Platform: Sony PlayStation 4

Release Date: November 18th, 2014

Developer: Bioware

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Genre: Action RPG

ESRB: M

Nerd Rating: 9/10

I am in utter awe of this game. This game is just . . . there are no words. It has to be by far one of the greatest games that I’ve played in a very long time.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is a game that I’ve been looking forward to since last year’s E3 demo. I had never played a  Dragon Age game before (simply because I was never overly inclined to do so), so when I saw a demo of an epic dragon fight (more on that later) I decided to give the series a chance. I’m glad that I did, because this game has quickly become one of my favorite games.

In Dragon Age: Inquisition you play as the Inquisitor, a person touched by the spirit world, as you work alongside your companions to save the world from demons and an evil magister that seeks to claim godhood. Along the way you battle creatures, perform side quests and (if you so wish) get your romance on with one of the main characters.

The wonders of advanced character creation . . .

The game starts with the basics: character creation.  You begin by choosing your gender and one of four races: Qunari, Dwarf, Elf and Human. From there you will choose your battle specialization. While all of these are very basic choices they matter greatly to basic gameplay. For example, people will react and interact with you differently if you were a Elf than if you were a Human. Based on your classifications the game gives you a back story that puts you at the beginning of the game’s events. Once you have chosen the bare bones of your character you are then sent to a character creation screen where you can nitpick your character until he/she is exactly how you want it. Or in some people’s cases until she looks exactly like Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. Either way I really like that your story starts before the game even begins.

With this brainchild that you just created, you play an important role in what happens in the story. You (through your character) can decide alliances, make world changing political decisions and decide other people’s fate. Dragon Age: Inquisition sets up the game so that you, the player, are in control of what happens in the game; for better or for worse. While some decisions you make are no-brainers others are much harder to make as you will have to seriously think about the consequences as well as the Inquisition’s interests.

“Cullen, I want you to draw me like one of your Orlesian girls”

I found that I connected deeply with most of the characters in Dragon Age: Inquisition. They all have unique back stories that either further broaden their character (as some character have appeared in other Dragon Age games) or further connects you emotionally to that character. If you feel a certain type of emotion, most companions have the ability to be romanced, given that your Inquisitor fits to the character’s interests (some characters are restricted to a certain race or sex when romancing, i.e. strictly gay or only interested in elves).

I feel that the characters in Dragon Age: Inquisition are more meaningful than they are in most other games of a similar genre. (Does Lydia from Skyrim even have a back story?) The characters in Dragon Age: Inquisition have their own lives and feelings outside of what you see on the surface. Characters will also have opinions about you (You know, just like real people do!) and the decisions you make can change their opinions about you or change the relationship that you have with them. For instance, if you are a dick to everyone that you come across, odds are that your approval rating with many of your companions will not be very high. Supposedly you can get to a point where your relationship is so bad with a character that they will leave the party permanently. So don’t be a dick.

“Look at the silly people down there. The silly people probably love the taste of (insert element here) in their face. Might as well give them what they want!”

As the Inquisitor you lead a party of four while exploring and completing missions. Main missions are engaging and meaningful, even if you are a loser like me and haven’t played other Dragon Age games. The conflicts presented in the game are not ones that are overly hard to grasp and appear in some from in reality. Types of side missions vary greatly but are for the most part action based (if that’s your thing it’s not much of problem). One moment you could be returning a lost ring to a civilian and the next you could be fighting demons or even a dragon. Speaking of dragons. . .

These little shits are the top tier boss battles in Dragon Age: Inquisition. It is no easy feat to take down one of these beasts and you will spend half the main story working up to just be able to hold your own against the easiest one. There are a total of ten of these monsters flying around the skies of Thedas, each of them unique in their weaknesses and tactics. Each limb of a dragon has a health status and will react as such. If you deplete the health of one of the dragon’s legs it will collapse as if it’s leg was severely injured. (Imagine that! Shocking!)  This makes fighting the dragon feel more real and really makes using the tactical mode and coordination of the battle more meaningful.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is magnificent in so many ways. The characters are diverse and interesting, the plot is captivating, and is very functionally sound. I could not ask for a more perfect game and will probably hold future RPG games to its high standard. This game is a absolute must own for any RPG gamer or anybody that loves a damn good game.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is all about the choices you make. The choices you make will determine the mark you leave on the history of Thedas. So the question is: how will Thedas remember you?

Written by Nerd Bacon