Dragon Age: Inquisition is the upcoming third entry in the Dragon Age franchise, and it has its work cut out for it- not only must it restore the Dragon Age series to its former glory, after its reputation took a beating with the universally reviled Dragon Age II, but it must also restore Bioware’s credibility, which plummeted after Mass Effect 3 and the controversy that surrounded its ending.
Bioware seems to be mindfully aware of that, and they seem to have taken fan feedback to heart. Discussing Dragon Age Inquisition with CVG, and discussing the war table mechanic, which lets the players lead a full fledged inquisition, they talked about how it had been influenced by the feedback surrounding Mass Effect 3’s Spectre clearance decisions and Galactic Awareness.
“[The Spectre clearance decision] as well as the galaxy map and the readiness level and stuff like that. We looked at all those sorts of things. None of them were something that was to the degree that we wanted it to be, and all of them had some level of problem. So we didn’t take aspects and just manipulate them and manoeuvre some parts around,” said Dragon Age: Inquisition producer Cameron Lee.
“We wanted a system that was far more fleshed out, far more part of the world and part of the story around you, and that reacts and changes. But we also recognized that you don’t want to make a decision and then, five hours later, a random little thing happens that you may or may not even notice.
“We’ve been guilty of this in the past, where there are so many decision points and so many actions you can take in a game, and so many of them have a consequence whether it be major or minor. But you very rarely notice unless you’re really paying attention.
“Most people don’t notice. Even though we don’t want to hit people over the head with everything, we want to be clearer. And the war table is one method by which we can do that.”
It’s a fine line that they are walking here, one that they have fallen on the wrong side of in the past. Here’s hoping they get it right this time.
Dragon Age Inquisition hits the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, and PC later this year.