Although Dragon Age: Inquisition came out in the late Fall season, I wasn’t able to get my hands on it until Christmas. That said, I’ve put over seventy hours into the game thus far, and I enjoyed every single moment of it. With a rich world, deep lore, unique characters, and great development, Inquisition is easily my favorite game of 2014.

To begin with, this game has a phenomenal story that is supported by an entire series-worth of lore and history, and Inquisition is actually the first game in this series that I’ve played. That didn’t dissuade me from the experience, however, and I pressed on. The gist, without spoiling too much, is that a breach—or rift—has opened in the sky after an explosion at a meeting between two warring factions. Your character is apparently the only survivor of said explosion, and for your trouble is given a mark that allows him or her to close smaller rifts that pop up as a result of the incident. In response, several individuals decide to reform the Inquisition, an order dedicated to rallying the people when a crisis occurs. You endeavor to stop this breach from swallowing the world with your allies, all the while navigating the politics and inner workings of the various nations in Thedas. This game has many strengths, and the story is one of its biggest. The ability to have your character making huge decisions while still holding on to the framing narrative makes for exciting choices. Your character, the Inquisitor, affects the entirety of the continent with the decisions they make, while at the same time forming complex relationships with their closest allies. The decision-making body of the Inquisition is made up of a spymaster, Leliana, an ambassador, Josephine Montilyet, and a general, Cullen. Two of the three characters are from prior titles in the series, and your character takes part in decision-making with them due to their importance in stopping the breach. The interactions and relationships don’t end there, as there are nine prospective companions that you can recruit and build said relationships with. Overall, the story is a perfect example of Bioware’s ability to craft great narratives while allowing the player freedom to choose. The freedom to judge from a throne as the Inquisitor also brings a bit of political clout to your title, as well, yet another reason to jump headlong into this great journey. One of my favorite segments was actually a ball filled with political intrigue, as I had to navigate the court and play the role of diplomat. That sequence really helped to flesh out who my Inquisitor was, as well as who his romantic interest ended up being. That said, the endgame is rather anticlimactic, and all of the work you put in—while fun—seems like a bit of a waste. Still, the rest of the game is phenomenal, and the the end gives us the option for another game or DLC in a way that’s organic and welcome.

The gameplay is an interesting mix of the tactical elements of Dragon Age: Origins and the freeform combat of Dragon Age II, and it works very well. Combat can be both fluid and tactical, depending on how you enjoy playing the game. I focused mostly on the freeform combat, as my AI allies were more than capable of handling themselves, but the tactical view did come in handy for some frantic potion distribution at times. The three different classes play incredibly differently. There’s the standard warrior/rogue/mage setup, but each one (with the exception of mage) has two subclasses that allow for a wide variety of options. Additionally, each class has another three specializations around mid-game that allow for further differentiation. I played a mage, and I loved the support aspect. I didn’t have any real healing spells, but I did have barriers that I could place over my allies for added protection. Combat is a joy to partake in, and it never feels like a chore. It’s reasonably challenging, but never frustrating. The other aspect of gameplay that I want to talk about is a Bioware staple: the dialogue tree. With this system, there are generally three basic dialogue options in response to a particular conversation, but several different things, such as perks or your relationship to a certain character, will open new dialogue options for you to play around with. The end result is that you mold your protagonist with whatever personality you see fit.

Unfortunately, this game is not without flaws. The graphics are not up to par for a cross-gen title, and on the previous gen systems, it is downright distracting. While I normally don’t make a big deal out of how a game looks, this one—particularly in cutscenes—could be choppy and low quality. While this is not enough in any way for me to dislike this game, it’s still worth noting. There is a multiplayer component to this game, but for the single-player experience that I got, I expected something so much more from the co-op. Instead, I got three levels that were nothing but a grind, unless you bought gear or characters. That’s right, even Dragon Age is apparently not immune to microtransactions. It’s really frustrating to see this growing trend in AAA titles, and I’m hoping that it doesn’t get any worse. This sort of thing belongs exclusively in the realm of free-to-play titles and mobile games. As it is, the game is meaty enough that you can avoid multiplayer entirely and get more than your money’s worth out of it.

The final thing I want to touch on is how epic dragon hunting in this game is. These aren’t Skyrim dragons that can be punched to death (not that such a thing isn’t incredibly fun, mind you); these beasts require a full party that’s appropriately geared to take down. Each fight is unique, and each dragon has its own abilities that make it difficult for your party to pull out a win. The fights come down to the moment more often than not, in a good way. There are ten high dragons in the game, and I’ve killed seven thus far. The other three are within my grasp, though, and I can’t wait for another round of dragon slaying.

Here is what dragon hunting looks like.

Final Verdict – 9.0: When I saw Dragon Age: Inquisition being shown off at E3 2014, I saw it as a curiosity. I hadn’t played any other entries in the series, and I didn’t care to start. However, this game managed to find its way into my hands, and I’m glad it did. Despite being my initial entry into the world of Thedas, I was hooked. The story was easy to get into, and researching the lore (provided in the in-game codex) made for an awesome, deep experience. It plays well, and the characters are all written beautifully. While it does have less-than-stellar graphics and a lackluster cash-in multiplayer mode, this game still holds itself high. I highly recommend it to anyone with an RPG itch they can’t seem to scratch, as it is easily my pick for Game of the Year in 2014.