Dragon Age: Inquisition Preview

While Dave Cook’s article for VG247 is called “wishlist” by its author, it really reads more like a preview, and mostly focuses on what we already know about the title. Here’s a snippet:

I get why BioWare introduced the Hawke character in Dragon Age 2 to try and ‘˜pull a Shepard.’ I’m guessing that the idea was to deliver a stronger lead character with a backstory, modus operandi and voice that was already established, rather than give us another mute, blank-slate avatar with little vocal input into the story. Again, I didn’t mind that so much because you could tweak Hawke’s design, but when it comes to fantasy RPGs it seems that giving players a strong suite of create-a-character options, as well as narrative freedom is the only way to fly.

In Dragon Age: Inquisition, it sounds like we’ll be getting just that. We reported on BioWare’s list of player-classes in early April, and although it’s not the most extensive list warrior, mage and champion these roles are broken down further into sub-classes, and then you have actual avatar creation on top of that. BioWare has also stated that players will be able to swap-out their companion’s weapons and armour to make them look different.

Beyond influencing the aesthetic design of characters, there will also be those staple BioWare moral choices, bonds between characters and reportedly more ‘˜tasteful’ romance options to help the plot split off as the player sees fit. It was rumoured at one point that all of these variables will lead gamers to one of 40 endings. Christ on a mount!

However, a character’s influence and identity aren’t just dictated by how they look or the things that they say, it also comes as a result of their raw actions throughout the tale. This being a game about conflict and union, it makes sense for players to see the impact of choice and consequence much clearer than before. Plot aside, the world itself is sounding more organic and reactive with each new announcement out of BioWare, including this little rumour about creature extinction.

Yes, it seems that players will be able to wipe out species through hunting them out in the field, which in turn could have serious knock-on effects. It’s said that this system was created to keep areas feeling fresh on repeat visits, and is said to play into the concept of establishing trade routes through regions, as well as capturing portions of the map and other activities.

All of this fits snugly within the the studio’s template of giving players real control over its world, and I’d love it if this made each choice be they micro or macro a lot harder to make and increasingly profound as a result. Make it happen BioWare!