Dragon Age Inquisition is the safest entry in the series. This doesn't automatically make it bad but it does put restraints on the narrative, wrapping most of the plot threads the series has made with less drama and fanfare then it should have.
In DAO, you were a Warden making bargains and deals with different cultures in order to prevent a brutal massacre. In DA 2, you were the head of a family trying to provide for your family and not get crushed by city infighting and discrimination. In DA Inquisition you are an empowered Chosen One and political power with several resources at your disposal with which to crush your enemies. After the first half of the game, the player never feels endanger on their home turf, and often spends much of their quest resources pimping out their homebase like its a medieval Saints Row sequel. I felt the tension slowly suck its way out of the game like a deflating balloon, which wasn't helped by Bioware nerfing one of its more memorable antagonists into a cartoon villain that shoots rock candy from his wrists.
The game was supposed to be a war arc between the mages and the templars, but quickly became hijacked by a third party antagonist. Gameplay was less about sidequests with themes and more about exploring different areas and gathering collectibles. Its weird that stealth games like Assassin's Creed 3 and AC Origins were able to craft large scale battles yet DA 2 quests mostly have general encounters. Making quests that focused on defeating the enemy in strategic battle points would have made the player feel more integrated in the plot.
What does work in the narrative is the lore. Players learn about the various nations, their cultures, national views on sexuality, offspring of interspecies relationships, important historical events in Thedas, and much, much, more. Inquisition is a treasure load for fans who wants to write about Thedas. Its also great at answering long running questions while inventing new mysteries for the fans to theorize about. Its too bad the story couldn't measure up.
Gameplay is much more solid than DA 2. Instead of stats, DAI focused on skills and abilities. By diverting stats to crafting, players are given greater flexiblity to customize their characters, removing the danger of level scaling and possessing poor stat equipment. Enemies possess greater variations and abilities that can make battles fun if not as demanding as DA 2. My main grievance is that the poor quality villains make poor quality bosses making a less stellar experience then what could have been.
I like DAI, but I fear its going in the wrong direction. Out of fear of sparking controversy, the next DA may be another high fantasy and just let the dark fantasy elements pour down the drain.
Travels in Thedas
Dragon Age Inquisition is the safest entry in the series. This doesn't automatically make it bad but it does put restraints on the narrative, wrapping most of the plot threads the series has made with less drama and fanfare then it should have.
In DAO, you were a Warden making bargains and deals with different cultures in order to prevent a brutal massacre. In DA 2, you were the head of a family trying to provide for your family and not get crushed by city infighting and discrimination. In DA Inquisition you are an empowered Chosen One and political power with several resources at your disposal with which to crush your enemies. After the first half of the game, the player never feels endanger on their home turf, and often spends much of their quest resources pimping out their homebase like its a medieval Saints Row sequel. I felt the tension slowly suck its way out of the game like a deflating balloon, which wasn't helped by Bioware nerfing one of its more memorable antagonists into a cartoon villain that shoots rock candy from his wrists.
The game was supposed to be a war arc between the mages and the templars, but quickly became hijacked by a third party antagonist. Gameplay was less about sidequests with themes and more about exploring different areas and gathering collectibles. Its weird that stealth games like Assassin's Creed 3 and AC Origins were able to craft large scale battles yet DA 2 quests mostly have general encounters. Making quests that focused on defeating the enemy in strategic battle points would have made the player feel more integrated in the plot.
What does work in the narrative is the lore. Players learn about the various nations, their cultures, national views on sexuality, offspring of interspecies relationships, important historical events in Thedas, and much, much, more. Inquisition is a treasure load for fans who wants to write about Thedas. Its also great at answering long running questions while inventing new mysteries for the fans to theorize about. Its too bad the story couldn't measure up.
Gameplay is much more solid than DA 2. Instead of stats, DAI focused on skills and abilities. By diverting stats to crafting, players are given greater flexiblity to customize their characters, removing the danger of level scaling and possessing poor stat equipment. Enemies possess greater variations and abilities that can make battles fun if not as demanding as DA 2. My main grievance is that the poor quality villains make poor quality bosses making a less stellar experience then what could have been.
I like DAI, but I fear its going in the wrong direction. Out of fear of sparking controversy, the next DA may be another high fantasy and just let the dark fantasy elements pour down the drain.