Dragon Age: Inquisition (PC) Review

By Ian Soltes 01.02.2017

Review for Dragon Age: Inquisition on PC

The third part in BioWare's popular Dragon Age saga was one that was already running low on steam from the get-go. With Dragon Age II not only being related to the first one, in the sense that it took place in the same universe and had some cameos from it, but also holding the exact moment where it became clear that something happened to the creative team behind it, causing it to shift, the writing was on the wall for the third game. Does it surprise and actually manage to forge a new path?

Dragon Age: Origins had a distinct problem. Whereas in Mass Effect the game ended on a clear note where things had been resolved, but the threat of the Reapers still existed, and Knights of the Old Republic had the lore rich Star Wars universe to explore, Dragon Age: Inquisition resolved its plotline rather firmly. There seemed to be things that could still be explored, but the threat had been met and rather definitively dealt with. This became even clearer with the second title which revolves with a city entirely out of the way of the first one, with its elements being more of cameo's than major plot-points. Then comes the third game and it's clear that the series is out of creative steam.

So much is a let-down in Inquisition, that it's actually a bit of a wonder. For example one of the biggest and most lauded changes from the prior two titles is the ability to freely explore the map. In theory, this sounds wonderful! In practice… it's hollow, vapid, and clearly a bit more of a showpiece than a thought-out mechanic. Fast and action-focused combat? Impressive for the first hour or so, then repetitive after slaying the umpteenth bear, bandit, or demon. Gorgeous worlds? Reduced to constantly pinging the map to find various ores and herbs. Having a customizable castle to be shaped to suit the needs of the Inquisition? Reduced to choosing drapery and a few minor upgrades that don't really change anything. It would be irritating if this wasn't entirely expected.

Screenshot for Dragon Age: Inquisition on PC

It would be easy to waste time delving into the various flaws, but it can be summarized rather simply. Dragon Age: Inquisition was made to milk money from the franchise before it coughed up the ghost. It has glitz, glamour, and seems impressive, but is hollow inside. The main antagonist was a DLC boss from the second game, the missions aren't impressive themselves, and the zones with anything of interest are all locked away behind paywalls. It's very disappointing to head out to see what Redcliff village from the first game has done over the years, only to have it amount to being a generic village where the impact of the choices in the first game are almost entirely absent.

Going into a bit more detail, the story is a boring mess. In the wake of the ending of the second game, a war was starting between mages and Templars. A meeting has been called to try and resolve the issue peacefully by the head of the Chantry (Dragon Age's version of the church), only for the building to be blown apart with copy/paste custom hero #3817 getting a strange mark on his hand that lets him seal up holes in reality - and the Big Bad wants this mark, and Him getting the mark is something that causes many evil things to happen. The big bad is stupid and repeatedly makes dumb mistakes that keep him from getting the mark despite having seemingly overwhelming power, while the player puts together a rag-tag team of misfits, oddities, and people that they have inspired to oppose him.

Screenshot for Dragon Age: Inquisition on PC

Some might claim this is an over-simplification, that many games hold similar plots, and this one shouldn't be penalized for it. There is a huge problem with this line of thought, however, it might be one thing if this had come forward with an interesting premise or built off the prior games for its plot and just came out average. However, this ignores not one, not two, but at least three potential plot-threads from prior episodes that could have been built upon in favour of taking the DLC boss from the second game and veering so wildly off the beaten path that it left London, veered in to Scotland, and somehow ended up in the middle of Arkansas. It might have even been worthwhile if it had actually done something with this new plot but, once more, it really doesn't.

The bad guy is so non-threatening, that someone putting on a bedsheet and making ghost noises would at least hold some sort of danger; if only in that the bedsheet might get dirty. Instead the 'bad guy' does little more than being a reason why some foes are on the map. Bowser fights Mario at the end of most worlds, Dr. Wiley corrupts robots for evil purposes, and this guy has a name and pops up now and again to remind the player that he exists. So, with the plot a bust, what about the gameplay? Well, here it is a bit more redeeming, if hunting down a multitude of collectables is 'redemption.'

Screenshot for Dragon Age: Inquisition on PC

At the start of it all, this seems promising enough with the first zone having quite a few interesting things, and the next two zones at least feeling different, but all that goes away very swiftly as each map dissolves down to "go to place, complete quest chain, find that final missing collectable, rinse and repeat." It clearly tried to follow the formula of games like The Witcher, but forgot to do more, namely put stuff in to make it worth exploring.

Exploring used to held merit but now is greatly reduced. Most of the good stuff wasn't hidden away a good five-to-ten minutes' walk from the starting point, and wasn't part of a "collect the different wine bottles/songs/shards/mosaic pieces/whatever" type of thing. While past games weren't exceptional at having zones seemingly chock-full of these collection quests and little questing actually related to the story-line, or even anything really beyond questing to do, quests were a vast improvement! Does this game do anything right? Well, grudgingly, yes. The visuals are fairly solid, about half of the cast is likable, (and the other half forgettable), and in those few areas where it actually tried it does well. It's just that the game doesn't try to do anything except look pretty enough to get people to waste cash on it.

Screenshot for Dragon Age: Inquisition on PC

Cubed3 Rating

6/10
Rated 6 out of 10

Good

Ultimately, Dragon Age: Inquisition suffers from a very simple problem. It has enough things like graphical prowess and decent combat and the like to be passable. If the Dragon Age name hadn't been attached to this project it seems doubtful it would have been green-lit. Those looking for a better resolution to the story won't find it in here, and, ultimately, it feels like little more than a polished cash-in than an attempt to build or expand.

Developer

BioWare

Publisher

EA

Genre

Adventure

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  6/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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