Dragon Age: Inquisition

UPC: 014633730920

Platform: Xbox One

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: BioWare Corp.

Category: Role-Playing

Style(s): Third-Person 3D Action RPG

Synopsis: The third entry in BioWare's high-fantasy action RPG, Dragon Age: Inquisition takes place in the midst of an ongoing war between mages and templars, and charges players with tracking down those responsible for sewing cataclysmic chaos. Gamers choose their character's sex, select from the Dwarf, Elf, Human, and Qunari races, and pick between the powerful melee attacks of a Warrior, the stealthy arrows and daggers of a Rogue, or the elemental magic of a Mage. They then form a party of four and set off on an adventure across the varied environments of the continent of Thedas.


Though not truly an open world, the lands of Thedas were designed to be larger and much more varied than in any previous Dragon Age title, so much so that mounts have been included for the first time in the series. There are 12 potential companions from which to choose, each with unique skills and aspirations, and as the story unfolds players will begin to form complex and possibly romantic relationships with other characters. The action finds gamers capturing forts to open new areas for exploration, setting up new camps to deploy troops, fortifying strongholds, and engaging in battles against all manner of creatures, including dragons so massive players must attack their limbs and tails individually to fell them.


Combat occurs in real time from a third-person perspective, gamers can switch between party members at any time, and they can also pause the action and view the current battlefield from a top-down perspective to deploy traps and strategically place their characters. The spoils of war, found loot, and crafted items can then be used to customize weapons and armor, and upgrade more than 200 spells and abilities. The choices made in conversations and in battle can have far-reaching implications on future missions and interactions with other characters in the single-player mode, but Inquisition also includes a separate, four-player co-op mode that focuses less on narrative, and more on crafting, loot, and dungeon crawling. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Package Contents: 2-day Xbox Live Gold Trial

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

Rich in atmosphere, storytelling, and characters, Dragon Age: Inquisition is an "old-school" RPG in terms of length and scope, and a "new-school" RPG in terms of design and play mechanics. Taking bits and pieces from the two previous entries in the series, Inquisition moves further away from the original's Baldur's Gate roots and closer towards the action-centric style of Dragon Age II.

The fast-paced combat is the most obvious benefit of the developer's efforts, which might disappoint those who enjoyed the tactical approach of Dragon Age: Origins. You can only use eight skills in combat, and you can only carry eight health potions to share between your four party members. While this "eight is enough" decision would seem to benefit console owners (or Adam Rich and Dick Van Patten fans), the two previous Dragon Age games had no such restrictions on console platforms. Instead, the developers likely wanted players to carefully choose their party members to overcome any skill restrictions and actively switch between characters (to take advantage of their distinctive skills) instead of playing solely as the main protagonist.

Though the limitations can be aggravating for certain classes (re: mages), the combat in Dragon Age: Inquisition is otherwise engaging, borrowing elements from action RPGs as well as MMOs. Movement and positioning are important, as is a sense of timing and knowing when to use certain combinations of skills. While your party AI can be directed to some extent and their behavior tailored a bit, there will still be times when computer-controlled heroes will stand directly in a fire, refuse to resurrect fallen comrades, and exhibit other signs of oppositional defiance.

Traditional RPG systems have also been simplified in Inquisition, with the developers attempting to remove most of the tedium associated with building characters without sacrificing too much in the way of customization. While attributes such as strength and dexterity are fixed for each character, they can be improved in other ways -- through equipment choices or by selecting certain abilities from a character's multiple skill trees. Armor is limited to chest pieces and helmets, but you can further enhance equipment through the crafting system.

Perhaps the biggest issue with Dragon Age: Inquisition is not the simplification of certain "hardcore" role-playing elements, but that for the first dozen or so hours, it doesn't seem to know which direction it's supposed to go. Is it a single-player MMO? It certainly feels that way at the start, as the quests aren't much more than the "fetch this" and "kill these" variety. Is it a grand strategy game? It almost feels like it could be, as you frequently stare at a world map atop a war table and assign members of your inner circle to quell potential uprisings, learn secrets, and make political moves. Is it an action RPG? The combat definitely leans toward this style and there are loot drops, but you are also in control of a four-person party and the open-world environments aren't randomly generated.

The short answer is that Dragon Age: Inquisition is all of these things and none of these things. It is a huge, absorbing game with cleverly designed, remarkably detailed locations that you'll fawn over while leading your party toward your next objective or point of interest. It also has a lot of elements that will appeal to different players, from the banter between different party members to the crafting system to the thrill of finding something new. While it's a concern that many of the elements aren't nearly as deep as they could have been, the game will nevertheless scratch the itch many may have felt after their time with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.