Why it took me a decade to beat the 2014 Game of the Year
After almost a decade long journey, the Inquisition has come to an end...
I love the idea of Dragon Age Inquisition, but I don't love the game. It never hooked me, but I found myself wanting to return to that world again and again. It wasn't the combat, the companions, or even the story that made me want to come back. Instead, it was the premise, the world is tearing apart and only you can sew it back together, demons are flooding the world, and you need to slay them. But that's where it stops for me. I don't want to save this world because it's all rather boring with nothing to do. Spoilers ahead!
In Dragon Age Origins the world feels like it is trapped in despair, In Dragon Age 2 it feels like the world has been pushed too far, but Inquisition feels like things are mostly bog standard for this world. The first open area being the Hinterlands where it is clear that BioWare wanted to show that this game has a color palette outside of brown, but the world is being invaded by demons, how are people not freaking out. I understand that a major aspect of the story is convincing the leaders of Thedas to take this matter seriously, but it never feels like the game takes this threat seriously. The only moment that feels like we are being invaded by something beyond us is when Haven is destroyed, and we meet Corypheus. But Corypheus is a goober, and I don't care about him at all.
That's the biggest issue with Inquisition everyone feels like goobers. I don't like any character except Blackwall, Dorian, Sophia, Cullen, and Varric but I shouldn't even have to mention him, he gets carried by being in Dragon Age 2. Eventually, Solas becomes cool but most of the game he's just emotionally distant. Everyone else is fine and didn't bother me besides Sera. I never used Sera in my party because of how incredibly annoying she was but I kept her in the inquisition because I wanted her to waste her time in my service. I feel like BioWare has really lost their touch with creating loveable companions. They peaked with Mass Effect 2 and have never come close to that same level. Hopefully Dragon Age the Veilguard has incredible companions, it does look like a promising cast.
The side quests are also lacking and mostly relied on documents to explain what you are doing. The only side quest that is memorable to me is the one to get a horse. What is another side quest? Closing the rifts? Collecting Shards? Nothing stands out to me. The only real hope is the companion quests but even then, what are we doing in them? Defeat these enemies with Dorian, collect some garbage for Vivienne, Break Blackwall out of prison... that one was pretty good. But the point still stands, this game definitely felt like it wasn't fully developed on what they originally planned on.
The moment-to-moment game play is decent although the enemies are absolute damage sponges. I don't know if it's because I had a bad build or invested in the wrong skills, but it never felt like I was doing any major damage. I couldn't feel the growth of my party through the gameplay besides having new skills. But all fights had the same tempo besides dragons! Instead, those fights had interesting ideas but were ultimately just whacking the dragon's feet. The combat needed some flair too it, especially for the warrior or rogue class. This is a post Skyrim game where we can see these cool animations when defeating some enemies. That's what Inquisition needed in order to keep me really invested in the combat. It would've added that powerful feeling that is only really present when closing rifts. It's ultimately disappointing that not even the gameplay is engaging for me.
Yet this game always seems to call to me. There is always a bit of me that wants to return and make my mark on Thedas. To find the conversation that makes me care for the Iron Bull. To find the quest that makes me want to explore the Western Approach. What is it about this game? Why do I have hope that I will love it every time I start a new character? I don't know whether or not Veilguard will be the return to form that BioWare needs, but I'm hopeful and I think that's what BioWare needs the most. I have hope in BioWare.
(Damn that's corny:)