Video Game Review: Dragon Age: Inquisition

February 7, 2015 Games 20

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Dragon Age InquisitionI just finished Dragon Age – Inquisition. It feels so unreal right now considering I soaked in 130+ hours into something and it’s now over. I hate that feeling. I would hate it more if I didn’t have The Last of Us Remastered up next on my gaming plate (started yesterday and love so far).

I don’t want to go crazy with reviewing this game in detail, it’s one that I feel everyone who loved the previous games should experience for themselves. Instead, I’ll just give you a list (since I’m quite good at them) about the loves I had for this game and maybe a few suggestions on what you should do when you start playing.

The Loves

– The graphics–they are beautiful and striking, way better than the predecessors (obviously with the technology being better on a grand scheme)

– The customization–Superb. That’s all I can say.

– The characters–there are some new ones like the amazing homosexual Tevinter Dorian (my favorite) and some old ones from the previous games like Morrigan or even your own character Hawke from DA:2 (the storylines for each and every one of the companions are absolutely wonderful). I loved Iron Bull the Qunari and Cole the half-spirit. Actually, what the hell, I loved them all. They were done flawlessly!!

– The dragons–there are ten of them. Some are harder than others, some involve strategy, and some are well hidden in the game. I hunted them all and loved the hell out of it.

– The puzzles–lots of small ones in this one, definitely not complex and very easy to figure out when you go through them. I like that because I hate having to think so hard in a game. I’d rather just fight it out, y’know? Especially in this kind of fantasy RPG.

– The world–after the first two games you see a lot developing within Orlais and Ferelden and it’s awesome to see how much was put to make this game tie the franchise together.

– The crafting–I literally didn’t buy anything after the first act. This is all very craft-based as far as equipment goes and that’s something I’m all for!

The not so much Loves

– The collections–particularly the shards were a pain in my ass. You don’t necessarily need them but if you get them, you can have a certain amount of resistance to all the elements (which is niftey as hell. Plus, I’m a completist and I had to have them all). The Mosaic tiles weren’t hard and neither were the runes, but those shards. I swear, I spent half an hour trying to maneuver my character up to one by balancing on a wooden beam and jumping onto an abandon house. If you were all wondering if it was possible. It is! It just takes forever and you have to have a lot of patience. Which I don’t. Ask my husband, there was a lot of obscenities shouted in the span of those 30 minutes.

– The quests–some of them were great storylines, but others were just plain busy work. A lot of the sidequests in particular were just boring and not at all satisfying. I still did them all and I still had fun, but damn…I have to say that it’s not as good as Dragon Age: Origins, that’s for sure.

– The ending–a friend told me it was anticlimactic. It sure was, at least for me. I mean the main bad guy didn’t even take that long for me to beat. I don’t know if my level was too high or something since I defeated the hardest dragons in the game, but it was just lame. Like in Fable 2 when you shoot the bad guy and it’s over just like that. Don’t get me wrong I still love the game, but I was expecting more of a challenge.

Suggestions/Tips

– Always make sure you have something going on in the Inquisition board. It saves you time later on, it gives you extra material, and it just helps with the process while you’re going off on other quests.

– There will be things that you need to craft at the Inquisition table in order to finish a particular “quest” those are not really quests. They are INFINITE and only necessary to gather enough “power” to move on in the storyline. DO NOT GIVE UP PRECIOUS MATERIAL IF YOU ALREADY HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO MOVE ON. This is important because as a completist, I kept doing them to get rid of them and they never would go away. I won the game with 350+ power which is HIGHLY unnecessary.

– Do not buy weapons. Just don’t. I’m telling you right now it’s not worth it. In fact, every single weapon and armor I made in the game was ten times better than the ones sold. Most of the time they were even better that the shit that was dropped from boss monsters.

– Explore. EXPLORE! So much good things to be had. Even with the boring quests there are some really entertaining fights and lots of treasure to be found–treasure that will definitely help your crafting arsenal. However, if you get bored with one area, just move on to the next and come back to it (particularly the Hinderlands is an area that I stayed hours and hours in…some people can get really bored with that so just leave and come back. I swear it’s not going anywhere. There is nothing like “Lothering” in DA: Origins where you’ll miss out on a town or character if you go too far in the storyline).

– Specialize in something. I was an archer until the very end. Then I switched to Assassin for the last battle. Let me tell you, I loved it. I wish I was an Assassin for the whole game, I probably would have had loads more fun.

Hope this helps out when you first start and I definitely recommend playing. It’s a fantastic time-eater.

Kats Dragon Age Character

Kat’s Dragon age character

Kat Stark

Kat Stark

Guest reviewer
Kat Stark

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20 Responses to “Video Game Review: Dragon Age: Inquisition”

  1. Lege

    Everything you said about ending.. The word my friend used is “hollow” and I agree.I liked DA:O ending better as well.
    Menial side quests- yup, agents and power points are only interesting for some time, but it quickly became nuisance. And you simply HAVE to finish all of them.

    Good Points, Kat, and I’m looking forward to your TLoU review.

    • Kat Stark

      I know. That’s exactly how I felt. I kept on looking to my husband and going, “that’s it?” THAT’S LAME!! lol. But it was fun for the most part, just a few quests that I found unnecessary all together. Whereas in Origins, it almost felt like all of them were necessary.
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  2. Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

    I’m definitely in the minority here, but I have to say I didn’t get a sense of “pull” from DA:I at all. I picked up the game at the midnight release and to this day I still haven’t finished it. Granted, I’ve been very busy since November, but BioWare games used to suck me in no matter what, to the point I would neglect all other responsibilities in my real life, lol. Sigh, I know I sound like such a jaded curmudgeon, but I’m just going to have to accept I’ll never again find that “magic” I felt at the end of completing DA:O.

    • Kat Stark

      I think it’s hard because they tried to tie them all together and in the end it just doesn’t live up the the first and we can both agree on that even though I liked this one. It’s definitely not a game you can continuously play forever. I had to take many breaks, which is why it took me so long to finish to begin with (I usually finish a game in 2-3 weeks). The whole Mass Effect series took me a month or two.
      Kat Stark recently posted…Interview & Giveaway: Shutter by Courtney AlamedaMy Profile

  3. Alise

    I’ve seen gifs and screencaps of this all over Tumblr and my first impression was that this game is GORGEOUS. I’m totally wondering the specs of your computer now 😉 Is there a word for the opposite of a completist because I am the opposite xD I remember selling almost every item and skipping all side quests in the Fantasy Games LOL.
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  5. Michelle @ In Libris Veritas

    I love Bioware games, they have my heart! I still can’t believe I haven’t bought this one yet. Also you sound a lot like me. I’m a completionist…who curses quite a bit when it comes to collecting stuff in weird places, especially if jumping is involved. I’m pretty curious to see what the crafting system is like and get to know the new characters. Sinking a ton of hours into a game is always a ton of fun…until it’s over and then you feel sort of at a loss.
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  6. Valerie

    I REALLY WANT TO PLAY THIS BUT I HAVEN’T PLAYED ANY OF THE OTHER DRAGON AGES. It will happen haha. BUT MAN THIS GAME. I’m glad you loved it! I do need to play it.

    Also, is this a game where you have to import your character, or no? I’m buying a PS4 in the summer, but I don’t know whether to buy this game for the PS3 or the 4 😀 😀
    Valerie recently posted…Review: SeraphinaMy Profile

  7. Kathy @ My Nook, Books & More

    I loved the other versions of Dragon Age but I don’t have the time to play this. But my husband has and he agrees with everything you said. We were all waiting for this game but I have so many books to read I don’t know if I’ll ever play.
    Kathy @ My Nook, Books & More recently posted…Weekly Wrap-Up 41My Profile

  8. Anne @ Lovely Literature

    I just started my third play through today, and totally agree with you on all the above. And your comparison to Fable 2 is spot on, I was disappointed in this ending because it was so easy, and not that creative. However, in my third playthrough I’ve decided to keep Solas in my party the whole game to see what’s up with the ending cut scene. I’ve read some really interesting breakdowns online about what it all means, and this game never ceases to amaze me with the lore. Also, the rogue specialization with the flasks is tops. Finally an elf mage and I’m excited to see what those specializations are like!

    Awesome review!
    Anne @ Lovely Literature recently posted…TTT: Books we can’t believe we’ve never readMy Profile

    • Kat Stark

      I noticed that the ending might have been a little different with Solas now that I’ve finished. Is it any different at all? I hated him in the game so I barely used his ass. lol. I stuck with Iron Bull, Dorian, Vivienne, and Cassandra the whole playthrough switching them in and out. I was very bias toward my guys and I always tried to keep them happy no matter what 🙂
      Kat Stark recently posted…Interview & Giveaway: Shutter by Courtney AlamedaMy Profile

      • Anne @ Lovely Literature

        I think the only difference is you hear more back story as you play and it gives you a bit more clarification about what happens in the end cut scene. Especially the case if you are a female elf and romance him — then you get more story to help figure out what the heck was happening! I loved Dorian though, and will be sad not to have him around this time. 🙂
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  10. Mary @ BookSwarm

    I LOVED THIS GAME!!! I romanced Blackwell (that moody bearded bastard!) and Cullen, quested my little heart out and really enjoyed it. But those shards, man. Those things pissed me off, especially when I couldn’t figure out exactly where they were or how to get my character to that spot. *shakes fist*
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