Be warned, there are mild spoilers in this text
When Dragon Age: Inquisition came along, we were all blown away. It’s a really great game, filled with gorgeous landscapes and lots of quests, and there are dragons. Definitely GOTY material. Additionally, it really gives players a sense of being the hero, not only because they get to lead the Inquisition, but also because most of the quests involve helping others, or plainly saving whole regions of Thedas. All in all, it was definitely one of the best games in 2014.
Now, where does this third title in the series stand among its peers? Does it really work as part of the saga? Does it really make you feel as if you are actually playing a Dragon Age game?
First of all, the setting is adequate. Events in Dragon Age: Inquisition do happen as consequence of the conflicts solved in the previous games. The state of the world involves things old-time players will surely remember and there’s an overall feeling of familiarity concerning politics, geography and, most of all, heroic deeds from the past. It all seems about right.
Why is this setting only adequate then? Well, it doesn’t feel like the same story. The pieces are right, but there’s a different tone, a different deepness in the tale. The problem with Dragon Age: Inquisition`s plot is that instead of feeling like a whole story, facts and soul, it’s more like a display in which all the things Bioware thought fans expected are shown. The glue that ties all the cameos and references is thin and many times ridiculous.
None of this means Dragon Age: Inquisition’s story is less than great; it only states how apart it is from the other games in the franchise. This feeling of dispersion is additionally accentuated by the differences in the game’s mechanics and world disposition. Dragon Age games hardly ever included huge maps, extended non-urban zones, nor were that much based in exploration. Moreover, MMORPG-like quests added a whole new feel which, even though works perfectly in Dragon Age: Inquisition, feels completely foreign to many long-time fans of the series.
Besides the historical setting, the relation to the previous games is established via mentions, in dialogs and songs, of the deeds of the heroes you were in the past titles. NPCs will often speak about Kirkwall’s Champion or the Hero of Ferelden, but it all stops right there. It’s true that having Hawke appearing in the game was a very interesting addition, which made complete sense, but the connections could have been a lot tighter. What’s the point of having an incredibly detailed site such as Dragon Age Keep, with a myriad of world-state options, when they don’t really seem to change anything?
Comparisons are a drag, but often come in handy. Anyone who played Mass Effect knows what Bioware is capable of doing with in-game choices. As the illustrious Commander Shepard. players were able to decide things ranging from romance options to the fates of whole species and planets. The best part was that every new game in the series was perfectly consistent to what Shepard had done in the previous ones. Moreover, companion deaths carried over and were as important as the presence of those who remained alive.
This is exactly what Dragon Age: Inquisition is missing. The importance of the previous Dragon Age heroes is stressed very lightly, only in small changes in dialogs and missions, and maybe a few random unexpected appearances. As an example, let’s say in Dragon Age II you had to face and kill Fenris because you chose the mages instead of the templars: His absence in the latest Dragon Age game will be limited to a quick mention and that’s that. Even though the Inquisitor doesn’t know who these NPCs are, players do, and Dragon Age: Inquisition would become a lot more complete if it took this into account.
The reason why Dragon Age: Inquisition is so different is probably because it’s an extremely ambitious game. Bioware tried to cater for all kinds of players at the same time, which ended up being weird for everyone. This doesn’t only include new and old Dragon Age players, but also MMORPG fans and gamers who enjoy strategy games. Even though some of these multi-genre additions are for the best, many of them actually work against the game’s true enjoyment. Sometimes, having huge maps and so many quests and NPCs can become a bit exhausting. Players who actually try to find everything and complete every mission out there may become tired after a while, especially when they need to begin a whole new map.
This lax structure also hurts the development of the story. Having so many activities between main-story quests makes the actual purpose of the Inquisition seem disperse and inconsistent. This fuzziness is further increased by the possibility of moving from one map to another without ever finishing the important quests. We all know that having an extremely linear story is awful, but this exceptionally wide freedom separates the really great parts of the story in a way that makes them feel disconnected. Sometimes excessive freedom can be a burden.
Another dispensable addition was the much-talked-about Tactic Mode. Maybe you like it, maybe you don’t, but it’s pretty much useless. Despite having Bioware telling us how Dragon Age: Inquisition was going to require the use of the whole party to achieve victory, the game is actually pretty easy. The strategy mode turns out to be useful only on the harder difficulty settings or as a ridiculous way of making fights last longer.
The truth is that, despite all of the above, Dragon Age Inquisition is an awesome game; it just doesn’t feel right within the Dragon Age universe and gameplay style. Nonetheless this doesn’t mean it should have repeated the limitations of its siblings. It would have been a much suitable options for a whole new IP; an extremely great starting point for a new Bioware saga.
Lastly, but not least important, are the concerns around the next Mass Effect game. Dragon Age: Inquisition was a huge success based on proven qualities, and this may very well encourage similar processes in other titles. It would definitely be a shame if Mass Effect 4 (or whatever its real name will be) went under a similar process. Bioware has given RPG fans incredible games, and any of their fans surely welcomes innovation as long as it doesn’t turn a beloved series into something else, even if it’s good.
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