Dragon Age: Inquisition

Dragon Age: Inquisition
Developer(s)	BioWare
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Director(s)	Mike Laidlaw
Producer(s)	Cameron Lee
Programmer(s)	Jacques Lebrun
Artist(s)	Matthew Goldman
Writer(s)	David Gaider
Composer(s)	Trevor Morris
Series	Dragon Age
Engine	Frostbite 3[1]
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Xbox 360 Xbox One
Release date(s)	NA: November 18, 2014[2][3] AUS: November 20, 2014 EU: November 21, 2014
Genre(s)	Action role-playing[4]
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Dragon Age: Inquisition is an action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. The third major game in the Dragon Age franchise, Dragon Age: Inquisition is the sequel to Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II. The game was released worldwide in November 2014 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

The story of Dragon Age: Inquisition follows a player character known as the Inquisitor on a journey to settle the civil unrest in the continent of Thedas and close a mysterious tear in the sky called the "Breach", which is unleashing dangerous demons upon the world. The Inquisitor is viewed by some as the 'chosen one', as they have a 'Mark' on their hand capable of closing the Breach. The Inquisitor assembles the titular Inquisition in an attempt to stop Corypheus, an ancient darkspawn, who opened the breach in an attempt to conquer Thedas.

Gameplay of Dragon Age: Inquisition is similar to its predecessors and mostly consists of elements found in a typical action role-playing game; players control their customized Inquisitor, and the companions they meet. They can defeat enemies with swords and magic, complete side quests, interact with non-playable characters, and progress through the main story. Players mainly control their protagonists in a third-person view, though a traditional role-playing game top down camera angle is also available.

After the release of Dragon Age II, the Dragon Age series was seen by some as a series with an "identity crisis". As a result, Bioware sought to create a third Dragon Age game that combined the elements of the first two. Having begun development in 2011, the game was officially announced at the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo. The game's soundtrack was primarily composed by Trevor Morris, who replaced Inon Zur, the composer of the Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II soundtracks. Several downloadable content expansion packs were also released.

Dragon Age: Inquisition received critical acclaim upon release, with critics praising its story, voice acting, soundtrack, detailed environments, and engaging combat. The game did receive some criticism for the presence of technical issues. It was awarded over 150 year-end accolades and nominated for more, including Game of the Year and Best Role-playing awards from several gaming publications.

Gameplay

Dragon Age: Inquisition is an action role-playing game similar to its predecessors. At the beginning of the game, the player chooses a race for their player character: human, dwarf, elf, are playable races, with Qunari playable for the first time.^[5] Players customize the Inquisitor's physical appearance, and gender, among other things.^[6] Players choose from three classes, warrior, mage, and rogue, and can specialize their character, which grant them specific abilities.^[7] The character would later evolve to become the Inquisitor of Thedas, who is considered "holy" by the citizens there. As the Inquisitor, players had to make choices and decisions that affect and change the game's world state. In addition, they can "judge" certain people on their behaviors and decide their fate.^[8][9] Thedas is the game's world, which includes Ferelden, where Dragon Age: Origins was set, as well as three new unexplored regions, which include Orlais, Nevarra and the Free Marches.^[10] The game is not an open world video game, as the world is broken up into several sections, which can be freely explored by players.^[11] Despite that, BioWare claimed that one of the levels featured in Inquisition is larger than the entire game of Dragon Age II.^[12] In addition, each region features different environments like deserts, swamps, and mountains.^[13] In order to allow players to navigate the game's world faster, mounts, which are creatures that can be ridden by players, are introduced.^[14]

The romance aspect of the game has been overhauled. As opposed to the previous gift and dialogue based system, romance arcs occur in reaction to story events and variables specific to each character and include sex scenes.^[15][16] Additionally, not all romance arcs require sex.^[17] Among the nine companions, who assist players in battle, and three advisers, eight of them can be romanced. Some of these party members would decide whether to fall in love with the Inquisitor based on their gender and race.^[8][18]

Customization was significantly overhauled,^[19] specifically by allowing equipment and other items to modify their appearance based on who it is equipped to. Depending upon which party member has received it, a piece of armour would automatically adjust its shape and aesthetics in order to fit that particular character while still maintaining their identity. Players can craft and customize armour or weapons using the materials they have collected; rarer materials give the particular weapon or armour piece better attributes.^[20] Players can customize their keeps, such as rebuilding a garden as a Chantry church or a herb garden. These upgrades have minor effects on the Inquisitions espionage, commerce or military capabilities.^[21][22]

Players do not have the ability to import their save files from the first two games into Dragon Age: Inquisition "to shore up world consistency".^[23] Instead, Bioware released a cloud-based online interactive story creator called Dragon Age Keep, which is narrated by Varric. Players can detail the major plots of the previous two Dragon Age games to provide this level of customization without requiring replay of the initial games.^[24]

Players gain influence in areas of the world by capturing keeps or forts. This is achieved by defeating the occupants of the keep or fort or establishing camps, which are used to provide fast travel and resupply points. Operations can be discovered to repair various structures and pathways, such as bridges or collapsed caves. These operations will allow exploration of previously unreachable locations and side quests.^[25]

Tactical view introduced in Dragon Age: Origins returns in Inquisition.

Combat focuses on the player's ability to prepare, position, and form a cohesive team with their party members.^[26] Inquisition features two forms of combat systems.^[27] The first is reminiscent of that which is found in most action role-playing games, including Dragon Age II. During combat, players can switch to control other party members, while artificial intelligence will take control of the Inquisitor and other members in the party.^[28] This system is action-oriented and follows the player in a typical over-the-shoulder third person style. The second is closer to that of classic role-playing games, including Dragon Age: Origins.^[29] This combat system allows players to pause the game, assign locations and orders to the party members and then resume the game to see it played out.^[30] During the use of this second more strategic combat system, the camera will be closer to that of a top down view, instead of the usual over-the-shoulder third person style of the action based combat system. This combat system is named Tactical View and allows for the placing of traps while the game is paused.^[31] The Inquisitor also has the ability to close and manipulate the rift, which can stun all the enemies nearby.^[32]

As the Inquisitor, players influence how to deploy agents and troops of the Inquisition through their primary advisers, which influences the rewards and time requirements of the effort undertaken.^[33] The various regions that make up the game world do not scale in level. They have a fixed level, which means players can be either too weak or strong for the enemies found in that region.^[34]

Dragon Age: Inquisition also introduces multiplayer, which is described as a "dungeon crawling experience" by BioWare. The game features a co-operative multiplayer mode which tasks players to play as an Agent of the Inquisition.^[35] Players had to play through levels, and to fight against increasingly difficult AI.^[36] The mode can be played with three other players, or be completed solo.^[35][37] At launch, the game features three multiplayer campaign and nine playable characters.^[38] The mode is completely separated from the main campaign. As a result, the progress made by the player in the multiplayer mode would not carry to the campaign. Players can upgrade and craft items, and unlock new characters in the multiplayer mode. As time is needed for unlocking, micro-transactions is featured. Players can purchase an in-game currency called Platinum to speed up the process of unlocking new characters.^[39]

Synopsis

Setting

Dragon Age: Inquisition is set in the continent of Thedas, the fantasy world in which the two previous games are set. The game covers more geographic territory than its predecessors, with one map being described as four to five times the size of Ferelden, the setting of the first game in the series.^[26] Following the events described in the supplementary novels Dragon Age: Asunder and The Masked Empire, a civil war between the loyalists of the ruling Empress and a powerful noble faction led by her cousin, Grand Duke Gaspard, broke out in Orlais. Simultaneously, the Circle of Magi has gone rogue, in part due to the events of Dragon Age II, and the Templar Order seceded from the Chantry to wage their own civil war on the mages.

The area traversable in Inquisition is much larger than both Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II, and is said to cover two countries and the land between. The countries are: Ferelden (setting of Dragon Age: Origins) and Orlais, with a land known as the Dales located within.^[25]

Plot

A gameplay screenshot showing the player-controlled Inquisitor (middle) using their ability to manipulate Fade rifts. Also shown are the radial abilities menu on the bottom-right, party icons on the top-left, and a minimap of the level on the bottom-left.

In 9:41, the mage-templar war is temporarily halted during the Conclave, a peace conference orchestrated by Divine Justinia. During the negotiations, an explosion destroys the Conclave, killing the Divine and many senior Chantry clerics, along with many mages and templars. The explosion creates the Breach, a massive hole in the Veil, the magical boundary between the physical world and the Fade, the world of spirits, as well as many smaller rifts. The only survivor of the blast is the player character, who emerges from a rift with a mark on their hand capable of closing the rifts, but no memory of what happened. Cassandra and Leliana, former assistants to the Divine, enlist the player character's help in closing several rifts. The player character begins to be referred to as the Herald of Andraste. Together with former templar Cullen and ambassador Josephine, they carry out one of the Divine's last orders and establish the Inquisition, an organization which can act independently to address the crisis, close the Breach, and defeat the one who created it. Other members of the Inquisition include Varric Tethras, a dwarven rogue and storyteller and former companion of Hawke, and Solas, an elven apostate mage well-versed in the Fade and spirits.

After establishing a base of operations in the nearby town of Haven, the Herald is able to explore various areas, build the Inquisition's power, and recruit additional companions. Four more companions are available for recruitment initially: Blackwall, an Orlesian Grey Warden recruiter; Sera, an elven thief and member of a clandestine society called the Friends of Red Jenny; Iron Bull, a Qunari warrior leading a mercenary company called the Bull's Chargers, and agent of the Ben-Hassrath spies; and Vivienne, a loyalist Circle Mage. Two more potential companions are unlocked during the main story: Dorian, a mage from the Tevinter Imperium; and Cole, a spirit of compassion. After gaining the assistance of either the mages or the templars, the Herald succeeds in closing the Breach. During a victory celebration, Haven is attacked by a massive force of templars or mages (whichever the player did not side with). The attackers are led by Corypheus, an ancient Tevinter magister turned darkspawn, who was responsible for opening the Breach. Aided by a dragon that appears to be an archdemon, Corypheus overcomes Haven's defences and forces the Inquisition to flee. Confronting the Herald, Corypheus refers to the mark as "the Anchor", the means by which he would physically enter the Fade and claim the Maker's throne in the Black City, attaining apotheosis for himself. He attempts to remove the Anchor with a magical orb, only to discover that the Anchor is permanently attached; the Herald escapes Corypheus by setting off an avalanche that buries Haven and decimates Corypheus's army. The Herald regroups with other survivors of the attack, and Solas leads the Inquisition to the abandoned and forgotten fortress of Skyhold, high in the mountains, which becomes their new base. The player character becomes the Inquisitor, leader of the Inquisition.

With the assistance of Hawke (the protagonist of Dragon Age II), the Inquisitor investigates the disappearance of the Grey Wardens, discovering that they were being manipulated by Corypheus into raising a demon army. Hawke and the Inquisitor are assisted by a Grey Warden character from the previous games in the series, who may be either Alistair, Loghain, or Stroud, depending on choices made in previous games. During the course of this quest, the Inquisitor reenters the Fade and regains memories of Corypheus' attack on the peace conference, which reveal that the Inquistor obtained the anchor upon coming into contact with Corypheus's magic orb. Either Hawke or the Grey Warden sacrifices himself or herself to help the others escape the Fade, and the Inquisitor must decide whether to recruit the remaining Grey Wardens or exile them from Orlais. The Inquisitor also attends a ball at the Winter Palace, either interrupts or allows Corypheus' plot to assassinate Empress Celene, and resolves the ongoing civil war in Orlais.

Following the advice of the sorceress Morrigan, the Inquisitor travels to the Temple of Mythal in order to stop Corypheus from obtaining a powerful artifact called an Eluvian, which would enable him to physically enter the Fade. The Inquisitor witnesses Corypheus seemingly destroyed by the temple's defenses, only for him to be reborn in the body of a nearby Grey Warden. Taking refuge inside the temple, either the Inquisitor or Morrigan gains the powers of the Well of Sorrows, the magical 'key' to the resident Eluvian, providing the wisdom of previous servants of Mythal but also binding the character to Mythal's will. Mythal is revealed to be Flemeth, the Witch of the Wilds. Choices in Dragon Age: Origins may have led to Morrigan having a child with the soul of an Old God; if so, Flemeth takes the soul, leaving the child unharmed.

In either case, the voices from the Well reveal that Corypheus' dragon is the key to stopping him; it is not a true Archdemon but a facsimile of one, and Corypheus has invested so much of his power in creating it that if the beast is killed, then Corypheus' ability to leap into other bodies would be disrupted, rendering him vulnerable. The Inquisitor then confronts Corypheus as he reopens the Breach, forcing a final confrontation. If the Inquisitor drank from the Well of Sorrows, they will have gained control of a dragon called the Guardian of Mythal, which will engage Corypheus's dragon in battle. If Morrigan drank from the well, she will gain the ability to shapeshift into a dragon and fight Corypheus's dragon personally. The Inquisitor defeats Corypheus and his dragon, resealing the Breach permanently and hurling the darkspawn magister to the Fade, destroying his physical body in the process.

Following the defeat of Corypheus, Solas laments the destruction of Corypheus's orb, an ancient elven artifact of immense power. Solas departs the Inquisition, and Leliana's agents are unable to locate him.

The epilogue, narrated by Morrigan, details the outcomes of the Inquisitor's decisions for the Grey Wardens, the next Divine and the leadership of Orlais.

In the post-epilogue, Flemeth meets with Solas, whom she addresses as "Dread Wolf", admonishing him for giving his orb to Corypheus. Solas admits to have been too weak to unlock the orb's true power after his slumber. Solas seems remorseful for his actions and recognizing that he deserves punishment, but deeming himself too prominent to be killed, claims that the elves need him. He embraces Flemeth and seemingly petrifies her, resulting in his eyes glowing.

Trespasser

Two years after the defeat of Corypheus, the Inquisition goes to the Winter Palace to engage in delicate diplomatic talks to decide whether it should be disbanded or amalgamated into the army of Orlais. During the negotiations, a dead Qunari warrior appears in the palace, leading the Inquisitor to discover of a Qunari plot to invade Thedas, referred to as "Dragon's Breath". They also learn of an agent of Fen'Harel, the elven god of rebellion also referred to as the "Dread Wolf" disrupting the Qunari plans. Throughout the DLC, the Inquisitor utilizes the Eluvians in the palace to battle Qunari forces and stop Dragon's Breath, which is revealed to rely on an actual dragon, using its venom to enhance the destructive power of gaatlock (the Qunari equivalent of gunpowder). The Inquisition discovers that the "Dragon's Breath" plan involves smuggling barrels of gaatlock into the seats of power and governance of major cities across southern Thedas, assassinating the royalty and nobility of nations like Ferelden, Orlais and the Free Marches to remove enemy leadership and thus paralyse the armies of southern Thedas to facilitate the Qunari invasion. Concurrently, the Inquisitor's mark, known as the Anchor, also begins to flare up and cause the Inquisitor great pain, even going so far as to cause explosions that injure the party.

If Iron Bull's mercenary company, the Bull's Chargers, was saved during Iron Bull's personal quest, he will fight beside the Inquisitor and refuse the Qunari's order for him to attack the Inquisition. If the Chargers were sacrificed, or Iron Bull's personal quest wasn't completed, he will betray the Inquisitor, regardless of approval rating or romance. The Inquisitor is then forced to kill their former companion.

After a long chase through the Eluvians and thwarting the plan by destroying the gaatlock and either freeing or killing the dragon the Qunari are exploiting, the Viddasala, leader of the Qunari regiment, reveals that Solas is an agent of Fen'Harel and has deceived all of them, inducing the Inquisition and the Qunari to fight. Ultimately, the Viddasala is killed by Solas, who temporarily calms the Anchor so he can explain himself. Solas reveals that, far from being a Dread Wolf agent, he is actually the Dread Wolf himself, and that the elven gods, the Evanuris, were in truth extremely powerful mages who became corrupt and arrogant in their power. When, in Solas's words, the Evanuris went too far by killing Mythal (who Solas says was the best of them, a voice of reason), to stop them from destroying the world, Solas erected the Veil, separating the Fade from the physical world and sealing away the Evanuris. However, since the elven empire was based on magic, the formation of the Veil destroyed their society, reducing the elves to second-class Thedosian citizens and taking away their immortality. Solas also confesses that he was responsible for Corypheus's rise to power; his agents allowed Corypheus's acolytes to obtain Solas's orb, as Solas was too weak after millennia of hibernation to unlock its power and needed a proxy to do so. Solas explains his original plan was, knowing Corypheus would use the orb in pursuit of his goal of apotheosis, for the magister to unlock the Orb, then reclaim it for himself after the resultant explosion killed Corypheus; however, the plan went awry when Corypheus survived the blast. When it became apparent Corypheus was all but immortal, Solas joined and began providing the Inquisition with information on how to defeat him. Solas announces his intent to restore the world of the elves, even if this world must be destroyed in the process. He magically amputates the Inquisitor's arm to prevent the Mark from killing them, and leaves, with the Inquisitor vowing to either convince Solas not to follow through with his plan, or to stop him by any means necessary.

Upon returning to the Winter Palace, the Inquisitor must decide whether to disband the Inquisition or repurpose it to serve Divine Victoria. Disbanding the Inquisition means that efforts against Solas will be weaker, while keeping it intact poses the risk of corruption in the ranks. Regardless of the decision, the Inquisitor vows to stop Solas from destroying the world, and, in the final cutscene, stabs a knife through a portion of the map labeled "Tevinter Imperium", noting that given Solas's familiarity with the workings of the Inquisition, they need to recruit people he has not encountered before.

Development

Technical designer Mark Wilson and narrative designer Kaelin Lavallee presenting on the game's "story and systems" at GDC 2015

Developer BioWare was planning on fusing elements of both earlier games in the series, Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II, into the creation of Dragon Age: Inquisition.^[27] The game features larger environments with more opportunity for exploration.^[40] Dragon Age: Inquisition was first informally announced on Twitter,^[41] on May 19, 2011, by BioWare's creative lead Alistair McNally.^[41]

On March 19, 2012, nearly two weeks after BioWare released Mass Effect 3, creative director Mike Laidlaw tweeted that BioWare was finished working on content for Dragon Age II. Executive producer Mark Darrah mentioned that BioWare originally had plans for an expansion pack, entitled "Exalted March", to mark the first anniversary of Dragon Age II but canceled it in favor of developing other opportunities for the series. Although Dragon Age: Inquisition had not been officially announced, Darrah asked fans to give feedback on what they would like to see in future Dragon Age installments.^[42]

Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter speculated that Dragon Age: Inquisition would be released some time in 2014. The title was believed to be scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2013, but Pachter suggested it had been delayed so BioWare and video game publisher Electronic Arts could fix problems and create new content for Star Wars: The Old Republic and Mass Effect 3.^[43][44] However, many BioWare developers, such as Mary Kirby, claimed this was inaccurate, stating that "Dragon Age III's development will not be delayed by BioWare's other games."^[45]

In September 2012, Mark Darrah, Dragon Age's executive producer, revealed in an open letter that Dragon Age III, titled Dragon Age III: Inquisition, was officially under development and had been since about eighteen months previous to the announcement.^[46]

At E3 2013, it was announced along with the trailer that the game would debut "Fall 2014" and that the title would be Dragon Age: Inquisition, dropping the "III". Later in 2013, it was confirmed that the PC was the lead development platform.^[47]

On March 6, 2014, BioWare released a trailer for Dragon Age: Inquisition entitled Discover the Dragon Age, showcasing some of the landscapes that can be explored while playing the game. On April 22, 2014, BioWare released a trailer for Dragon Age: Inquisition featuring gameplay from the game and confirming an October 7, 2014 release date. On June 9, 2014, at E3 2014, BioWare released a third trailer for Dragon Age: Inquisition, entitled Lead Them or Fall, revealing more elements of the game's storyline. On July 22, 2014, BioWare pushed back the game's release date to November 18, 2014. BioWare confirmed on October 31, 2014 that Inquisition had declared gold, indicating it was being prepared for duplication and release.^[48][49]

Ray Muzyka, BioWare's former CEO, said in an interview with Wired.com that Dragon Age: Inquisition would be influenced by more open world games, such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which BioWare is "checking out aggressively".^[50] The developers stated that they would no longer reuse environments, which was considered a main issue in Dragon Age II.^[51]

On August 27, 2014, BioWare announced that Dragon Age: Inquisition would have a four-player co-op mode that is separate from the single-player mode.^[52]

On November 13, 2014, Electronic Arts announced that Xbox One owners can play the six-hour trial version of the game starting from the same day via EA Access.^[53] On November 18, 2014, Electronic Arts announced that there would not be an Indian version of the game in order to "avoid a breach of local content laws".^[54] Dragon Age: Inquisition was then added to the vault of EA Access for the Xbox One on August 4, 2015.^[55] In July 2015, Electronic Arts released a trial for the game, which allows players to play the game's single-player for free for six hours and gain "unlimited access" to the multiplayer portion of the game via Origin.^[56]

A competition, called "Untold Relics of Thedas Contest" was launched by BioWare in July 2015. The competition tasks participants to design a new item, whose name, backstory and attributes can be changed. A Dragon Age prize packs will be given to the winner of the contest, and the item designed by the winner will be added to the game via a future content pack.^[57]

The game's Game of the Year Edition was announced on September 22, 2015. The Edition features the base game bundled with all the previously released story-based downloadable content. (The Descent, Jaws of Hakkon and Trespasser) The edition also includes items from the Spoils of the Avvar, Spoils of the Qunari add-ons, and content from the Deluxe Edition. It is released on October 6, 2015 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.^[58]

Downloadable content

Upon the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition, three packs of downloadable content (DLC) were released. On July 6, 2015, it was announced by Electronic Arts that future DLCs will not be released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.^[59] As a result, a new feature that allows PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 players to import and transfer their saves to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One was released on the same day.^[60]

Jaws of Hakkon

On March 23, 2015, the first DLC, titled Jaws of Hakkon, was announced by BioWare and Electronic Arts. It includes new types of armor, weapons and enemies, as well as a new region called Frostback Basin. It was released on March 24, 2015 for the Xbox One and Microsoft Windows.^[61][62] The PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the DLC were released on May 26, 2015.^[63]

Dragonslayer

On May 1, 2015, a free multiplayer downloadable content titled Dragonslayer was announced. It adds a new multiplayer map called Ferelden Castle and three new playable characters, namely Amund the Sky Watcher, Zither the Virtuoso and Isabela.^[64] The Dragonslayer DLC was released alongside the The Black Emporium DLC, which introduces the shop and "Mirror of Transformation", which allow players to change their appearance, on May 5, 2015.^[65]

Spoils of the Avvar

Spoils of the Avvar is a bundle pack that features new types of mount, armor and customization. The pack was released worldwide on June 9, 2015 for Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.^[66]

The Descent

The Descent is the second single-player downloadable content for the game. Players play as the Inquisitor, and have to venture to the Deep Roads to investigate an earthquake that threatened the lives of all citizens in Thedas. New characters are introduced in this DLC. Announced on August 5, 2015, The Descent was released on August 11, 2015 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.^[67]

Trespasser

Trespasser is the third and the last single-player downloadable content for the game. Players continue to assume the role of the Inquisitor, and have to face against a Qunari invasion and reestablish the authority of the Inquisition. The Trespasser DLC is set two years after the original game's ending. New wardrobe options and a Golden Nug statue, which allows players to keep all their acquired schematics and recipes, are also introduced in this downloadable content.^[68] It was announced during PAX Prime on August 29, 2015, and was released on September 8, 2015 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.^[69] According to BioWare, the team took inspirations from Indiana Jones and Captain America to create the game's story.^[70]

Music

Trevor Morris replaced Inon Zur, the composer of Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II to compose the soundtracks for Dragon Age: Inquisition. The change was due to the desire in presenting players a "new experience" yet keeping familiar themes for those who enjoyed the music in previous versions. The development of the music started earlier than the other aspects of the game.^[71] The album was released digitally on November 17, 2014, a day before the game's official release.

In addition to the original soundtrack, the game also features 10 tavern songs, which were composed by Raney Shockne and performed by Elizaveta and Nick Stoubis. One of the soundtrack, "I Am The One" was composed by Inon Zur.^[73] The tavern songs, along with the song sheets were made free to download from January 26, 2015 to February 9, 2015 by BioWare due to massive fan demand.^[74] The songs will also be sold through various digital platform in the future.^[75]

Reception

Pre-release

Pre-release comments of Dragon Age: Inquisition were positive. Kotaku writer Jason Schrier had very good first impressions, noting the game's apparent ambition and BioWare's ability to listen to fans.^[76] GamesRadar listed the game as their second best shown at PAX 2013, commenting on its openness and combat.^[77] John Walker of Rock, Paper, Shotgun was pleased to hear of the top-view camera coming back, though remained cautious; after playing the demo, he said he was "left optimistic, but uninformed".^[78] Game Informer's Kimberley Wallace listed it as one of the most anticipated RPGs to be released in 2014, saying "Dragon Age: Inquisition has a lot to prove after BioWare received plenty of feedback from disappointed fans about Dragon Age II. However, if our cover trip was any indication, BioWare is up for the challenge."^[79]

Gamecritics writer Brad Gallaway gave a hands on preview and was less impressed stating "for me personally, this was not the kind of content I was hoping to see" and mentioning graphical issues, lack of interest in the characters and the amount of random quests given within a few short minutes.^[80]

Post-release

Reception

Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings (PS4) 89.52%[81] (PC) 86.77%[82] (XONE) 86.11%[83] Metacritic (PS4) 89/100[84] (PC) 85/100[85] (XONE) 85/100[86] Review scores Publication Score Destructoid 8.5/10[87] Edge 8/10[88] Eurogamer 8/10[89] Game Informer 9.5/10[90] GameSpot 9/10[91] GamesRadar [92] GameTrailers 8.8/10[93] Giant Bomb [94] IGN 8.8/10[95] Joystiq [96] PC Gamer (US) 87/100[97] Polygon 9.5/10[98] Hardcore Gamer 5/5[99] Time 4.5/5[100]

Dragon Age: Inquisition received critical acclaim upon release. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 4 version 89.52% based on 33 reviews and 89/100 based on 43 reviews,^[81][84] the Microsoft Windows version 86.77% based on 26 reviews and 85/100 based on 43 reviews^[82][85] and the Xbox One version 86.11% based on 18 reviews and 85/100 based on 28 reviews.^[83][86]

Alexander Sliwinski from Joystiq gave the game a perfect score. He described the game as "an immense fantasy epic, a sprawling adventure across the many landscapes of Thedas, unapologetically mature in its exploration of politics and brazen in its combat, It's everything that a sequel to Dragon Age: Origins should have been." He also described the game as "the redemption song of the developer BioWare".^[96] Adam Beck from Hardcore Gamer also awarded Inquisition a perfect score, saying that while "the artistic and visual fidelity help with immersion, it's the branching, player driven storyline and exquisitely layered combat system" that make the game special.^[99] Philip Kollar from Polygon gave the game a 9.5/10. He praised the well-written characters, engrossing plot cliffhangers, tightly-connected story, as well as the combat system, as he described it as "a smart blend of the combat systems from Origins and Dragon Age 2 which makes those long stretches exploring the wilderness fun."^[98] Joe Juba from Game Informer also gave the game a 9.5/10. He praised the detailed environments, character models and spell effects, excellent voice acting and soundtracks, responsive combat and high replay value, but criticizing the disappointing center story arc, lack of a storage chest and multiple weapons sets, as well as some minor crashes and audio bugs. However, he still stated that "With the mixture of open-world exploration, entertaining combat, and top-tier characters, the team at BioWare has found a winning formula that isn't shackled to either Dragon Age: Origins or Dragon Age II. Inquisition is not defined by the traditions it returns to, but by the new directions it forges for this magnificent fantasy universe."^[90]

Phil Savage from PC Gamer praised the rich content, fulfilling, dramatic and memorable plot, as well as the tough yet world-shifting decisions made throughout the game. However, he criticized the slow animation for the rogue career, as well as the tactical view, which could be confusing when encountering multiple enemies. He stated that such small yet noticeable flaws made Inquisition imperfect.^[97] Kevin VanOrd from GameSpot gave the game a 9/10. He praised the wonderful cast of interesting and relatable characters, overarching narrative, diverse environments, as well as the fantastic balance between exploration, combat, story, and customization. Yet, he criticized the combat system, which required relatively less strategy.^[91] Vince Ingenito from IGN gave the game a 8.8/10. He praised the substantial replay value from the multiplayer, as well as surprisingly huge, dense and detailed world. However, he criticized the weak and less compelling story, as well as numerous technical issues encountered. He described the game as "not only one of the most expansive RPGs I've ever played, but one of the few that successfully fills its gorgeous, massive world with meaningful things to do and see. A frustratingly vague plot and typical BioWare bugginess drag it down a bit, but both in combat and out, Inquisition marks a welcome return to the RPG depth that made Bioware's previous products Dragon Age: Origins and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic so magnetic."^[95]

Both Bajo and Hex from Good Game gave the game 10/10, the only such score they handed out in 2014. Both hosts praised the game's writing, voice acting, graphics, and gameplay, with Hex saying that "the writing and voice acting is just excellent" and that "Those sword and board hits though Bajo! So rewarding! It's classic dungeon crawling combat isn't it?". Bajo praised the game's challenge, stating that "where the combat truly shines is when you're in trouble" as well as offering a minor criticism that "The crafting system is a little hard to get your head around".^[101] They also awarded it "Game of the Year" in their annual Christmas special.^[102]

Following the launch of the game, BioWare announced that it was working on patches to address fanbase concerns regarding the PC version including driver support, graphics, and interface.^[103]

Sales

Dragon Age: Inquisition debuted at No. 5 in UK in its first launch week. According to retail monitor Chart-Track, it had sold almost the exact amount of launch week copies as 2011's Dragon Age II.^[104] This does not take into account direct digital download sales however,^[105] which have been noted to be a "significant percentage of sales" by BioWare^[106] and thus the true number of sales is higher. According to Electronic Arts' fiscal 2015 third quarter earnings report, Dragon Age: Inquisition is the most successful launch in BioWare history based on units sold.^[107]

Accolades

Dragon Age: Inquisition has received numerous awards and nominations from gaming publications. The game has received the Game of the Year awards from Game Informer,^[108] IGN,^[109] Electronic Gaming Monthly,^[110] Hardcore Gamer,^[111] Gamereactor,^[112] SXSW Gaming Awards,^[113] Good Game,^[102] Game Revolution,^[114] Ars Technica,^[115] Associated Press,^[116] The Escapist,^[117] Polygon,^[118] Shacknews,^[119] The Game Awards,^[120] and the DICE Awards.^[121] and was nominated Game of the Year by Destructoid^[122] and IGN Australia.^[123] It was also placed on various lists of the best games of 2014, GamesRadar placed it at 2nd,^[124] Joystiq at 2nd,^[125] Cheat Code Central at 2nd,^[126] USA Today at 2nd,^[127] Empire at 9th,^[128] GameFront at 3rd,^[129] Wired at 8th,^[130] Slant Magazine at 17th^[131] and The Guardian at 14th^[132] and was considered one of the ten best games released in 2014 by Mirror.co.uk.^[133] The game also won Role-Playing Game of the Year from GamesRadar,^[124] Cheat Code Central,^[134] Game Revolution,^[135] Hardcore Gamer,^[136] Game Informer,^[137] IGN,^[138] USGamer,^[139] The Escapist,^[140] The Game Awards^[120] and the DICE Awards^[121] as well as Best Singleplayer from PC Gamer.^[141] Developer BioWare was nominated Best Developer by Game Revolution^[142] and won the Developer of the Year Award from Hardcore Gamer.^[143]

References

External links

• Official website