Dragon Age Inquisition is a huge robust fantasy adventure game with a focus on adventure and exploration. Players take the role of the Inquisitor, the survivor of a potentially world threatening cataclysmic event that only he or she has the ability to fix.
Players can customise their characters from a range of races, from humans to traditional fantasy character archetypes such as elves and dwarves, and can be male or female. Players can also decide what class they want to play as depending on the type of gameplay they prefer. Whether they want to be an up close and personal warrior type, a sneaky rogue type, or a powerful magic wielding mage its up to them. There are a lot of options for upgrading characters, letting players further tweak their characters to suit their styles. With the ability to rebuild their character's abilities as often as they like, its easy to experiment and find abilities that complement each other on the battlefield.
Gameplay mostly involves exploring the vast lands of Ferelden and Orlais with a party of four characters, battling against bandits, monsters, the undead and the occasional dragon using a robust, real-time combat system that changes based on which race you play. It can also be tailored to suit both players who like an all out brawl, and those who prefer a more tactical approach to combat - if you want to go in mashing buttons, you can; and if you'd prefer to micro-manage your team's every move, you can do that as well. In an effort to restore peace to the land the player will also become a leader of sorts, having to forge bonds with allies, sometimes through diplomacy. The player may have to make tough decisions between two opposing sides, and will likely gain both enemies and allies in the process. There are no real right and wrong answers to these situations, and players are free to carve out their own story, building a world that feels very real.
There is a lot to do in this world, with over 90 hours of gameplay, although there is a lot of reading required. From choosing which option to pick in dialogue with other characters to understanding what each quest involves, a strong reading ability is a must. With wide open worlds, a wide array of choices, and some at times tricky battles, there's a lot of multitasking and quick decisions that need to be made here too, making this one best suited to the older players.
As this is primarily a Tolkien-eqsue fantasy battle game, there's a lot of violence and bloodshed, with impacts from the game's swords, hammers, and other weapons causing large blood splatters. Characters use profanities that range from mild to severe in heated conversation, with f**k and s**t being as strong as it gets. Players can also pursue romance options that lead to an optional sex scenes that may feature either heterosexual and homosexual characters and the variety of fantasy races. While these scenes stay mostly above board, there is partial nudity and bared breasts.
Age Ratings
Format Reviewed: Xbox One
