Dragon Age, Inquisition: Our chief weapons are...

Bioware's fantasy forces in fine fettle

Mission inquisition-able

Be sure to watch out for oculi placed on high ground to reveal hidden shards. With each passing mission, the Inquisition's base becomes livelier, the missions more ambitious, and the possibilities greater. Everything thing you do increases the power of the Inquisition.

Hinterland hiatus

Each region I visited felt wild and distinct, not to mention gorgeous – I spent a lot of time zooming in on cute foxes. When arriving in an area, the map is black and only a few landmarks guide you.

During my exploration, I created base camps that act like checkpoints for my party to heal up – trust me, you’ll need to do this a lot – and restock my potions. These camps are also perfect for setting off on major incursions into enemy territory.

Heal thyself

There’s not a lot of healing magic available, so my party has to make a choice whether to press on or return to base and heal up. This rotation makes up the bulk of the game, exploration, establishing camps, closing rifts and completing side quests. Some might argue Dragon Age: Inquisition lacks the depth of some other RPGs, such as The Elder Scrolls, but it held my attention.

Dragon Age steadily raises the stakes as the narrative progresses. The drama kicks into high gear as the Inquisition moves into the decrepit keep, Skyhold. I loved the narrative arcs that followed, not least having my own customisable throne from which to judge defeated foes. “Off with his head” and those were just the lucky ones. High points also included a Marie Antoinette-worthy royal ball that involved a truckload of cloak and daggers.

Taking the Wrath with the smooth

There’s an awesome Helm’s Deep style battle, containing features from Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II, which kept me on the edge of my seat. With the addition of mining and crafting, war room missions (big plans round a big table) and of course the customary Bioware (nudge-nudge, wink-wink) relationship dramas, it’s variety that keeps this epic game lively and keep you constantly immersed in the action.