The human race believes we are now currently at the height of technological advancement, everything we produce now is ‘smart’ and you can’t go anywhere without connecting to the internet or telling the whole population your current location. Outside of our homes we can see the same level of progression, we have super powered cars and green eco friendly transportation, even the houses we live in are super sleek and solar powered, and have you seen the military and test flights over at NASA? Geez why can’t we take ourselves away from all complicated jargon filled world we live in, escape from all of this consumerism and go back to a simpler time? A time where instead of deciding between one restaurant from another we all just ate the same slab of mutton from the night’s kill, a time where we didn’t fork out tons of cash to repair our cars and we just bought a reliable steed for 5 gold coins and a sack of spuds, a time where we weren’t waving our phones looking for signal, but waving a sword into the face of a dragon … I’ve got two tickets to Paradise, and it’s called Thedas.
Dragon Age is back in its biggest and most impressive form to date marking the third major title in the franchise from the proud bosom of BioWare. The series first landed in 2009 with roaring success and global critical acclaim, whilst its sequel in 2011 fell short of fan expectations and was a rather disappointing tale for a franchise with such great potential. Progressing directly from the events of Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition follows you, a survivor of The Breach, an explosion in the sky which causes demons and all round bad guys to fall to the ground and start causing mischief to the people of Thedas. As you are seen walking out of the cataclysm, you are thus imprisoned by a band of freedom fighters who upon noticing a peculiar mark on your hand which reacts to the arsehole that’s retching amongst the clouds you are sent towards it in an effort to understand it more and hopefully stop it. After what appears to be the end of the threat you are taken to Haven, a stronghold in the mountains of Ferelden maintained by figureheads who seek to rectify the catastrophe caused by the dissolve of The Chantry (the church), and the Templar/Mage war started by the The Conclave (the events of DAII if you care to remember). Named ‘The Herald of Andraste’, you are seen as a miracle by the people of Haven, yet by others across Thedas you are a blasphemous being who caused The Breach and thus has a lot to prove. Running the camp at Haven is The Inquisition, a unified army that will call peace amongst who were once enemies to close The Breach and protect its people. Along with your fellow Council, you must explore all of Thedas to find the Tears that wreak its land and close them with your mark, and following a spectacular battle later in the game you are hereby named The Inquisitor. Similar to The Grey Warden right to conscript from Dragon Age Origins, you must set out across the continent to find people, parties and armies to join your cause, but can you overcome this global threat and emerge victorious? Perhaps the question we should be asking, is will this tale be as epic as the game that began the series?
If you’ve previously dedicated hours and hours to killing Darkspawn across Ferelden and Kirkwall then you must visit The Dragon Age Keep before starting your adventure in Inquisition. Like in Dragon Age II you could import your save game from Origins which affected your world’s current state, whether that was the death of major characters or how the previous game ended. As Inquisition has launched on newer consoles the ability to import old saved data hasn’t been possible, however EA and BioWare created Dragon Age Keep, where logging into your Origin Account was a program which gave you the power to revisit the timelines of DA Origins and II and select what happened during your playthroughs of old, and in doing so you are able to import it from The Keep onto your Inquisition story. It’s difficult to determine exactly how much your previous choices affect the Inquisition narrative, but if you have a free 60 minutes before firing the new game up it’s worth doing it. Contrary to believe before launch, Dragon Age: Inquisition isn’t an open world RPG, but rather a collection of very large maps that let you roam freely around each individual one. Before Inquisition, Dragon Age fans could only explore half of the Ferelden region and explore the city and coast lines of Kirkwall, yet for the first time the cities and forests of lore and in game literature are now available to stroll through. For a start there’s a whole half of Thedas that had yet to be explored, let alone areas within a once familiar continent. When walking through Ferelden in the East you will come across some towns and cities you recall from the past, whilst to the left of Thedas you are in Orlais, which for years had been teased as the setting for Inquisition.
Regarding the main story, The Inquisitor’s Path, is an enjoyable and action packed play from start to finish, however as I presumed, it’s no Dragon Age Origins. Origins had such an epic synopsis and it was carried out brilliantly, and you felt as though your actions actually carried huge consequences in the battle to end The Blight, choosing sides and picking allies really made the game a personal experience, which is why BioWare have tried to do the same in Inquisition. Each time you encounter a possible party member you are given the chance to add them to your party or stop their efforts right there and then, meaning you could potentially keep the party you begin with right until the end, however as I was too scared to turn potential allies away, I cannot tell you how the story would play out if you were to disregard them. Like in Origins, you are asked to choose between the Templars or the Mages to help you close The Breach, with the decision you make impacting heavily on the course of your adventure and the outcome of the game’s finale. Inquisition does however require you to have some knowledge of the Dragon Age franchise, as there is barely any expositional dialogue to help guide newcomers through the state of the game’s world or characters. If you’re not familiar with Thedas and all it has to offer, I strongly suggest reading up on at least the plot lines of Origins and Dragon Age II to understand the gist of what you’re dealing with; alternatively the books that have been released since make an excellent segway into Inquisition also. For avid fans you can expect to see the usual themes from the games like Dragons, demons & darkspawn, and as arguably the previous games have both simultaneously lead to this event, you’ll be sure to meet a lot of familiar faces and it’s a joy to meet them again and fight back alongside them. The regions on the map couldn’t be any more different from each other, so investigating and blitzing quests in each locale won’t be boring or suggest déjà vu, BioWare have worked extensively to make every area within Thedas as unique as possible, so expect to be wowed each time you send your party somewhere new.
Visually the game is stunning and an absolute wonder to behold. Each environment, piece of foliage and terrain has been beautifully designed and avid fans of the franchise can finally see Thedas for what it really is and the treasures it now houses. As I’ve said previously, each region on the map couldn’t be any more different and gorgeous from the last, each mountain range, lake and castle is wonderfully built and it truly makes scaling the country a very worthwhile experience. Each region’s landmarks and inhabitants look great too, not to mention the cheeky monsters that lurk just outside the towns waiting to attack. The combat system as had a well needed upgrade and it couldn’t be any better or look any more satisfying against the vibrant backdrops. Combining the best combat from Origins and DAII, the battling in Inquisition flows superbly and the explosive attacks and spells that are poured into each bout don’t slow down or hinder from the frame rate, making a smooth and hugely enjoyable fight each time; make sure you have a mage in battle with you every time as every spell looks fantastic. A BioWare game wouldn’t be a BioWare game if it didn’t have its character glitches and texturing issues and as much as you’d like to see these abolished in next gen gaming, it’s become part of the studio’s charm. Playing on the PS4 I’ve come across some of the worst facial hair I’ve ever seen, I’ve seen my accomplices vanish into thin air and I’ve witnessed my axe rest inside my rib cage, but ya know what, seeing The Inquisitor’s arm stuck inside his thigh during an emotional camp fire song made me smile and appreciate the tremendous stories this studio has told us. If you’ve read any of my reviews in the past you’ll know I am a sucker for a good narrative, visually the game could be diabolical but if I’m immersed in the story the game is telling then isn’t that what gaming is all about? BioWare have done nothing but craft some of the finest stories ever told and the greatest character’s ever created in the last generation of gaming, so what are a few glitches ay.
With a new story to tell comes new in game features and each of them make Dragon Age Inquisition are far more enjoyable play. The first new addition you’ll notice upon firing up the game for the first time is a new playable race to have a crack at, The Qunari, a race which has played a rather prominent role in the series and lore to date finally has the chance to have the story told from their perspective. There is no massive difference in ability or attributes when tossing between which race to play as but it does open up unique conversation topics in parts of the game, and I jumped at the chance to play as a Qunari from the fabled Tal-Vashoth, making NPCs uncomfortable to be around you and creating a rather prejudiced world for you to play in. If you are searching for a more unique play in Inquisition, I suggest you chose either a mage, (the templar/mage war will have significant relevance to your Inquisitor), or a female Qunari, which actually marks the first appearance of them in the franchise. My favourite addition to the game is the War Council Table, which is where The Inquisition plans their attacks, strategies and sets the path to closing The Breach. Once you’ve summoned the War Council, side missions will be available to you for exploration which will be carried out by your council members, and completing such missions will gain you money, influence and unlock regions on the map for you to liberate. In similar fashion to the addictive trading map on Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag, these missions are carried out in real time so expect the best rewards from the skirmishes that take several hours to finish; also choose wisely who you want to conduct each mission as some party members can do them quicker than others. Honestly I would have liked the war table to play a more impacting role in the game, adding a more strategic flow to your quests similar to something like ROME, but it’s something different that the team have thought about and it is executed pretty well. Instead of tactics being used at the table, it has been moved directly to the battlefield with the inclusion of a new ‘Tactical Camera’, which freezes the fight where it stands and gives you the chance to plan your attack and give your team the advantage. The camera switches to an overhead viewpoint and you can select each of your party and issue the exact command you wish them to carry out, rather than let them attack willy nilly. It’s a little difficult to get used to and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but if you’re looking for a more strategic way to play this is a great option if you don’t mind the game taking a slower pace. The most useful and impacting feature to make an appearance in the Dragon Age series is something of significant value, it’s gargantuan in size and it’s sure to really crank up your questing to the next level, ladies and gentleman I hope you’re sitting down, as now, your character … can jump! Yes pick yourselves of the floor as it may have taken 5 years to include but now you can take your little Inquisitor and jump for joy, or jump up the nearest cliffside to get to that loot. All jokes aside it is a very useful addition to the game that makes exploration in a very rocky continent a lot easier, plus your horse can’t scale all those steep mountains.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is a magnificent game and one of the rare titles in recent memory that made all those years waiting worth it. Narrative wise it may not be as original or as exciting as Dragon Age Origins, but it does share some of that Peter Jackson-esque magic that keeps it an invigorating playthrough whether it’s straight through the main quest or just butchering foes in side missions. It is however a game that requires you to have knowledge of the franchise before playing, so whereby it’s a great game to recommend to any RPG fan, it’s not the best one to play if you’re a newcomer to the Dragon Age saga. The game’s landscapes are staggering to look at and every inch of them are beautiful but unfortunately the characters you interact with don’t have the same level of detail, which for me personally isn’t a bad thing as it’s almost a trademark for BioWare, but others won’t find the awful hair and overly shiny lips charming like I do; plus if it doesn’t detract anything away from my experience playing then it’s not a reason to mark it down. Dragon Age Inquisition, to put it simply, is bloody huge and bloody fantastic, and despite all the hours I’ve invested in it to date, I know I’m not ready to hang up my armour and retire my sword just yet. With a multiplayer option yet to be explored and dozens of quests still to complete, this jolly romp through an incredible fantasy RPG will be sure to keep me going until Mass Effect 4 lands, but how will it fare against a foe much more dangerous than The Breach, The Blight or Corypheus put together … The Witcher 3.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
You must be logged in to post a comment.