Dragon Age: Inquisition opens a lot of new doors for the series and reveals a lot of more of the hazardous populace of Thedas. And as I said before, I am really happy I didn't go with my first instinct and gave it another chance. Because during my first initial play through, I came in with high enough expectations or so I thought. But the problem was the newer features DA: I brought to the series were ones I was not expecting and at first thought, did not know if I could accept. I played a few hours in and decided foolishly that it was not the experience I had so deeply longed for since DA: Origins. And it took me until about 2 months ago to realize that I had strongly misjudged this.
DA: Inquisition is a marvel of an open world RPG, with so much stuff to do and quests to complete, that you won't know where to even begin. All the previous DA factions such as the Circle of Magi and the Templars as well as several key characters make a return. The Grand Divine of the highly controversial Chantry has been killed and some unknown force has opened up a huge green hole in the sky that demons come crawling out of. Not only that, but the evil force who is behind this has also opened up smaller rifts and scattered them all across the world. That is where you will come in as either a human, elf, dwarf and for the first time, the behemoth Qunari. And something happened to you when that Hole in the sky opened up, a strange mark appeared on your hand, and very soon it is revealed that this mark is the key to sealing these rifts and condemning the demons back to the confines of the Fade. And thus, a new Inquisition is formed and you have become a messiah to the populace. They have even dubbed you the Herald Of Andraste. This is where the story begins.
You and 3 of your comrades will scour this HUGE open world that is filled with more secrets and increasingly deadly enemies than I can name. The exploration in DA I is huge, and is a blessing to witness. The environments are beautiful, whether you are on stormy beach or in a vast Elven forest. The locations you will go to have so much to offer and so much to be found that it will always feel as though you are missing something or you have left something behind. And on return, you will probably find stuff you didn't catch the first time through. The books, characters, artifacts and secrets are just waiting to be found and DA: I does a fair job of assisting you keep track of all these. Even the local stories and letters you come across are a joy to read and can hint at hidden locations and secrets, and there is a lot of them. So much that I stressed myself out over, anxiously wondering If I had missed an important clue. And might I add, that the codex entries and tales you will read offer a vast amount of insight into the folkore and history behind Dragon Age and Bioware does an amazing job at establishing that and allowing this much of a look at it. They are often detailed stories and anyone with a creative and open imagination has got to respect that. Only once have I seen such a great job of laying the foundation in gaming and that was in DA Origins.
The combat??? WOW, its a joy and should please most. You can swap between the Inquisitor or you 3 friends at anytime, each with their own skill set. Again no turn based fighting here, you will have option of giving commands to your party or you can use the Tactical Camera Mode for more options. It is nice to have sometimes, such as in later bigger battles when you need a character to heal or flank attack. Other than that. I always used the traditional camera. The combat system works well and can be intense in the games rarer hard fights. I usually always kept all 3 of the games classes in my party, a warrior, a mage, a rogue, and usually another warrior. They each have different skill sets that can be unlocked by leveling up. Warriors are obviously strength, and can bust holes in the walls of dungeons revealing new hidden areas to explore. Rogues are adept at picking locks must be in your party if you want to enter some locations. Not to mention their speed and stealth skills. And of course mages are the magic bearers and will be your means to setting enemies ablaze, disabling various magical barriers that other mages have sealed to prevent access to outsiders, and to light the new Veilfire. Veilfire is a new addition and can be found at multiple locations, mostly dungeons or caves and almost always at Elven ruins, the secret is explained by Solas, the first mage you are introduced to and who thereafter joins your party. It is a fire of a green flame, lit only by a mage, and when used as a torch brazier, reveals hidden glyphs and texts on the walls previously naked to eye. The secrets of these strange writings will come to light as you progress and are a means of obtaining some valuable items.
Another new addition to the series is the War Table. As the voice of the people and their only hope left, you must make strategic calls and send your agents all over to solve matters to earn respect and gain Influence. Nobles, Chantry Sisters, and all types of people will begin to come to you with their problems as you progress and earn more of the populations trust and respect and you can choose to respond in 3 ways. By force which is carried out mostly by your Commander Cullen. You can respond using your other agent Leliana using the Secrets side of the War Table, which usually can be useful in investigating or trying to uncover secrets. Or you can use your 3rd agent Josephine, who responds to matters diplomatically. She has ties to nobility and knows how to address them, and is often useful in gaining alliances with other regions, gathering more coin for your forces and so forth. How you choose to react to these operations that become available will determine what reward you will receive so it is wise to think it through. They each have a time limit that it will take that counts down as soon as you accept it, the longer time limits giving the bigger and more unique rewards.
And of course, it is Bioware here, so characters and relationships depend heavily on the choices you make and how you respond to situations. It is nearly impossible to please everyone you will meet, and the effects will be made known to you by each character. I advise checking up on your people in between trekking the world as there are many many dialogue situations and character specific quests to be unlocked. The romance you choose can be done so most likely if you learn the character you are trying to please and give them what they want to hear. So many options and so rewarding. I would also like to add that there is a certain sense of comradery between you and your friends that is quite touching, and they are or will become so devoted to you that it is a joy to watch.
You can acquire new items such as thrones (where you can now judge those who have wronged you) decorations, beds, banners and crowns to customize your favorites. You can even update your base of operations by applying upgrades to your courtyard or garden areas, bringing you new options.
My few minor issues are the sometimes slow or dull story and the lack of epic memorable boss battles. Don't get me wrong, the dragon fights are a treasure, and offer a fun and intense challenge, but there are far too few boss fights, or ones worth mentioning, most having the same identity of previous enemies with a different name. There are still a few that will have your palms sweaty, but they are slim and the difficulty can seem too easy.
But overall. DA I is a moving and inspiring title that is well deserved of all the praise and glory it can get. There is so much to be seen and so many secrets to unlock that it can't helped but be admired at how much content was put into effect. And its a great indication that the series is heading back into the right direction after DA 2 disappointed. I didn't have QUITE the adventure as I did with Origins, but it is the closest thing you could ask for.
And I'll end on this note. Don't do what I did and rid yourself of this great adventure. Give DA I a chance to earn your attention, it will in time if not right away. I immediately tossed it aside when I wrongly assumed that it was just another failure and falling in the footsteps of DA 2. I couldnt' have been more wrong. If you like RPGS, adventures, exploring, killing foul and evil beasts, or a good story then you should already be playing this. It is a new step for Dragon Age and I can't wait to see what awaits us.