Comic Con 2014 Demo: “Dragon Age: Inquisition”

BioWare is back working on some sequels. Is it Jade Empire? No, still no. However, while a Mass Effect sequel is still in its early stages, Dragon Age: Inquisition looks to be the next big splash from the famed developers….

BioWare is back working on some sequels. Is it Jade Empire? No, still no. However, while a Mass Effect sequel is still in its early stages, Dragon Age: Inquisition looks to be the next big splash from the famed developers. At this year’s Comic Con, I was able to get a preview of the game presented by BioWare team members. The demo presented was still Alpha footage, so it was a bit rough around the edges.

The demo’s first attempt ended with the developer’s character falling through the map. While highly enjoyable for the crowd, a second attempt was far better to witness as it showed off the actual game. General exploration of the far more expansive world and newer combat options, compared to its predecessors, was shown. Inquisition looks to build together major elements of the first two Dragon Age games to create a more cohesive situation.

The world itself will be bigger than the maps of the first two games combined and will be  livelier. While it won’t necessarily be on the same level of a Skyrim, it will be a big map to travel and the individual worlds will have their own changing atmospheres. Actions you take will affect the ongoings, so things may not be the same once you come back around.

Over time, you’ll see the Inquisitor’s powers grow, seen through a variety of ways. But what will you be doing? Saving the world from itself. Mages and the templars are at war and a breach has been created. The breach has created a rip between the real world and the fantasy one. You’ll have to work your way to figure out what went wrong, correct it and end the war between mages and templars.

To do so, there are two types of combat available. Tactical view, found exclusively in Dragon Age: Origins, makes its return alongside the more action-RPG combat that Dragon Age II offered. This should offer a  nice middle ground for fans of either side of the combat table as you’ll be able to seamlessly transfer between both styles. Inquisition will push the focus to prepare your characters for specific attacks and positioning.

That should help with enhanced enemy AI that attempt to lay traps and adjust to your moves. Two more elements will be introduced within Inquisition: mounts (which includes an enticing undead unicorn with a horn that’s a blade), and more importantly, a multi-targeting system for larger enemies.The demo partially showed off a dragon fight and the developer demonstrated your group targeting different parts of the beast’s body to take it down in myriad ways.

For a game that’s been in development for four years, Inquisition was looking fairly good for an Alpha build. The setting definitely looked expansive.

For BioWare, so far, so good. The game looked impressive in its offerings and is likely going to appease fans of the first two major Dragon Age games. Look for Dragon Age: Inquisition to be released this November.