Looking back on it, I feel that they probably should've gone for fewer areas better intertwined with the main plot, similar to how it worked in DA:O. Like I said on VSN, I don't need all my RPGs to be massive in scale, especially not if it is to the detriment of the main story. In the case of DA:I I feel as if the story was diluted due to that very scale and the tons of busy-work side quests (shard hunting, really?) only contributed to that. I was also disappointed at Skyhold's overall sameness over time. Why couldn't they have implemented something similar to AC2 where you can unlock and upgrade new buildings in your villa? I beat the game and there are still massive gaps in my defenses! There's also an issue I have with using numbers to show how powerful and influential you are. It happened in ME3 with war assets and here again with the power/influence gauges. I don't particularly like this approach since it's rather meaningless. What does having 80 Power / 20 Influence mean? Nothing really. What I guess I'm saying is I'd rather see the world around me change in response to my power/influence, something more reactive and under the hood that the player can't boil down to simple arithmetic.
It's not all bad though. Companion characterization was among the strongest across the three games and I can confidently state all VAs knocked it out of the park. It's possible there may have been too many companions but I won't complain much since I wouldn't have had the chance to meet them otherwise. I will, however, suggest that a smaller team might help tighten the bonds between characters in the future. While areas were aplenty they were wonderfully varied, all of them beautiful, and some of them with weather effects I hope we'll get to see more of in DA4. Speaking of varied, please put more effort into NPC characters. While definitely better than in DA2 I'm afraid the thought did occur to me that they were clones of each other with slightly different hairstyles (this is painfully evident in cutscenes).
Another strong point? The flow of cutscenes and gameplay at the end of Act I. I was particularly impressed by the Herald's lone journey over the mountains. I wanted to see more of that. However, too much of a good thing, you know? There are so many cutscenes around this point only to be followed by a massive drought as you explore half a dozen hubs until the next set. I realize I'm bringing up cutscenes quite a lot. It took me a bit to realize why I like them so much and I came to the conclusion that it's because it gives characters more freedom. In cutscenes, even NPCs have more freedom to move, to act, to express themselves, to show emotions, more than they normally would ingame. This makes them feel more alive and, in turn, makes the game feel more alive. I feel that in DA:I there was too much seeing NPCs standing still and issuing quests to you (or simply chat with you) with the same deadpan expression. Carefully crafted cutscenes around these side quests could help with that.
I could probably write more but hopefully this does for now.
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