I've finally been able to finish Dragon Age: Inquisition, so here are my thoughts on it. It's a bit later than usual, but that's simply because it's a massive game. It took me well over 70 hours, which is second only to Skyrim I think for single player RPGs (in the last decade at least).
I've avoided spoilers this time around, so just ask if you want to know what the game is actually about. I can probably add something about that in a spoiler tag or some such thing if people feel like it. It's rather hard to talk about the Inquisition, the main character and the overall cast without spoilers though.
As I'm sure you've noticed, quite a few reviews seem a bit confused as to whether or not it's a great game, and I fully understand that. There's no simple verdict here; this is not one of those 10/10 games where everything works. How people feel about the game will depend greatly on their preferences, and how willing they are to overlook certain flaws. It's extremely difficult to compare to any single game (I've seen many try), as it seems to draw its inspiration from many sources, but I'll give it a go.
Comparisons
I've seen comparisons to everything from Skyrim to DA: O, DA2, MMOs and even Assassin's Creed. The truth is: There are elements from all of those in there:
- Dragon Age: Origins: This is the big one. Is it a worthy successor? Does it go back to the roots? In terms of scope, it certainly does, but other than that? Not really. The entire design is very different; more focus on exploration and an open world and less on storytelling. Also, the combat is tactical, but the tactical view is lackluster compared to DA: O, as are the AI settings (more on that later). It does contain all the same concepts of course, such as blood magic, demons, the fade and so on, in addition to political intrigues, but overall it's still a rather different game.
- Dragon Age 2: A few of the same characters and a lot of references, and that's about it. The combat may have a similar, flashy look, but there are few waves, no cooldowns resetting after each fight and no health regeneration. The one good thing about DA2, the way the companions communicated and acted together, is present, but to a lesser degree.
- Skyrim: The exploration and sheer size is similar to Skyrim. Given the style of graphics, it's natural for there to be a comparison to Skyrim, but it doesn't really work in the same way. Simply "roaming around" can be done in hopes of finding treasures, but it doesn't really feel the same. There are very few exciting quests popping up - they're usually very obvious, and the stuff you find by roaming around tends to be rather bland. A few proper quests here and there, but most of the good stuff comes from someone related to the Inquisition (companions, advisors etc). All in all, the exploration is probably more Two Worlds than Skyrim.
- MMOs: Yes, there are MMO aspects. No, it's not the actual gameplay. It's the lesser, more bland quests that I referred to earlier. They're nowhere near as bad as early MMO quests (WoW vanilla etc), and more in line with modern MMOs (Warlords of Draenor, SW: The Old Republic etc), but still with that MMO feeling where you're basically just going "north into the marked region" without really knowing why. Something in a letter that said something about picking up stuff. Most of that stuff can safely be ignored, but some do lead to more special encounters (a high dragon is one of them), so you do risk missing out on certain good things as well.
- Assassin's Creed: The comparison sounded completely far fetched when I first read it, but it's actually a very good one. It relates to one of the "minigames" in the game, where you find looking glasses (skulls) and then have to hunt crystals. It's very similar to vantage points and shard/crystal/whatever finding in AC. Sadly, BioWare didn't realize that said hunting for items was a very dull aspect of AC, and it is in Dragon Age: Inquisition too. It's one of few things I started ignoring about halfway through the game. There is a reward for getting them, but I didn't find it worthwhile.
Sound and graphics
Top notch. Not a lot to say beyond that. It looks and sounds amazing, as expected. I never encountered any performance issues, such as slow load times etc, but I have a very high end rig, so I can't guarantee that it performs as smoothly for others.
Speaking of which, I encountered very few bugs (mainly an immortal bear called Druffy or something which is part of a quest, and thus can't be killed, yet will attack unless you're on the quest).
I see in my notes that I've specifically mentioned the fantastic landscapes, and they really are worth taking a look at, especially since the game is a lot more varied in that regard than Skyrim and so on.
Exploration
Like I mentioned previously, it feels more Two Worlds than Skyrim in this regard. It's good, but it rarely hits the highs that Skyrim does. There are two things it does better than either one of those games, however: Variety and puzzles.
The variety really is exceptional. Elven forests, snowy mountains, deserts and wastelands are all present, and they all look fantastic. It's very inviting and exploring it all starts out very interesting. It fades a bit though, as it all becomes a bit predictable.
Luckily, a few of the best, most interesting dungeons are stumbled upon, and that's where you'll find the best puzzles. I don't know exactly how many there are, but it's certainly more than a handful. They do vary in quality, but for an AAA RPG the overall quality of the puzzles is surprisingly good. In fact, the few bad ones I encountered were mainly bad due to the controls, not the puzzle itself.
Gameplay
That being said, I've heard it's fantastic with a controller. Sadly, it's only half decent with a mouse and keyboard. They really could've used some of that extra time adjusting it, because it feels a bit off. The regular view and tactical view are so different (unlike DA: O) that it never becomes comfortable swapping between them. Also, you can't queue orders, so if you order your companions to do something, they'll do it, and then go straight back to their regular AI routine. Luckily, that AI is better by default than it was before, but not as good as the custom AI it was possible to make in DA2 or DA: O.
In short, the new AI uses skills depending on setting: Enabled, preferred or disabled. Disabled ones are obviously not used at all. The problem isn't really in the ability usage, but more in terms of placement and so on of spells. For example, if you run with two tanks, you'll come to realize that they'll protect each other with Bodyguard or whatever the skill is, despite that being totally useless.
Speaking of tanks: I like the current iteration of them. They really are proper tanks this time around, and can take a lot more damage than anyone else due to an extra health bar called "Guard", which is built up using certain abilities (taunt, area taunt etc). They're the main reason it's possible to manage without convential healing spells, which was probably stripped from the game to make mages a bit more balanced.
At any rate, the combat itself is okay fun I suppose, but it ends up somewhere in the middle for me: Not as tactical as Baldur's Gate or DA: O and not as fun in terms of action as Skyrim, Gothic or Risen. There's a middle road here and it's not a golden one as far as I'm concerned. Luckily, they've done away with the annoying wave mechanic of DA2, but there is still respawning going on, and it's especially bad in the first big area (Hinterlands).
Also, there is similar scaling to previous Dragon Age games, in that creatures tend to be in a certain range (16-19 for example) and will scale towards you. It is quite possible, and in fact likely, that you'll outlevel certain areas, but the main quest itself seems to always be more or less on par with the main character (I've heard of the final boss being anything from 21 to 24). However, it's rarely an issue, and it's almost impossible to create such a massive game without some sort of scaling. Which, of course, brings me to the main issue..
Scope
It's too big. I seem to recall saying something similar about Risen 3. Games of a certain scope lose their focus, especially if they're trying to deliver a solid story. I like the idea of being able to go a lot of different places at any given time, but it gets overwhelming to the point where it's easy to lose track of what's going on.
For example, a lot of the stuff that happens at the famous "War Table" is just white noise to me. Some of it seems really interesting, and sparks some very interesting quests (including references to Hawke and the Hero of Ferelden), but most of it just drowns in the sea of meaningless crap that the Inquisition has to deal with.
It suffers from what I like to call "Skyrim Syndrom": It's so massive that you reach a certain point where nothing really happens. Sure, there's still tons to do, but the quests, except the main quest and companion quests, are all similar. The character development is more or less done. The leveling is happening very slowly after a while and is seemingly going nowhere. In Skyrim you can pick another way to specialize the character as a way to counter that, but enemies won't take that into consideration, so it offsets the balance completely. In DA: I you're just stuck with it. Either way, it just feels like more of the same. Do something. Repeat it. Ad infinitum. It's easy to get burned out, and it wouldn't surprise me if DA: I has a high number of people quitting halfway through, which would be a shame, because..
Story, writing and companions
The main story really isn't bad. The companions and advisors are also quite good. Unfortunately, there's so much filler and so much going on that it's hard to filter it all and really focus on the good parts. Who's doing what now? We're going where? What's his face is there? Who's what's his face? Where did I get this quest anyway, from a random note or something? Why are we picking up these elven thingymajigs again? It's non-stop bombardment of content, and too much of it feels generic.
However, avoid, filter or endure that crap and there's some fun, entertaining writing. Iron Bull, Varric, Dorian and so on all have a lot of good comments and quests. The main quest and certain side quests involve a lot of references to older DA stuff which works out very well. In fact, I recommend playing through or looking up the story DLCs for DA2 (Legacy and Mark of the Assassin), as there are some interesting references that will be hard to spot otherwise.
Choices and consequences
As I've only played through it once so far, it's hard to tell just how much of an impact the choices have. As far as I can tell, there are a few major choices in the game which are quite important, and they even determine who your allies and enemies are. That's rather significant.
Beyond that, there's a ton of minor choices. Political intrigues and such. However, I suspect it's mostly cosmetic, giving the illusion of choice. I don't really think there's a lot to be gained by being a particularly clever Inquisitor. It does add a bit of flavor though.
Of course, DA: I also has another feature when it comes to C&C: The import from Dragon Age Keep. Most of the stuff is largely irrelevant, as it's just a small reference here or there. Usually it's some sort of War Table mission that your agents will take care of. That being said: A few of the imported choices do have an impact, and will determine the appearance of certain characters and how it all works out. That's an interesting touch, previously only seen in Mass Effect (and to a lesser extent DA2), and it helps make the world feel coherent.
Verdict
So.. that was a mess, wasn't it? It's damn near impossible to make a verdict, or even figure out what I've just played through. It's so many things at the same time, and the frustrating moments and truly entertaining moments are all over the place. I do know that it's certainly a much, much better game than DA2. There's a lot more effort put into it and it's very easy to notice. Is it better than DA: O? Very hard to say. I'd say no for now. DA: O had quite a bit of filler content, but I never felt overwhelmed by it.
It's probably in the 7-8 out of 10 region, probably an 8 for me at the moment, but I'll be playing through it again (just once, because of its size, not twice which I usually do) so that could change. Instead of trying to pinpoint an exact number, I'll simply list the pros and cons that I can think of and let people decide for themselves.
Pros
- Probably the best looking RPG so far. In fact, the character creation in the start is so realistic I ended up being mildly uncomfortable looking into the eyes of my Qunari for so long.
- Fantastic, varied landscapes. It looks stunning, and the variation in terms of areas is second to none. Only Gothic 3 comes close.
- It's massive. Really massive. Enormous. I still can't believe a game in this day and age took me so long to get through.
- Better AI overall, but I would've the ability to customize it. It's still a bit poor when it comes to standing in fire though.
- Finally, proper tanks! In DA: O, the only good tanks were Arcane Warriors and Shale. The rest were so bad you might as well go with a dexterity based, dual-wielding rogue or warrior.
- Excellent music and overall sound effects, voice overs and what not.
- Not a lot of reason to do companion "meta-gaming". I never liked creating a party based on who's getting influence for what, or bringing someone simply because they're overpowered. Parties can be created based on personal preference now, and there are very few quests where specific companions are mandatory.
- The quests that are part of either the main story or the story of the companions are excellent.
- Puzzles!
Cons
- Mouse and keyboard is a bit wonky, as is the whole tactical view.
- Loads of generic filler quests. Way too many. Could easily have cut 30% of the content, and filled it with a handful of meaningful quests.
- Too much repition. See above. Here's a tip for you all: Never, ever bother with the generic "scout report" quests that every area has. They only reward 1 power and that's something you'll never run out of. Most players will probably finish the game with 100-200 spare power (or more), which is a massive amount.
- I get why the biggest areas have respawn, but it's too frequent. Far too frequent, especially in Hinterlands.
- Slow levelling, due to the crazy amount of the content. Most players are likely to end up being around level 20-25, which is the same as in DA2. DA2 actually had a much better balance in that regard.
- Due to all the generic filler stuff, it all becomes a bit messy after a while, making it hard to track what's really going on.
- Traveling back and forth feels a little silly at times. Going back and forth between the fort, which would take days or even weeks considering how big Ferelden and Orlais are, seems unnecessary in a lot of cases.
And a few, minor spoiler related cons:
And that's about it for now. I'll probably update it later if I can think of something else or if someone feels something is missing. As always, feel free to comment, ask questions and so on and so forth.
I've avoided spoilers this time around, so just ask if you want to know what the game is actually about. I can probably add something about that in a spoiler tag or some such thing if people feel like it. It's rather hard to talk about the Inquisition, the main character and the overall cast without spoilers though.
As I'm sure you've noticed, quite a few reviews seem a bit confused as to whether or not it's a great game, and I fully understand that. There's no simple verdict here; this is not one of those 10/10 games where everything works. How people feel about the game will depend greatly on their preferences, and how willing they are to overlook certain flaws. It's extremely difficult to compare to any single game (I've seen many try), as it seems to draw its inspiration from many sources, but I'll give it a go.
Comparisons
I've seen comparisons to everything from Skyrim to DA: O, DA2, MMOs and even Assassin's Creed. The truth is: There are elements from all of those in there:
- Dragon Age: Origins: This is the big one. Is it a worthy successor? Does it go back to the roots? In terms of scope, it certainly does, but other than that? Not really. The entire design is very different; more focus on exploration and an open world and less on storytelling. Also, the combat is tactical, but the tactical view is lackluster compared to DA: O, as are the AI settings (more on that later). It does contain all the same concepts of course, such as blood magic, demons, the fade and so on, in addition to political intrigues, but overall it's still a rather different game.
- Dragon Age 2: A few of the same characters and a lot of references, and that's about it. The combat may have a similar, flashy look, but there are few waves, no cooldowns resetting after each fight and no health regeneration. The one good thing about DA2, the way the companions communicated and acted together, is present, but to a lesser degree.
- Skyrim: The exploration and sheer size is similar to Skyrim. Given the style of graphics, it's natural for there to be a comparison to Skyrim, but it doesn't really work in the same way. Simply "roaming around" can be done in hopes of finding treasures, but it doesn't really feel the same. There are very few exciting quests popping up - they're usually very obvious, and the stuff you find by roaming around tends to be rather bland. A few proper quests here and there, but most of the good stuff comes from someone related to the Inquisition (companions, advisors etc). All in all, the exploration is probably more Two Worlds than Skyrim.
- MMOs: Yes, there are MMO aspects. No, it's not the actual gameplay. It's the lesser, more bland quests that I referred to earlier. They're nowhere near as bad as early MMO quests (WoW vanilla etc), and more in line with modern MMOs (Warlords of Draenor, SW: The Old Republic etc), but still with that MMO feeling where you're basically just going "north into the marked region" without really knowing why. Something in a letter that said something about picking up stuff. Most of that stuff can safely be ignored, but some do lead to more special encounters (a high dragon is one of them), so you do risk missing out on certain good things as well.
- Assassin's Creed: The comparison sounded completely far fetched when I first read it, but it's actually a very good one. It relates to one of the "minigames" in the game, where you find looking glasses (skulls) and then have to hunt crystals. It's very similar to vantage points and shard/crystal/whatever finding in AC. Sadly, BioWare didn't realize that said hunting for items was a very dull aspect of AC, and it is in Dragon Age: Inquisition too. It's one of few things I started ignoring about halfway through the game. There is a reward for getting them, but I didn't find it worthwhile.
Sound and graphics
Top notch. Not a lot to say beyond that. It looks and sounds amazing, as expected. I never encountered any performance issues, such as slow load times etc, but I have a very high end rig, so I can't guarantee that it performs as smoothly for others.
Speaking of which, I encountered very few bugs (mainly an immortal bear called Druffy or something which is part of a quest, and thus can't be killed, yet will attack unless you're on the quest).
I see in my notes that I've specifically mentioned the fantastic landscapes, and they really are worth taking a look at, especially since the game is a lot more varied in that regard than Skyrim and so on.
Exploration
Like I mentioned previously, it feels more Two Worlds than Skyrim in this regard. It's good, but it rarely hits the highs that Skyrim does. There are two things it does better than either one of those games, however: Variety and puzzles.
The variety really is exceptional. Elven forests, snowy mountains, deserts and wastelands are all present, and they all look fantastic. It's very inviting and exploring it all starts out very interesting. It fades a bit though, as it all becomes a bit predictable.
Luckily, a few of the best, most interesting dungeons are stumbled upon, and that's where you'll find the best puzzles. I don't know exactly how many there are, but it's certainly more than a handful. They do vary in quality, but for an AAA RPG the overall quality of the puzzles is surprisingly good. In fact, the few bad ones I encountered were mainly bad due to the controls, not the puzzle itself.
Gameplay
That being said, I've heard it's fantastic with a controller. Sadly, it's only half decent with a mouse and keyboard. They really could've used some of that extra time adjusting it, because it feels a bit off. The regular view and tactical view are so different (unlike DA: O) that it never becomes comfortable swapping between them. Also, you can't queue orders, so if you order your companions to do something, they'll do it, and then go straight back to their regular AI routine. Luckily, that AI is better by default than it was before, but not as good as the custom AI it was possible to make in DA2 or DA: O.
In short, the new AI uses skills depending on setting: Enabled, preferred or disabled. Disabled ones are obviously not used at all. The problem isn't really in the ability usage, but more in terms of placement and so on of spells. For example, if you run with two tanks, you'll come to realize that they'll protect each other with Bodyguard or whatever the skill is, despite that being totally useless.
Speaking of tanks: I like the current iteration of them. They really are proper tanks this time around, and can take a lot more damage than anyone else due to an extra health bar called "Guard", which is built up using certain abilities (taunt, area taunt etc). They're the main reason it's possible to manage without convential healing spells, which was probably stripped from the game to make mages a bit more balanced.
At any rate, the combat itself is okay fun I suppose, but it ends up somewhere in the middle for me: Not as tactical as Baldur's Gate or DA: O and not as fun in terms of action as Skyrim, Gothic or Risen. There's a middle road here and it's not a golden one as far as I'm concerned. Luckily, they've done away with the annoying wave mechanic of DA2, but there is still respawning going on, and it's especially bad in the first big area (Hinterlands).
Also, there is similar scaling to previous Dragon Age games, in that creatures tend to be in a certain range (16-19 for example) and will scale towards you. It is quite possible, and in fact likely, that you'll outlevel certain areas, but the main quest itself seems to always be more or less on par with the main character (I've heard of the final boss being anything from 21 to 24). However, it's rarely an issue, and it's almost impossible to create such a massive game without some sort of scaling. Which, of course, brings me to the main issue..
Scope
It's too big. I seem to recall saying something similar about Risen 3. Games of a certain scope lose their focus, especially if they're trying to deliver a solid story. I like the idea of being able to go a lot of different places at any given time, but it gets overwhelming to the point where it's easy to lose track of what's going on.
For example, a lot of the stuff that happens at the famous "War Table" is just white noise to me. Some of it seems really interesting, and sparks some very interesting quests (including references to Hawke and the Hero of Ferelden), but most of it just drowns in the sea of meaningless crap that the Inquisition has to deal with.
It suffers from what I like to call "Skyrim Syndrom": It's so massive that you reach a certain point where nothing really happens. Sure, there's still tons to do, but the quests, except the main quest and companion quests, are all similar. The character development is more or less done. The leveling is happening very slowly after a while and is seemingly going nowhere. In Skyrim you can pick another way to specialize the character as a way to counter that, but enemies won't take that into consideration, so it offsets the balance completely. In DA: I you're just stuck with it. Either way, it just feels like more of the same. Do something. Repeat it. Ad infinitum. It's easy to get burned out, and it wouldn't surprise me if DA: I has a high number of people quitting halfway through, which would be a shame, because..
Story, writing and companions
The main story really isn't bad. The companions and advisors are also quite good. Unfortunately, there's so much filler and so much going on that it's hard to filter it all and really focus on the good parts. Who's doing what now? We're going where? What's his face is there? Who's what's his face? Where did I get this quest anyway, from a random note or something? Why are we picking up these elven thingymajigs again? It's non-stop bombardment of content, and too much of it feels generic.
However, avoid, filter or endure that crap and there's some fun, entertaining writing. Iron Bull, Varric, Dorian and so on all have a lot of good comments and quests. The main quest and certain side quests involve a lot of references to older DA stuff which works out very well. In fact, I recommend playing through or looking up the story DLCs for DA2 (Legacy and Mark of the Assassin), as there are some interesting references that will be hard to spot otherwise.
Choices and consequences
As I've only played through it once so far, it's hard to tell just how much of an impact the choices have. As far as I can tell, there are a few major choices in the game which are quite important, and they even determine who your allies and enemies are. That's rather significant.
Beyond that, there's a ton of minor choices. Political intrigues and such. However, I suspect it's mostly cosmetic, giving the illusion of choice. I don't really think there's a lot to be gained by being a particularly clever Inquisitor. It does add a bit of flavor though.
Of course, DA: I also has another feature when it comes to C&C: The import from Dragon Age Keep. Most of the stuff is largely irrelevant, as it's just a small reference here or there. Usually it's some sort of War Table mission that your agents will take care of. That being said: A few of the imported choices do have an impact, and will determine the appearance of certain characters and how it all works out. That's an interesting touch, previously only seen in Mass Effect (and to a lesser extent DA2), and it helps make the world feel coherent.
Verdict
So.. that was a mess, wasn't it? It's damn near impossible to make a verdict, or even figure out what I've just played through. It's so many things at the same time, and the frustrating moments and truly entertaining moments are all over the place. I do know that it's certainly a much, much better game than DA2. There's a lot more effort put into it and it's very easy to notice. Is it better than DA: O? Very hard to say. I'd say no for now. DA: O had quite a bit of filler content, but I never felt overwhelmed by it.
It's probably in the 7-8 out of 10 region, probably an 8 for me at the moment, but I'll be playing through it again (just once, because of its size, not twice which I usually do) so that could change. Instead of trying to pinpoint an exact number, I'll simply list the pros and cons that I can think of and let people decide for themselves.
Pros
- Probably the best looking RPG so far. In fact, the character creation in the start is so realistic I ended up being mildly uncomfortable looking into the eyes of my Qunari for so long.
- Fantastic, varied landscapes. It looks stunning, and the variation in terms of areas is second to none. Only Gothic 3 comes close.
- It's massive. Really massive. Enormous. I still can't believe a game in this day and age took me so long to get through.
- Better AI overall, but I would've the ability to customize it. It's still a bit poor when it comes to standing in fire though.
- Finally, proper tanks! In DA: O, the only good tanks were Arcane Warriors and Shale. The rest were so bad you might as well go with a dexterity based, dual-wielding rogue or warrior.
- Excellent music and overall sound effects, voice overs and what not.
- Not a lot of reason to do companion "meta-gaming". I never liked creating a party based on who's getting influence for what, or bringing someone simply because they're overpowered. Parties can be created based on personal preference now, and there are very few quests where specific companions are mandatory.
- The quests that are part of either the main story or the story of the companions are excellent.
- Puzzles!
Cons
- Mouse and keyboard is a bit wonky, as is the whole tactical view.
- Loads of generic filler quests. Way too many. Could easily have cut 30% of the content, and filled it with a handful of meaningful quests.
- Too much repition. See above. Here's a tip for you all: Never, ever bother with the generic "scout report" quests that every area has. They only reward 1 power and that's something you'll never run out of. Most players will probably finish the game with 100-200 spare power (or more), which is a massive amount.
- I get why the biggest areas have respawn, but it's too frequent. Far too frequent, especially in Hinterlands.
- Slow levelling, due to the crazy amount of the content. Most players are likely to end up being around level 20-25, which is the same as in DA2. DA2 actually had a much better balance in that regard.
- Due to all the generic filler stuff, it all becomes a bit messy after a while, making it hard to track what's really going on.
- Traveling back and forth feels a little silly at times. Going back and forth between the fort, which would take days or even weeks considering how big Ferelden and Orlais are, seems unnecessary in a lot of cases.
And a few, minor spoiler related cons:
- Certain good vs evil choices feel a bit like the ending of Mass Effect 2, where the best choice was never even presented: Keep the base and give it to the good guys. It was too black and white. There are a few similar situations here, where killing someone is the "good" choice and the only other alternative is interrogating them or some such thing.
- As part of the romance with Joseline, there's a duel in which the main character (in my case an incredibly badass Qunari warrior) suddenly looks like an imbecile with a weapon, and Joseline rages on about how I shouldn't put myself at risk. Really? Risk? At this point, the main character had killed dragons and pride demons - he'd flatten the duelist in a heartbeat without any risk whatsoever.
- As part of the romance with Joseline, there's a duel in which the main character (in my case an incredibly badass Qunari warrior) suddenly looks like an imbecile with a weapon, and Joseline rages on about how I shouldn't put myself at risk. Really? Risk? At this point, the main character had killed dragons and pride demons - he'd flatten the duelist in a heartbeat without any risk whatsoever.
Last edited:
.
