My gameplay take is actually a little different, and I wish I thought of it when I wrote my own review here: Inquisition is a pretty good Bioware game when it’s trying to be a Bioware game. But unfortunately, a lot of the time, maybe even most of the time by volume, it’s instead trying to be an Ubisoft game.
Surprise surprise, Bioware is pretty good at making Bioware games and even Ubisoft frequently isn’t good at making Ubisoft games anymore.
Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts (the Orlais quest) is incredible, and the moment Trevor Morris proved here is more than a suitable replacement for Inon Zur.
Inquisition is my favourite game in the series, and one of my all-time favourites. I agree with a lot of the criticisms, but believe the strengths absolutely dwarfs them. Solas is my favourite character in the series (tied with Morrigan) and one of my favourite fictional full stop, and the rest of the characters are great as well (with Bull, Cassandra and Josephine being standouts). The gameplay is great, if a bit less fun than 2\'s (waves of enemies not withstanding) and the main plot is engaging. Plus, great development for Cullen and, especially, Lelianna and Morrigan.
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A Return to Form for the Series and for Bio Ware
These days, Inquisition is generally seen as another link in the chain of disappointing games from Bio Ware post-2010. It’s worth remembering though that back when the game was first released it received rave reviews from critics and fans alike. Many hailed it as the best game of 2014, and that wasn’t because of a dearth of competition. So why has reception turned against it over time? What made people turn cold to it, and is it worth playing anymore?
I don’t have definitive answers to either of those questions, but I can give you mine. I’ll start with the second because it’s the easier one. Yes, I believe Inquisition is a game worth playing today. The combat finally achieved the mix of tactics and fast-paced excitement that DA 2 wanted to implement, the companions are all compelling and almost all enjoyable, the environments are lush and beautiful, and the story does a great job of making you feel the weight of the immense power thrust upon you. You lead a continental superpower that you build up and oversee the expansion of. You can be judge, jury, and executioner.
Unfortunately, this experience doesn’t always come through. Outside of your main base, the game plays much like a typical Bio Ware RPG. You travel largely empty environments, gather resources, and fulfill sidequests that amount to either “Kill X Enemies” or “Bring Item X to Location Y”. The environments are certainly far prettier than any prior Bio Ware game and have more to do than they did in Mass Effect 1 or DAO, but they’re also substantially larger. This creates a clash in the narrative experience where you feel like you’re doing busywork for grunts, but the game is trying to prop you up as a political figure on the level of a king.
This clash is not helped by the fact that the main villain of the game feels ineffectual. Unlike the last two DA games, Inquisition has a single Big Bad, in this case, the ancient Tevinter magister turned Darkspawn Corypheus. You only encounter him directly twice, and to be fair the scenes where you do meet him do a good job of making him appear powerful and intimidating. The problem is that you foil his plans so often that it diminishes the effectiveness of those scenes substantially. It’s made worse by how the finale of the main game feels very rushed and half-baked. It doesn’t feel like a grand climax, it feels like a pathetic last grab for relevance.
I bring these up because they’re genuine flaws and I understand why they turn people away. However, even saying all that I still love Inquisition. Its combat system remains the most fun I’ve had with the series. Your abilities are limited in number, but that limitation breeds creativity. Experimenting with various builds and finding cool ways to pump up my damage is rewarding. The crafting system enhances this, rewarding you for exploring and fighting by letting you make the best gear in the game rather than relying on loot drops. There’s something deeply satisfying about knowing that you fashioned your own gear. And the battles against the high dragons of the game are intense, adrenaline-pumping setpieces that challenge your abilities to their limit.
The companions are great too. Even the ones I didn't like were still interesting and made me want to know more about them. And the ones I did like rank as some of the best in the series. Leliana and Varric certainly had an edge over most thanks to their previous establishment, but Cassandra and The Iron Bull have strong personalities and arcs that can be greatly influenced by your decisions. The scene where you all sit together and play cards is a wonderful humanizing moment that more Bio Ware games could use, even if it can be a bit stilted at times.
The major plot quests are also well-written for the most part. Finale aside, each of them has interesting choices to make, and some heartbreaking losses can occur. I especially enjoy the Orlesian Court quest and how many options it gives you to resolve it. I love any quest that lets me stop the main villain through careful dialogue choices and gathering information rather than forcing a combat encounter.
Is Inquisition a perfect game? No. It retains a lot of Bio Ware’s recurring flaws and the increased size of the game means they have an increased impact. But it also has Bio Ware’s main strengths as well, and it throws in a fun combat system to boot. I’ll admit that I prefer DAO, but I wholeheartedly believe Inquisition is a worthy successor and deserving of the praise it received on release. Here’s hoping Dread Wolf can prove my fears wrong and be another worthy sequel.