All reviews!
Joystiq - 5/5
Dragon Age: Inquisition is BioWare's reaffirmation of what it's capable of delivering. It's a gorgeous game on an epic scale. Rich in character and story, it creates a fantasy world with plausible social rules you can get lost in. It makes you feel that you aren't just exploring a new world, but helping shape it at various levels of society. Inquisition sets the bar for what a blockbuster RPG should be.
Oh, and after everything is said and done, make sure to stay following the credits.
Hardcore Gamer 5/5
While BioWare is well known for their strong role-playing games, it’s perplexing how they were able to reach this level of quality with Dragon Age: Inquisition. It’s one of the most overwhelming experiences on the market, containing not only the best character development found in any RPG, but an open world that’s actually polished. The artistic and visual fidelity help with the immersion, but it’s the branching, player driven storyline and exquisitely layered combat system that creates something special. Even with the staggering amount of dialogue and lore, newcomers to the franchise will have no trouble hopping right in, while old school fans will undoubtedly grin at the various call backs to past events. There’s even an enjoyable small multiplayer mode to participate in that’s entirely separated from the main campaign. Like a good hundred hour long novel that never lets up, Dragon Age: Inquisition is so engrossing you won’t be able to put it down.
Polygon - 9.5
DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST GAMES I'VE EVER PLAYED, AND I STILL WANT MORE
This is the astounding scope I referred to above. It's no longer as simple as how your choices affect your small band of adventurers — though that can vary quite a lot as well. Dragon Age: Inquisition puts the fate of the world in your hands in a way that few role-playing games have done before. And even after another 80 hours devoted to it, it's a world I cannot wait to return to in whatever BioWare does next. I don't know what higher praise I could give.
Game Informer - 9.5
After two disparate entries with different philosophies, Dragon Age’s identity crisis is over. With a mixture of open-world exploration, entertaining combat, and top-tier characters, the team at BioWare has found a winning formula that isn’t shackled to either Dragon Age: Origins or Dragon Age II. Inquisition is not defined by the traditions it returns to, but by the new directions it forges for this magnificent fantasy universe.
GamingTrend - 95
Dragon Age Inquisition has raised the bar for storytelling. It’s the sort of game you think you have figured out after a few hours, but time and time again it’ll surprise you. With a rebuilt combat system, an open and inviting world, 150 hours of content, and a warm and familiar storytelling system, Dragon Age Inquisition is the best RPG I’ve played in a decade.
MeriStation - 9.5
Ausgamers - 9.2
Dragon Age: Inquisition is an epic experience that haunts you between play sessions, enticing you to come back for more. It may not hit the lofty heights of Skyrim, but it comes bloody close and, unlike its most obvious comparison, boasts consistently fantastic characters, a memorable and compelling storyline, and breathtaking visual fidelity out of the box.
Gamespot - 9
Inquisition's characters and world, on the other hand, recall the grand gestures of the original Dragon Age, even though the game as a whole is so structurally different to its predecessors. It offers the thrill of discovery and the passion of camaraderie. It features a glee club called The Sing-Quisition, and a dwarf with writer's block. It est@blishes connections with its world in big ways and small, with the sight of a titanous temple and the smirk of an Orlesian commander in love. Dragon Age: Inquisition is a wonderful game and a lengthy pilgrimage to a magical world with vital thematic ties to one we already know.
PlayStation LifeStyle - 9
Despite the small issues with the horses and the lack of items players can buy from merchants, I can still safely say that Dragon Age: Inquisition is the best console RPG I have ever played. The beautiful graphics grabbed me, the detailed characters reeled me in, and the open areas and numerous quests made me fall in love with the game. Overall, I spent around 55 hours on the game, and while I only recently finished the main story line, I still have many more side quests that I can play. If you’re an RPG fan,you owe it to yourself to play Inquisition, and somehow, I don’t think you’ll regret it.
IGN - 8.8
When I’d finally slain my first dragon in Dragon Age: Inquisition, I felt a little sad at the thought that I was probably beginning to exhaust its seemingly endless stream of content. But then I saw the quest ticker: “Dragons Slayed - 1 out of 10.” In all my hours, I had only ever seen three. It’s a surprisingly huge, dense world, and I soon realized there were still entire sandboxes I hadn’t even set foot in. Even in my hundredth hour, I’m still discovering. Despite its less than compelling plot, I still want to go back to explore and f!ght through every nook and cranny of Dragon Age: Inquisition, until every dragon’s skull is mounted on my wall.
PC Gamer - 87
There’s even co-op multiplayer, in the style of Mass Effect 3’s horde mode. As I write this, the servers are empty, and so I’ve been unable to test it. Whatever its quality, it doesn’t affect a singleplayer campaign that, all things considered, is a resounding success. How much you enjoy Inquisition will likely depend on what it is you enjoy about RPGs. If you want complex systems and hardcore challenge, it could potentially disappoint. I don’t. I want a rich world, interesting characters, and a dramatic and memorable plot. Judged on those criteria, Dragon Age: Inquisition sits happily alongside BioWare’s best.
Eurogamer - 8/10
Despite this and its shaky start though, Inquisition does come together into a very worthy Dragon Age sequel that never stopped being compelling once it had the chance to build up its momentum. To some extent the quieter moments throughout even help to amplify the bigger quests and more dramatic plot points, while the free choice of where to spend your attention afterwards makes for a refreshingly open RPG that's still focused on the story it's telling - one that goes from strength to strength as the stakes ramp up and the war for Thedas begins.
Gamesradar - 4/5
Dragon Age: Inquisition creates a massive, vibrant world on a scale far greater than its predecessors, and does an excellent job of making you feel in command. The heart of this game rests with its characters, who keep you invested in the action.
Videogamer - 8
I’ve had a great time leading the Inquisition. It’s unusual to be able to look back at a game like this and have such fine memories, despite being so underwhelmed by its opening hours. For some, it may well feel like too much of a grind to begin with, and for time-poor players those 15 hours may be far too much of an investment.