Review: Dragon Age: Inquisition

Dragon Age: Inquisition is the latest chapter in BioWare’s traditional RPG franchise—the Canadian developer also responsible for the Mass Effect trilogy. Available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC, Inquisition was on most gamers’ must-have list leading up to its release. Check out my full review below!

The game tells a story that revisits some events from the franchise’s second installment. The setting of the continent of Thedas is not exactly welcoming. Amid the troubled relationship between mages and templars, an enigmatic magical explosion resulted in an astronomical immaterial fissure, capable of unleashing evil creatures and demons into the regions of Ferelden and Orlais.

That event destroyed cities and claimed the lives of thousands in the region. Afterward, your character was the sole survivor—someone who didn’t fully understand how everything happened, but was found alive.

Alongside other warriors, the protagonist (your character) formed the Inquisition—an order determined to permanently close all malignant breaches and restore peace to Thedas. Early in the story, the lone survivor and overall leader of the Inquisition gains a mysterious scar on their hand, whose power is capable of sealing various portals.

As is BioWare’s trademark, you will have to contend with a wide range of events in the campaign mode. This also means that dialogues always offer multiple response options, requiring you to choose the future of local humanity through your decisions. Keep in mind that certain choices can directly affect the story’s outcomes, and it is up to you to decide who survives.

In Dragon Age: Inquisition, you can customize your protagonist exactly the way you want, with the option to choose exclusively from one of four available races: Human, Dwarf, Elf, and Qunari. Moreover, the game’s customization system lets you configure minute details of your character, such as facial expression marks, facial tattoos, and even the degree of facial prominence.

In other words, both your character and your band of warriors can be completely personalized to your liking, making the gameplay even more engaging. As with other games in the franchise, Inquisition allows you the freedom to select the combatants for your party wherever you wish. Each supporting character comes with various exclusive battle attributes, and your selection depends on the strategy you adopt.

The skilled thief Varric Tethras from Dragon Age 2 returns with his improved archery techniques. In addition to him, other memorable characters can join your squad, such as Cassandra Pentaghast—an impetuous and noble warrior—as well as other combat specialists.

Dragon Age: Inquisition offers one of the most immersive worlds among current RPGs. At the start of your adventure, the game begins calmly, with a very linear tutorial to follow. However, once you unlock exploration of Thedas, countless activities will appear to keep you completely absorbed and, of course, busy for a long time.

One extremely positive aspect of Inquisition is the sensation of being lost in its gigantic map. How so? Feeling lost in Inquisition ensures that you will always have tasks of every kind and style to complete. The game will also drive you to hunt monsters, dragons, and rival soldiers, as leveling up is considered a necessity.

We can warn in advance that players who are less familiar with the franchise may have some difficulty absorbing the robust package of information that the world of Dragon Age offers. Additionally, novice gamers might also be intimidated by the deep upgrade system for weaponry, skills, and armor overall. There is an enormous variety of items and accessories capable of generating new equipment, and that is sensational.

The environments are literally packed with components, plants, chests, notes, and various valuable items. The number of missions in Dragon Age: Inquisition is exorbitant. Unlike major open-world games, Inquisition is divided into several zones. However, many of these zones are large enough to consume all your free time. Believe it or not, Dragon Age: Inquisition is a much larger game than it appears.

When it comes to gameplay, the game features the most dynamic combat seen so far. The ability to lock onto specific enemies is undoubtedly very useful in challenging battles, even if it is imprecise at times—just like the disoriented camera that will often leave you at a disadvantage during confrontations in confined spaces.

Overall, the combat system works very well; by simply holding down certain buttons, you can perform basic attacks and special skills. In addition to the actions already familiar to franchise fans, your character is now highly capable of jumping to reach hard-to-access areas.

A more strategic perspective allows the player to direct character actions through turns managed with a single button. While the tactical board view is not mandatory, it becomes an indispensable tool at higher levels—especially with the ability to pause time.

Dragon Age: Inquisition also features a well-executed multiplayer mode. The cooperative (co-op) mode is now designed to support up to four players, who can discover treasures and face several hordes of enemies in randomly generated stages.

The multiplayer dynamic is not particularly innovative and is quite different from the campaign mode experience, it’s true, but it remains fun nonetheless. It’s worth noting that you won’t be able to use the same character from the main story, which may discourage some players.

During our playthrough, we found that exploration in Dragon Age: Inquisition is far more enjoyable thanks to its stunning graphics and environments. The ambient settings have been meticulously designed to captivate you within a fantastical universe brimming with secrets, characters, and memorable activities. Moreover, the level of detail throughout the environments is impressive—everything seems alive and real.

The lighting effects deserve the highest praise, as does BioWare’s work in developing diverse regions overflowing with interesting details. During battles, special abilities light up swamps, forests, beaches, and lakes with very vibrant and eye-catching colors (literally).

In terms of the soundtrack, Dragon Age: Inquisition features cinematic, orchestral, and emotionally charged music that seems as if it were pulled straight from a film based on traditional Tolkien tales. Overall, the soundtrack makes the journey feel increasingly epic.

As with any open-world game, Dragon Age: Inquisition is not without bugs. There are reports from other players about various glitches—for example, that the character, upon mounting a horse, is unexpectedly launched into the air. Although there are some minor issues, it is certain that these will be resolved through future updates.

And what do you think about Dragon Age: Inquisition?