"Dragon Age: Inquisition" Review

Publisher:  Bioware/EA

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  When talks between the warring mages and templars are shattered by a mysterious explosion, not only does all hope for peace appear lost, but a Breach into the world of demons appears, and more rifts are forming.  You, the only survivor, can close these rifts.  Is it a sign of holiness?  Can you help the new Inquisition restore order?  And who caused the Breach, and why?

Gameplay:  Although still somewhat clunky in spots, Inquisition's combat system is definitely my favorite of the Dragon Age games.  Class abilities resembles Dragon Age II to a degree, with the greatest change being a lack of healing powers.  Instead there are a variety of buffers that essentially add another layer of health.

However, combat usually lacks the "wave of endless mooks" feel that often plagued Dragon Age II, making combat quicker and more dynamic.  While every Dragon Age game has tried to have positioning matter, I feel they succeeded best here.  It greatly helps that the terrain of fights varies.  Thanks to the large, explorable landscapes, no more does a fight take place the same location each game, and you can avoid some battles if you choose.

Of course, there's a lot to be said about the joy of exploration itself, for discovering new locations and lore.  I love having vast areas to investigate, especially with colorful settings ranging from sun-scorched desert, snowy mountains, mysterious jungles, misty marshes, stormy seasides, and ancient forests (all with accompanying ruins, of course.)  Completionists may find them exhausting, however. (I'm fine with ignoring large portions or even entire regions on a playthrough, given I do multiple ones.)

Overall, I also enjoy the crafting, although it's a bit annoying to have to get everyone's equipment in your inventory to work on it, to say nothing of all the upgrades.  But crafting your own armor and weapons (and naming them!) is fun.  I even get a kick out of harvesting random metals and plants while exploring, although I can understand others finding that annoying

Style:  As I mentioned before, the landscapes are beautiful and vivid (which, on my computer, at least, makes them take forever to load.)  The music is excellent.  The menus and screens work well together, but I wish they were brighter, and I really wish there was a drop-down menu option for your party characters instead of having to scroll through all of them.

Story:  Dragon Age:  Inquisition is a story of fear and faith.  Most major plots (and minor ones, for that matter) tie into one or both of these themes in some way.  As usual for Bioware, the player can usually decide for themselves what moral to draw from many matters, even when not making firm decisions in game, but in any case I found rich matters to ponder.

The actual tentpole events of the plot are exciting, although in retrospect I can nitpick how a few might be better executed.  Depending upon how much exploring you're doing, the pacing can feel strange.  And since the villain remains in the shadows for much of the game, it can be difficult to get a good grasp of his character.  Beefing up some quests to learn more about him might have enriched the game a bit.

And because of the issues above, the end feels a bit underwhelming.  The main character goes from strength to strength as the villain ever weakens, until in the end he is perfunctorily defeated.  Still, it serves well enough (and I have certainly seen worse!)

But, all that said, getting there is much fun.  Thedas is a rich setting, and Dragon Age:  Inquisition really delves into the world and its history.  The characters are wonderful, as usual.  There are also plenty of major and minor decisions that await as you create your own character.

Conclusion:  In the end, I must admit it's difficult to discuss Dragon Age:  Inquisition objectively because it's clear now after several years of playing it that it's one of my favorite games.  I see certain elements others might dislike, but some of these (such as giant environments to explore) are exactly what I love.  And there are so many things I love, like Cassandra, or Redcliffe, or the Sing-quisition.  Yes, there's plenty that doesn't quite work (all those mounts, and no real reason to use them) but it's minor compared to the massive amount that does work to make this such a wonderful game for me.

What Is A Game?

What exactly is a game?  At first the answer seems obvious, but looking over the variety of digital entertainments available today, with their vast graphical ranges and mixed responsiveness and occasional need for some level of dexterity, the question quickly becomes more muddled.  As I've explored and played a lot more interactive fiction and visual novels this year, I've come to ponder this question.  What is a game?  What is just a story?  My response is my answer alone; others may well draw their defining lines differently.

So, for me a game is that in which the player has influence to create different end states.  These influences might be based on player skill or just player choices.  I say "influences" because a player doesn't have to control every aspect of the game, and there can even be randomness that changes each time.  But the player has to have some power over what is happening in the game.  Something that randomly changes every time with no relation to what the player is doing might well be interesting, but it's not a game.  And something that's the same every time, like a kinetic novel, is a story, but not a game.

In many games, of course, player skill influences at the game.  Plenty of arcade or action games need precise timing for jumping or combat, and death is a bad end state.  But player choices, like which city to save, or even purely character things like dialogue or romances, can also offer alternate end states.  And even the exact same ending might be rendered different if the story paths there are divergent and compelling enough to give it a distinct feel.