Dragon Age: Inquisition is BioWare's chance to pull out the red carpet for its biggest game to date. This is especially important as Dragon Age II scaled back from the original game. Everything from the past two games has been building to Inquisition's climax, increasing fans' expectations. At E3, BioWare's live demo showcased the team's confidence in its work. "This is the Dragon Age game we've always wanted to make," says creative director Mike Laidlaw.
Thedas is now embroiled in war with larger threats lurking; tears are opening in the sky, allowing demons into the world. The world reflects this chaos; war-torn lands are filled with fires, broken structures, and NPCs commenting on the state of the events. These aren't the linear environments we saw in Dragon Age II. The word's vastness is evident; something in the distance is always vying for your attention, whether it's wildlife or majestic mountains. “Inquisition is the biggest Dragon Age game,” Laidlaw says. According to Laidlaw, the area we saw in the demo is “larger than the play space of Dragon Age: Origins in its entirety.”
As Inquisitor, your job is to grow your influence and power. You decide how to proceed at the war table, which is where you command your forces, agents, and spies. The war table is also where you determine where your story goes next, such as searching for new locales, sending your agents out on missions, and choosing which objectives to pursue. You're in charge, but rule wisely, as your decisions factor into branching paths and unlock exclusive content.
This wouldn't be Dragon Age without arguments or consequences, so expect those to tie into your choices, right down to which characters you tap for certain missions. During the demo, Leliana was brought into a mission to hunt down a corrupt mage. She took a much more ruthless approach than you'd expect from her, since she's consumed with restoring the world. “Sending Leliana into here was a decision that we made, and it's one that will have consequences,” Laidlaw says. “In fact, it may damage our relationship going forward.” You can't please everyone, and part of your role as the Inquisitor is deciding your leadership type: Will you rule with an iron first, or try to diplomatically reason with others?
Even the battlefield is full of decisions. You can get right into the action, or if you want to assess the situation, you can use tactical view. This approach allows you to pause the action and choose the best placement for your character, like positioning archers on high ledges or sending a tank right into the fray. Once you select positions, you set the moves into motion and can always adjust your tactics if they aren't working.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is the series' biggest undertaking yet, and so far it looks as if everything we love about Dragon Age is here, but on a much grander scale. From fierce battles to tough decision-making, life will be anything but easy as you step into the role of the Inquisitor.
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Style: 1-Player Role-Playing
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: BioWare
Release: October 7
