes any sense to the Inquisition.

The story is my favorite of the series so far. Mainly there is a constant looming threat that sets up Veilguard so well. Especially having played them backwards allowed me to see the weaving that they did, and I really appreciate it. I see the larger story being presented, and it is well done. The DLC also does something to add to this story and set up the next one so much more than most games DLC just being additional content for content sake.

My Rating

I am finishing this game the day before we record next podcast episode, Episode 7 - Dragon Age (This link will not be live until Feb 28, 2025) and I am ready to be done with this series for a bit. Checking the achievements that I had previously, I finished the game, but I do not remember it. I did play it in 2015 when I was stationed in Bahrain so that makes sense that I wouldn't remember much of the story a decade later, but I had to check to see if I even finished it. This game broke me last time from wanting to play open world RPGs, and it almost did this time. The world has so much to attempt to 100% the game that isn't needed in a completely empty world. There is so little going on in most the areas, but it is a good story overall, and I was happy to finish it today. I feel fulfilled knowing the full story. Out of the entire series, this is the best story I think and that alone makes it "Worth a Playthrough" as an RPG is all about the story. The gameplay is frustrating, but it isn't bad. I enjoyed it overall.

Parental Rating

So there is limited to no language, the blood is very comic styled, and there is no sex really. I think Mórrígan is the most scandalous character there is in the game, and she is there for a small amount of the game. The amount of violence on the other hand is a lot, as expected, so I think my parents would be hesitant of me playing it as a kid, but wouldn't mind too much.

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