Dragon Age: Inquisition is a role-playing game set in a dark fantasy universe. This game takes up where the previous games left off, but can also stand alone for players unfamiliar with the series. The continent of Thedas is under attack from a mysterious tear in the sky, spewing darkspawn and demons. You play as an individual touched by a special kind of magic and are tasked with raising an army to protect the continent.
Dragon Age is unique for its expansive universe, including novels, comics, and DLC expansion packs for each game in the series. It’s genuinely an enveloping experience as there’s so much information about every single item and character in the game. You can dive deep into the game’s codex entries for historical contexts or page through the novels to get a better sense of a culture’s practices and viewpoints. Knowing this information can help you connect with the people you encounter and, in turn, grow your army.
This game features the choose-your-story style dialogue options. There’s a pretty big range in dialogue choices, and what you say can drastically change events and relationships in the game. Growing a promising alliance is hard and requires you to be strategic in your interactions. When you do inevitably come to fight an enemy, maybe one you just made by putting your foot in your mouth, going through the motions can be repetitive if you’re a warrior type. I did a second playthrough as a mage and found the battles to be more challenging. Any character type can upgrade their equipment and armor using materials found exploring on the map. You can even use the items you find to make advances to your fortress.
Once I started this game, I couldn’t help but play for hours. I love the story behind all the games, and this one is no exception. What the game lacks in fighting it makes up for in an exciting and involved narrative. I highly recommend reading Dragon Age: The World of Thedas alongside this game to grasp the conflict and navigate the difficulties of uniting bickering countries to save an entire continent from destruction.
I rate this game an 8 out of 10
This game is available through the library on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox 360
This game has an ESRB rating of M for Mature ages 17+
