There is without a doubt in my mind that DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION is the best in the series. If any RPG lover overlooked this game, then it stands that they are just missing out, period. The story, the pacing, the variety, and the replayability are just some areas where Bioware succeeded to, well , blow my mind.
Bioware starts us off in Thedus as with the previous two games in the series. Now, the first hour or two was very linear and I was reminded of some of the reasons why DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS frustrated me; I was worried about missing loot or getting to a point in the game where if I missed something I’d never be given that opportunity to receive it again. However, I was delighted to find that DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION hasn’t only opened up its map, it unravels a huge world to explore over and over again.
When starting the game and choosing between 1 of 4 playable races, I began to see the level of customization that I was going to be met with as I progressed. Yes, I may receive an amazing breastplate as armor, but it will look different on any character who wears it. Like all Bioware games, the amount of choices presented to me and how they impact the game seems almost absurd. In fact, the Dragon Age Keep (www.dragonagekeep.com) allowed me to alter the game even more by filling out questions about the previous games, OR if it had been available to me, I could have imported previously saved data. However, playing my cards right might yield a new party member or agent in my army, or perhaps my decision will send the character off to die; possibilities seem endless and allow those avid Role Players a different playthrough each time.
As with previous iterations, I got to choose between 3 classes: Mage, Warrior, and Rogue. Simple. Upon hitting level 10, I was pleasantly surprised to pick between 1 of 3 subclasses (9 total) that really opened up party combat builds and made each fight more entertaining. When the going gets tough, the tactical camera mode exists to control party members in “real time,’ or basically, I would pause the game and issue commands in an RTS style user interface. I found that in my playstyle I only used the tactical camera mode only when I saw my party’s placement at a huge disadvantage, like a dragon’s fire breath that will hit more than just my tank as an example.Either way, people with different play styles will find something to love.
The plot is fairly generic in progression, but very large in scale. My character started with amnesia and a power that no one else has. See? Pretty generic. Where DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION strives, though, is that the scope of people following me wasn’t just a mercenary group or wondering travelers, it consisted of an entire campaign. A movement that allowed me to claim territory, a fortress, scout new territories, and liberate towns (where then friendly troops and merchants moved in to help me in my endeavors). It truly felt as if I had an army backing my every choice, an army called The Inquisition.
The crafted world is beautiful, the combat is exhilarating, and the characters are great to get to “know” (here’s looking at you, Iron Bull!). There is quite a lot of evidence to support that DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION should be on anyone’s top 10 of 2014 and top 10 of Action RPGs.
Final Score: 9.5 out of 10
