Dragon Age: Inquistion
A video game is another way of telling a story. BioWare's 2014 release
of the third game in the Dragon Age series is one of the better ones out there.
From the diverse characters to the open worlds, it's a favourite among the fans
and the players.
But what makes it so memorable?
Dragon Age Inquisition brings us many of our favourite characters from
both Dragon Age Origins, including Leliana, a bard, and a Spymaster to
Morrigan, the Witch of the Wilds. We see favourites from Dragon Age 2, Varric
Tethras being one as well as Cassandra Pentaghast and we even get to see The
Champion of Kirkwall, either Garrett or Marian Hawke- depending on whether you
played a male or female in Dragon Age 2.
We’re going to be looking at a select few of the choices that I
personally made, and I will share my experiences as to why this game was so
memorable to me, and why I enjoy the lore, the storytelling, and the plotline. Think
of this as a “choose your own adventure” novel, but in game form.
Dragon Age Inquisition starts off by throwing you into the chaos. As
soon as you hit start, there is an explosion. You can make your PC (playable
character) one of four species: elf, dwarf, human, or qunari. From there you
can choose your gender and what your class is. We’re going to be overseeing the
choices made by Aurelia Trevelyan, human and dual weapon rogue. As a human, you
are sent to The Chantry’s Conclave in Haven to help aid your family’s
proceedings. But something happens, and there is an explosion. We see our hero
in The Fade, it’s green, it’s scary, there are demons and other things, just…
just stay away from it at all costs. But that green place is what sets you on
your journey. It’s what sets you on your path to become The Inquisitor.
People don't trust you, in fact, they want to kill you. Those very
people will be the ones that you befriend, that will advise you, and if you're
lucky they'll be the one that you give your heart too. BioWare has wonderful
character development and they have even better character relationships. As a
player, you have the choice to make your character the way you want to. My Inquisitor,
Aurelia, was a very sassy woman, but she cared. She cared for the people that
she would grow to rely on.
The Breach is a hole in the sky, it’s what you fall out of as The
Inquisitor and it becomes your job to close it. But you’re faced with choices,
and those choices can and will impact your gameplay. The first big choice you
have to make is to go through the mountain path or aid the soldiers while on
your way to the Temple of Sacred Ashes. I chose to aid the soldiers, which
gained approval from Cassandra. Approval and disapproval are things that seem to
feature often in the BioWare games, and it can be how you make or break a
relationship with those characters.
While aiding the soldiers, you meet Commander Cullen Rutherford. He’s
been a part of the games since the first one came out. He’s changed from when
we first met him, mostly the developers made him far more attractive than in
the first one. Cullen is important to my Inquisitor, as he is the one that she
pursues in a romantic relationship. This we’ll learn more about later on.
Every choice you make will have an impact on how your game goes. When
the choice is presented to you, luckily you have time to think about it. Mages
or Templars? Do you recruit The Iron Bull or not? Do you start a romance with
that character? Do you drink from the Well of Sorrows? And later on, do you choose
to disband The Inquisition, or do you keep it together? Every choice will
reflect on your gameplay, and for all we know, the choices you make could
impact later games.
Take the original Dragon Age, the choice you make at the very end of
your game is one that will impact characters throughout the other two games.
And I can only imagine that the choices you make in this game, will impact
whatever happens in the next installment of this amazing series.
Choices you make don't just impact the gameplay or the plot line, but
they can also impact the path that you take for a romance. Cullen Rutherford,
ex-templar and leader of The Inquisition’s armies. As you go through the
relationship with Cullen, you are given choices to make. You can help him make
the choice to stop taking something that gives him his templar abilities.
Telling him to stop taking it gives you an incredibly cute cutscene between the
two of you. I love a good romance, and being able to play through one is a
wonderful addition to this game.
One of my favourite things about this game is how diverse the characters
are. They have a gay mage who's father tried to "fix him" with blood
magic. They have a qunari that's into BDSM, and they do it very tastefully. But
the best part about this game is that there is a transgender character.
Cremisius "Krem" Aclassi, and we all wish we were able to romance
him. He's one of the best supporting characters out there!
BioWare’s games are beautiful. Everything from the music to the graphics
to the characters, they make games that have this ability to connect with you
and make you feel so many different emotions. They have a way of taking your
heart into their hands, crushing it into a million pieces and then handing it
back to you. The people who play these games, much like myself, must like how
we feel because we keep going back to play them over and over.
The writers of this game know how to tell a damn good story, and they do
it well. I hope that the little bit of this game that I spoke about has peaked
your interest because Dragon Age: Inquisition is a game and a story you need to
experience. I’m going to leave you with, what in my opinion, is one of the best
cut scenes that I have ever seen in my gaming lifetime.
YouTube.
- Jessie
- Jessie
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