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Preview: Dragon Age: Inquisition

I have tried and failed on more than one occasion to get through the opening mission of Dragon Age: Origins. I just can’t do it; the game simply doesn’t grab me. It doesn’t have that ‘je ne sais quoi’, the ineffable quality that makes a game a must play. With that in mind, I was feeling a little trepidation upon booting up a preview build of the series’ latest entrant, Inquisition. Would I finally get it? Would I be lost without knowledge of the previous games? Would Inquisition smack me around the head and demand my attention?

The answers to those questions are; yes, no and hell yes.

From its opening moments, Inquisition not so much launches out of the gate than it hurtles. And the player along with it. There aren’t long speeches, endless scene setting or a drawn out introduction. In Inquisition, bad sh*t is going down and you’re thrown into the mix right away, sword in hand. Or bow, staff or daggers if you prefer. While you may have no choice regards the breakneck pace it sets, Dragon Age’s — maybe even more so BioWare’s — hallmark of choice permeates every facet. From character creation right through to almost every interaction with the game world, players are given an incredible amount of choice. Although taking a leaf from The Elder Scrolls, initially your character has almost no choice, but to acquiesce to his or her captors’ demands.

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Yes, in Inquisition you’ll start your journey as a prisoner. Then you’ll accomplish a great feat and become something else entirely before going on to explore a vast, lush and exciting open world. So far, so similar. It’s no mark against Inquisition though. Only part of the reason why TES series continually opens in a similar fashion is due to tradition. The remainder is because it works so damn well. The opening of Inquisition has Skyrim stamped all over it, yet it manages to easily and boldly establish its own identity. An identity that is deeply rooted in series’ lore, without overwhelming newcomers. An identity that asks, nay demands attention and an identity that is honestly and easily cemented by what is one of the most intense, white knuckled and thrilling video game openings in recent memory.

After creating you character — which I spent a good 25 minutes doing — a short cinematic sets a mysterious and dangerous tone. You’re in the dark, literally and figuratively, but it’s clear that danger is all around. You then awaken and for a second believe that it may have all been a terrible dream. That is, until you discover you’ve been shackled and are now being interrogated. The questions asked of you seem foreign and you can’t answer because you simply don’t know. Inquisition does lean a little on the amnesiac protagonist trope, but not for too long. Answers start unfolding rather quickly and in a satisfying departure from the norm, Inquisition doesn’t pander to its audience. You’re told what is happening, or as much as is known, but not the why or how and that’s where you come in. An enormous rift has opened and is spilling demons into the world and thanks to your spooky glowing hand everyone assumes you’re the responsible party. So best you pop off, close that pesky rift and clear your name, hey?

Without getting into too many details, after completing the first quest, you find yourself in a small camp. From here the world is yours to explore, but not before being named the Inquisitor. Funny how closing a demonic portal will change a person’s opinion of you. I can’t deny that Inquisition has sunk its narrative hooks into me and I’m very intrigued to discover what’s next for Delta the Elf Inquisitor.

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So it’s obvious I dug what Inquisition was throwing my way story-wise, but how did it play? Like a dream. It feels like it was designed for a controller. The hack ‘n slash lite style fits a twinstick and trigger set up perfectly, but its simplicity hides a depth that isn’t necessary to explore, although I’m certain the hardcore will do just that. The enemies I faced early on were easy to defeat, yet the battles hinted at tactics and abilities that would need to be used fully later on. Flanking, distracting and stunning are all valuable skills that will need to be utilised. The party’s tactical screen is available to those who wish to use it, although it’s not something that suits my playstyle. It’s yet another example of the depth of choice available to players of Inquisition.

I’ve mentioned choice several times because it was obviously a hugely important core tenet of development. You choose who you are, what you look like, how you play, where you go, who you talk to, what you do and most importantly what kind of Inquisitor you are. Everything feeds back in on itself and it seems everyone who plays will have a personal Inquisition story to tell. This may be BioWare’s game, but they’re giving it to the players and asking them to make it their own. It’s easy when you feel so free to do so. It may be the third in the series, but Dragon Age: Inquisition isn’t shackled to the past. It’s reverent of what’s come before, but isn’t afraid to forge a new path in a quest to create a new and special experience. From what I’ve seen so far, it’s succeeding.

Dragon Age: Inquisition will be available for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One from 20 November.


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