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[MisterJB]

Dragon Age Inquisition has a marvelous array of characters that will accompany us as we progress through engaging main quest plotlines filled with drama, character development, hard choices, etc. It is so good that we don't want to rush through it but savour every one.

 

Dragon Age Inquisition also has the, by far, best developed environments in any Bioware game, period. From the high culture of Val-Royeaux and Halamshiral to the battle scarred landscapes of the Hinterlands and the lushuous forests of the Emerald Graves, there is so much to explore.

 

And here is what connects both of these essential gameplay elements and in which Bioware has come up short, IMO.

 

Players need something to do inbetween completing the storyline and areas need rich and interesting characters to feel alive. As beautiful as the environment is, if all I'm doing is griding, it can become very tiresome. Oh, there are a ton of quests to do in each area but they're more appropriate to a MMO.

Dragon Age Origins had a smaller world but I, personally, preferred the small área of Redcliff or Denerim to the gigantic Hinterlands precisely because there were a great number of people I could talk to, get a perspective and receive interesting sidequests from.

Meanwhile, How many people can we talk to in DAI's Redcliff? Five, six? Even fewer in Val-Royeaux.

 

Now, I will admit that I haven't completed the game yet but I have gone through the Hinterlands, Storm Coast, Crestwood, the bogs and the Emeral Graves and thus, I doubt the pattern will change now.

 

Was every  sidequest in DAO or DA2 engaging? Of course not, some were a chore to get through. But in Orzammar, you had sidequests that explored the nuances of dwarven culture, history and society. And yet, I have yet to encounter an elf in the Emerald Graves. Where exactly is the sense that this was the final stand of their race against a "betrayal"?

 

It seems that the War Table has replaced nuanced sidequests and while it is more unpredictable than I had expected, it just can't replaced the PC being able to actually go out there and interact with the world.

[DarkSpiral]

Was every  sidequest in DAO or DA2 engaging? Of course not, some were a chore to get through. But in Orzammar, you had sidequests that explored the nuances of dwarven culture, history and society. And yet, I have yet to encounter an elf in the Emerald Graves. Where exactly is the sense that this was the final stand of their race against a "betrayal"?

This part, at least I can give a definitive answer to.  Find the landmarks.  They tell the story of the area.

 

And there are no elves in the Emerald Graves, because the place is very aptly named.  Its a symbolic graveyard as well as a literal one, where bloody battle was once waged.

 

Its loosely similar to Arlington national Cemetery.  People travel there to pay respect, but they don't necessarily hang out at the place for fun.

[Linkenski]

The characters are all well-written but I wouldn't call them "developed" or at least not say it's "by far" the most developed characters of any Bioware game. One thing is they only had this game to shine in except for Varric and Cassandra, whereas Mass Effect had 3 games with a lot of the same characters. Not all were wonderful but they were certainly more developed and had much more time to grow.

 

Aside from Cassandra (or I should say "even with her") and maybe Varric, I feel like most characters and character development in Inquisition was very superficial, but the new animation-techniques and as-always excellent performances bring the characters to life moreso than ever before... but from a writng standpoint I think the game could've been better. It skates on the surface of every character subplot its themes and issues.

 

Like, I liked Dorian's side-quest but like all the others it was just way too short and it sells his whole issue of coming from a place where homosexuality sticks out and isn't accepted feels short-lived. Well written for what it is, but short-lived and superficial when it could've been drawn out much more over the course of the game instead of fanservice moments like the card game or Dorian playing chess with Cullen. Just simple stuff like that.