Everything began with Dragon Age Origins. One year later, developers released the Dragon Age awakening expansion pack and the witch hunt game. In 2014, the game that everyone had been waiting for was finally released: Dragon Age Inquisition. “Monstrous, ambitious, impressive” – these were the words that IGN chose to describe the third ‘chapter’ of Dragon Age. We have to admit that Dragon Age 3 is a game of extraordinarily rare scope.
This means a lot considering that the previous versions of the game weren’t all that exciting. The problem with Dragon Age 1 and 2 was the fact that the story-line was limited to a very small fragment, of the presumably endless fictional world. In Dragon Age we get a feel of the world for the first time. The game can be played on PS3 and XBOX 360 console.
Dragon Age 3 Has a World-Changing & Engrossing Plot
One thing you should know from the start is that Dragon Age 3 is heavily reliant on the lore and stories from its previous versions. In addition to this, almost everything you do affects the whole world. Relationships, many plot points and interactions with characters fall together perfectly in order to create a tightly connected story, with an ending that ties up many lose ends. It is the perfect epilogue to what has been an incredible ride. BioWare has made sure that Dragon Age III will be here to stay.
The game has a little bit of everything: romance, dwarf (Varric – a returning character), warrior & rogue (Elf Sera) characters, quests, legends, secret information, news, achievements and more. As far as the story-line is concerned, it picks up where Dragon Age 2 left off: the full-on mage rebellion. Right at the start of the game, during discussions for a peace treaty, an arcane explosion wipes out everyone except the protagonist, who becomes the Inquisitor. During your missions you encounter a plethora of extremely complex characters that offer you side-quests which will encourage you to explore the massive world.
The World of Dragon Age 3 is Absolutely Massive
It is nearly impossible to discuss the scale of Dragon Age 3’s world without referencing Skyrim. The world is huge, but it is unlike any open world universes that you have probably grown accustomed to. In Dragon Age 3 areas are separated into regions that you can unlock as you go.
To give you an idea about the size, let us just say that the first area that you unlock, Hinterlands, takes over five hours of exploration only to realize that it’s impossible to explore entirely. There are seven other similarly sized regions, plus some smaller regions. The Dragon Age World is so immense, so full of secrets, that you might find yourself completely immersed into its story and lose all sense of the main plot.
Another great thing about Dragon Age 3 is the fact that it never gets boring. The games impressive blend of combat systems (inspired from Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age 2) makes the long stretches of seemingly interminable wilderness bearable. In addition to this, whenever the games starts becoming to difficult, you can crank down the difficulty mods to medium or easy.
One very annoying thing in Dragon age 1 and two was the fact that you had no sense of exploration. In Dragon Age 3 you can jump! This may seem like a minor detail but it opens up so many possibilities in the game. Out there, in the vast unknown, you can complete achievements, earn money, complete champion quests, acquire forbidden knowledge and objects such as arcane sets, magical stone etc.
Dragon Age 3 is Absolutely Gorgeous
Dragon Age 3 is easily among the most beautiful RPG games that I have ever experienced. The graphics, powered by the new EA Frostbite Engine will leave you gasping for air, because they create near-photorealistic Battlefield images. The most fascinating graphics related aspect is the fact that you can capture views that stretch of into the distance. You can feel the wind as it blows through the grass, or get a sense of the mist that embraces trees and mountains.
Dungeon Crawl and ‘War Table’ Missions
There is a Dungeon Crawl option for the single-player game, where you can team up with up to three other real players. Together, you can explore the three available maps. However, at the moment, multi-player missions seem quite a bore, that will do nothing but distract you from the juicy plot development.
Lastly, we have ‘war table’ missions that show exactly what is so amazing about Dragon Age 3. With these missions you take a step back from your single hero story, and leap into a complex, interconnected political world. Your mission here is to solve problems such as tense alliances, truces, and prejudices. Each decision you take will have a major impact on the world.
Another thing to take into consideration regarding the Dragon Age 3 DLC is the fact it is not newcomer friendly. You shouldn’t start the game without having a sense about the lore of Dragon Age Awakening and Dragon Age Origins. The creator of the game uses characters from the old series, and references to actions that happened in the old world. Oh, and one more thing: romance is a real deal in Dragon Age 3. There are several hot sex & romances scenes (including gay ones).
All in all, Dragon Age 3 is a complete RPG with one of the most complex story-lines ever, and with so many possible endings. Almost all online reviews praise the multitude of options, characters and gifts list available in DA3. Depending on your take on the game, your Thedas may be completely different from that of other players.
Here’s the Dragon Age 3 trailer, in case you missed it (yes, it has dragons)
Leave a Reply