Ok, so I know I’m a little late to give my two cents on this since the game is over a year old and the Game of the Year Edition came out a few months ago, but I have finally beaten the game and DLC and really wanted to share my thoughts.
So the main aspect of Dragon Age: Inquisition, as in every BioWare game, is the story. The main two aspects lacking from Dragon Age II were character customization and the scope/ambition of the game itself. These two aspects were definitely given the most work and after the disappointments of the last few BioWare games, it is refreshing to see them listen to their fans and give us the epic game that BioWare deserves to be making. While there are a few aspects of the story I can get a little nitpicky over, overall I found it to be a solid quest with interesting characters. I personally thought it took a while for most of the companions to be interesting and the main villain was not really that terrifying or involved so his defeat didn’t feel like that huge of a conquest, but it was still good enough. The best thing the story did is deliver an ending that is epic and satisfying but leaves a tantalizing tease for the next game. Unlike the recent Halo 5: Guardians, I didn’t feel cheated about the ending setting up the sequel because this game delivers a story interesting in its own right.
Anyway, the Game of the Year Edition also provides three additional DLC’s, namely Jaws of Hakkon, The Descent and Trespasser. The first two could be done at any time during the main quest but I would recommend waiting until your character is a higher level. Jaws of Hakkon in particular did not scale down to the level I was at and made the DLC pack way too hard. I didn’t find the content of that particular pack very interesting but the other two were very engaging. You definitely want to play Trespasser because it builds off of the superb ending and not only sets you up perfectly for the as yet unannounced Dragon Age 4, but gets you stoked to see how the story plays out all while not leaving you wanting more (again, I’m looking at you Halo 5).
As far as gameplay goes, combat is a nice mix of what worked in the first two games. They also added in a jumping mechanic but frankly it is just pathetic and every time an area requires you to jump around to get over an obstacle, it is just frustrating. The maps are also very helpful in telling you where the interesting things are and the places you go are so big that maps are frequently lifesavers.
For presentation, this game is simply beautiful. The soundtrack wonderfully sets the mood, the visuals are stunning and the art design is refreshingly original. The character models, particularly faces, do admittedly look outdated compared to the rest of gaming but this is a minor complaint.
Overall, if you like big epic fantasy games like The Elder Scrolls or the first Dragon Age then this is the game for you. Those wanting more of a straight-forward action game will most likely be disappointed but if you like content and lots of it, then you might want to give the Game of the Year Edition a try. I know I’m glad I did.
