Games of the Decade #7 – Dragon Age Inquisition

Dragon Age Inquisition had a lot to prove after the mediocre reception of Dragon Age 2. While I enjoyed the game, the lazy, copy-paste design was a major issue, this was accompanied by a very small world. Inquisition was the complete opposite in so many ways and it was clear that BioWare had listened to the criticisms. The game offers a sprawling, semi-open world, full of variety and exploration. While it has some issues, Inquisition brought many great new additions to the series as well keeping a lot of aspects that were loved from the previous entries.

BioWare games are known for their great narratives and excellent characters, Inquisition  is no exception. As the Inquisitor, you must build up the Inquisition and its allies in order to close the Breach and defeat a certain recognisable antagonist. For the most part, the story is engaging and stands on equal footing with what is known of the studio. The characters are another important and memorable aspect of the game. My personal favourites of the new additions have to be the hilarious mercenary, Iron Bull and the confident, respectable mage, Vivienne. Both have so many brilliant moments that make them standout, yet it’s their random banter that makes them must have members of the team. Varric is another great choice to bring back from the second game. His and Cassandra’s dynamic is always fun to watch and see develop. However, the greatest decision that was made, was to have the iconic Morrigan from Dragon Age Origins return to play a significant part in the story. She was easily the best character of the original game and a fan-favourite. More than anything, it was the characters that make Inquisition such a brilliant game.

The large and varied locations you can explore also offer so much to the experience. From the stormy coasts, lush forests, undead marshes and both snowy and desert expanses, there is so many unique places to traverse. It helps keep the game fresh and interesting to play. The combat is also the best in the series for me. It offers both the visceral action of the second game (improving upon this), whilst offering the option of a more tactical approach. Every action feels like it has weight to it, both physical attacks and magic. With a large variety of abilities and spells to customise the player character and the others, you can tailor everyone to the play-style you want. The dragon fights have to be mentioned. Where in Skyrim, the dragon battles were pretty dull and all the same except for which element of breath attack they had, Inquisition does it better in every single way. The fights are more complex, where the A.I. is much better and varied in their attack patterns. Targeting different parts will cause different effects on the dragon. When you fight a dragon in Inquisition, it feels like an epic battle with a legendary foe, not just one of the many same fights you will experience throughout the game.

Dragon Age Inquisition is a brilliant game that offers so much variety despite its few flaws. BioWare has lost a lot of reputation in the past 3 years, so I am a bit cautious of whether Dragon Age 4 will bring the developer back to being a well respected studio. I hope for the best.

Thanks for reading and let me know in the comments your thoughts. For all things gaming, stay tuned to Honest Gamer. 

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