Dragon Age™ Inquisition

Dragon Age Inquisition is a must play RPG on the PS4 that successfully takes the best out of both previous games to create sword and sorcery perfection

78%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, stability

75% User Score Based on 18,314 reviews

Critic Score 82%Based on 10 reviews

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About

Dragon Age™ Inquisition is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing shooter game with fantasy and historical themes. It was developed by BioWare and was released on October 6, 2015. It received positive reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

"Dragon Age: Inquisition is a historical open-world RPG, part of the Dragon Age series, set in the fantasy world of Thedas. Customize your character's appearance, race, class, and specializations, and experience an engaging story in single-player or co-op with a custom party. Completing quests earns experience to define allegiances, pursue romances, and gain perks for the entire Inquisition."

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75%

Audience ScoreBased on 18,314 reviews

story3.3k positive mentions

grinding622 negative mentions

story
9,512 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
59%
6%
The story of "Dragon Age: Inquisition" is often praised for its depth and character development, with many players finding it engaging and emotionally resonant. However, the game is criticized for its reliance on repetitive side quests and a power-gating system that can detract from the main narrative experience, leading to a sense of bloat and frustration. While the main story and companion quests are generally well-received, the overwhelming number of fetch quests and the pacing issues can make the overall experience feel tedious for some players.
- “The game is full of rich storytelling in every zone, it has some wonderful DLCs and some breathtaking visuals.”
- “The story is so good, but my god this game should have just been exclusively the strategic mode for combat.”
- “The story, writing, and gameplay are top tier, but my god the side content feels so pointless and mediocre.”
- “The side quests are littered with fetch and gather missions that sometimes, if not all the time, feel like a chore.”
- “The main story could have been wrapped up in 15-20 hours, but they insist on making you do pointless side quests to gather power in order to progress.”
- “The story is a convoluted mess full of terrible retcons that retroactively undermines the previous entries.”
gameplay
2,284 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
58%
14%
The gameplay of "Dragon Age: Inquisition" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and lacking depth compared to previous entries in the series. While some appreciate the open-world exploration and character customization, others criticize the combat mechanics as clunky and overly simplistic, often feeling like a grind. The introduction of MMO-like elements, such as the power mechanic and fetch quests, has also drawn criticism for detracting from the overall experience, although the engaging story and character interactions remain highlights for many players.
- “I love the open world concept, decision making mechanics for both the main story and relationships, love being rewarded for exploring, and I love how big the game is...”
- “Fantastic story, fun gameplay and plenty of content.”
- “The gameplay is incredibly dynamic, allowing players to customize their characters and companions with a variety of skills, armor, and combat tactics.”
- “Dragon Age: Inquisition is a bloated, unfocused mess of a game, with weak RPG elements, cliché story, unpolished mechanics, and boring companions, all traded off for a big open world with the same five or so activities copy-pasted all over the game map.”
- “The gameplay is a slog and the pacing is terrible.”
- “The gameplay is extremely boring and the controls for computer are too bad.”
graphics
1,430 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
43%
3%
The graphics of "Dragon Age: Inquisition" have generally received positive feedback, with many players noting that they hold up well even nearly a decade after release. The art style is praised for its beauty and atmospheric environments, showcasing a variety of biomes that enhance the game's immersive experience. However, some users have reported performance issues and graphical glitches, particularly on lower-end systems, indicating that while the visuals are impressive, they can be demanding on hardware.
- “Graphically speaking, for a 2014 game, the graphics are still wonderful to look at, and Inquisition utilizes them well in a large variety of biomes, from huge mountain ranges to lonely deserts, lush plains to creepy swamps, bizarre magical realms to tunnels lined with glowing ore veins.”
- “The graphics hold up surprisingly well for being almost 10 years old, the storylines are rich and thoughtful, and I had a blast.”
- “The graphics of Dragon Age: Inquisition still hold up remarkably well, and the attention to detail in the game world is awe-inspiring.”
- “Genuinely embarrassing PC port; this is a 10-year-old game that my 3070 can't run on 'high' graphical settings, let alone 'ultra', without the frames dropping to 20-30 fps.”
- “The game is really showing its age in every area, especially graphics (ugly as sin) and how streamlined the overall experience is, which isn't very much since the game is like 10 years old.”
- “There is no heart to the story, the characters are uninteresting, the graphics are mediocre even for its time.”
grinding
656 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
4%
95%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it excessively tedious and reminiscent of MMO-style gameplay. Common complaints include an overabundance of fetch quests, repetitive side activities, and a slow progression system that often requires players to engage in mindless grinding to unlock main story content. While some players appreciate the depth and exploration opportunities, others feel that the grind detracts significantly from the overall enjoyment and pacing of the game.
- “I probably won't finish the game (at 115 hours, no grinding, I have no idea how far I am from the end of the first playthrough), but I can see some people liking this.”
- “Difficulty is meaningless; even nightmare is an embarrassing joke of a game if you just engage the crafting system, which requires no grinding and most of the materials can be purchased from various vendors.”
- “A bit grindy sometimes.”
- “Unbelievably grindy and the combat gets very boring, very quickly.”
- “The main campaign feels all too grindy, requiring the war table to progress and lots of 'power' from many side activities, it feels just like Anthem and that's not a good thing.”
- “80 percent of your time is just spent grinding out lazy, boring fetch quests so that you have enough 'power points' or whatever to move on in the main story, which is the one part I was actually interested.”
music
526 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
45%
3%
The music in "Dragon Age: Inquisition" is widely praised for its emotional depth and atmospheric quality, with many reviewers highlighting the soundtrack as a standout feature that enhances the game's immersive experience. While some players appreciate the orchestral compositions and memorable tavern songs, others note that the music can be sparse during exploration, leading to moments of silence that detract from the overall ambiance. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant asset to the game, contributing to its storytelling and emotional impact, despite some criticisms regarding its consistency and variety.
- “Whether you love this game or not, there's no denying it has some of the most unforgettable music you'll ever hear.”
- “The soundtrack is a masterpiece, from the main game to the DLCs, it elevates each particular moment in the game.”
- “The music, the lore, the characters, the beautiful environment, and even the dragons are so well thought out and you can tell this game was made with love.”
- “Also the soundtrack is lacking with only a few memorable tracks; you'd expect a unique track for every location at this point.”
- “4: music, there is literally no music whatsoever in this game. The game only plays music while doing a main story mission; otherwise, it plays a 5-second tune every 30-40 minutes of playtime while exploring a map.”
- “People praise the music, which I understand for the cutscenes, but the repeating snippets in the open world sections grated on my nerves after a while.”
stability
450 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players experience issues with the EA launcher, which adds to the frustration, as it often fails to launch the game or causes it to freeze. Despite these technical problems, some players still find enjoyment in the story and characters, suggesting that while the game is a "buggy mess," it retains redeeming qualities for those willing to overlook its flaws.
- “I always loved this game, and while the Origin launcher is needed and kind of frustrating at times, I haven't really had any issues with the game launching or crashing. The game runs great, it's optimized well, fun, and there's a lot to do. If you like RPG games, this is one you will like.”
- “The game runs great in 1440p.”
- “Game runs great and the config file can be modified to allow the cutscenes to play at 60 fps.”
- “The game requires the glitchy EA app to run, and when you try to run it on Steam it crashes and freezes in the background.”
- “Game is buggy to play through, had to revert to previous saves multiple times because characters get trapped in animation loops and can't progress.”
- “You will spend most of your time troubleshooting.”
replayability
228 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
55%
1%
The game boasts high replayability, with many players highlighting the impact of choices, character customization, and diverse playstyles that lead to unique experiences in each playthrough. While some reviews mention that certain mechanics and quest designs can detract from the overall replay value, the richness of the story, character interactions, and multiple endings contribute to its enduring appeal. Overall, it is regarded as a game that encourages repeated playthroughs, making it a worthwhile investment for fans of RPGs.
- “It has an incredible replay value because choices matter so much that each time you play will give you a vastly different experience.”
- “With its endless replayability and the ability to shape your story through choices and character customization, Dragon Age: Inquisition offers a gaming experience that remains fresh and captivating.”
- “The numerous combos you can execute and customizable gear/weapon upgrades allow for so much replayability!”
- “I am ultimately glad to have played it, but I think its replayability is heavily curtailed by an overabundance of boring XP farming.”
- “In terms of replayability, I can't see much in DA:I.”
- “Replayability 2/10 because no way I am ever going into the hinterlands again.”
emotional
226 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
96%
4%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its rich narrative, deep character relationships, and impactful moments that resonate with players, often leading to tears and heartfelt connections. While some players found the main story lacking in depth, the emotional weight of character interactions, loyalty missions, and the poignant DLC "Trespasser" provided significant emotional highs. Overall, the game successfully evokes a range of feelings, from joy to heartbreak, making it a memorable experience for those invested in its characters and lore.
- “The narrative is one of the game's strongest elements, filled with political intrigue, emotional depth, and meaningful choices.”
- “At the heart of Inquisition lies a narrative that's both deep and emotionally resonant.”
- “The relationships you forge with them are emotionally charged, and their loyalty missions provide profound insights into their lives.”
- “However, I now realize leveling beats skill; combat is boring and not strategic (just hold left mouse and occasionally press a number if you feel like it). Mounts are pointless, endless bears attacking, boring story, endless running around just for yet another attack, re-running areas because you were 2 levels too low to complete them the first time round, and just so many other parts to make you want to stop playing.”
- “Boring story, ugly companions, my character is ugly too, bad voice acting, boring battles, boring loot, boring quests, the skills are boring as well.”
- “It led to a boring story with a nothingburger villain.”
humor
212 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
1%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the witty banter and comedic moments between characters, particularly during companion interactions and quests. However, some find the humor inconsistent, with cringe-worthy flirt lines and awkward cutscenes detracting from the overall experience. While the game successfully balances serious themes with humor, it also leaves some players longing for the more humorous atmosphere of earlier installments in the series.
- “The humor really hits it for me, and while funny, the game also has many serious moments that really hit the feels!”
- “The characters are as always brilliantly written and hilarious.”
- “The game has a good sense of humor and knows how to balance it with the serious atmosphere of the story.”
- “The books in the game are uninteresting, too long, and not well written; there's generally too much unfunny, unimportant text.”
- “The humor falls flat, with lengthy and poorly written text that fails to engage or amuse.”
- “Overall, the game suffers from an excess of unfunny content that detracts from the experience.”
optimization
186 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant performance issues, particularly during cutscenes which are capped at 30 fps, leading to distracting lag. While some users report smooth gameplay on high-end systems, others experience bugs, stuttering, and crashes, indicating that the game is poorly optimized overall, especially for lower-end hardware. Despite these issues, some players have found workarounds and mods that improve performance, suggesting that while the game can run well, it often requires considerable effort to achieve a stable experience.
- “Beyond that, the game runs smoothly and is very light on the PC as well as consoles.”
- “The game runs smoothly and stably, and the graphics are beautiful.”
- “Performance and gameplay significantly exceed the passing mark, representing a superior level of quality, remarkable gameplay, and an outstanding gaming experience.”
- “The biggest and most notable issue is somehow, this game is terribly optimized, and loading was noticeably slow between maps.”
- “From servers going down and being completely unable to load the game, to having a program that is so poorly optimized to run on any PC, the user experience is absolutely terrible.”
- “The optimization is so horrendously bad that not even modders can help you like they normally can.”
character development
162 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
53%
7%
Character development in "Dragon Age: Inquisition" is widely praised for its depth and complexity, with many reviewers highlighting the rich backstories and personal quests of companions that enhance player engagement. While some players feel that character development has been simplified compared to previous installments, the game still offers meaningful interactions and choices that contribute to a rewarding narrative experience. Overall, the game is recognized as a benchmark for storytelling and character development in modern RPGs, despite some criticisms regarding character design and gameplay mechanics.
- “Dragon Age: Inquisition is often lauded for its rich lore, deep character development, and intricate world-building, all of which contribute to its undeniable quality as a role-playing game.”
- “The character development is exceptional, with personal quests and interactions revealing layers of backstory that deepen the player's connection to the in-game companions.”
- “What I love most about this game is not only the story, but all the individual characters that you can interact with and who have their own character development within the story.”
- “The character development is non-existent, fights take forever and don't feel rewarding, the dialogue is dry, and all of your upgrades/abilities don't feel exciting.”
- “The combat is boring, and the character development doesn't give me anything that I can see that gives me something to look forward to in development with spells, power, and abilities.”
- “Bad camera, very limited character development, dated graphics, required third party EA account; even on sale this isn't worth it.”
atmosphere
118 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
46%
3%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning graphics, diverse environments, and immersive sound design, contributing to a captivating experience. However, some players feel that it lacks the darker, gritty tone of earlier installments, with a shift towards more vibrant colors that may detract from the overall mood. Despite these criticisms, many reviewers highlight the game's ability to create memorable and atmospheric moments, particularly through its music and detailed world design.
- “The storytelling is excellent, the music is atmospheric, the environment designs are gorgeous, the characters are diverse, the customization of weapons and armor is delightfully varied, and the skill trees encourage me to think critically about how I want to adjust my combat style.”
- “The atmosphere is like none other, and the tension of being chased by eldritch horrors through forgotten catacombs was unforgettable.”
- “The game atmosphere is dynamic with different habitats, wildlife, and environment; it's clear the developers put a lot of time into designing the game world.”
- “The purpose of this remains unknown, but it resulted in the loss of the dark fantasy feel and atmosphere that the first two parts set.”
- “Moments later you will start to notice that Inquisition has a different art direction than its predecessors; it uses far more vibrant and varied colors, and while this helps set areas apart from one another, it also loses that dark, gritty atmosphere of previous games.”
- “Bioware's biggest strength, dating back to the Baldur's Gate games, was always story, atmosphere, and characters, yet they massively dropped the ball for this one.”
monetization
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
50%
45%
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as a cash grab, heavily relying on microtransactions and loot boxes that detract from the overall experience. Many players feel that the game is designed to push in-game purchases rather than deliver a quality product, leading to a perception of it as a lifeless and generic title. The multiplayer mode, in particular, is seen as poorly executed and laden with mobile game-like monetization tactics, further diminishing player enjoyment.
- “Another MMO gimmick - it's easy to imagine being able to speed up the process with microtransactions.”
- “And if EA wasn't in the picture rushing this game out and forcing microtransactions and DLC... maybe this could've been a great game.”
- “This game harkens back to a time before games as a service and building a game around the microtransactions they want to sell.”
- “The lootbox monetization model makes multiplayer character equipment a very un-fun experience.”
- “Let’s talk briefly about the things that the game does bad... the multiplayer mode is bad, just don't waste your time with it, not only is it a tacked-on subpar mode but it has a lot of mobile games-like monetization stuff and the servers are really laggy and unstable.”

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82%Critics’ scoreBased on 11 critic reviews

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Buy Dragon Age™ Inquisition

74h Median play time

136h Average play time

51h Main story

148h Completionist

15-200h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 204 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Dragon Age™ Inquisition is a open world role playing shooter game with fantasy and historical themes.

Dragon Age™ Inquisition is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and others.

The main story can be completed in around 51 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 148 hours to finish. On average players spend around 136 hours playing Dragon Age™ Inquisition.

Dragon Age™ Inquisition was released on October 6, 2015.

Dragon Age™ Inquisition was developed by BioWare.

Dragon Age™ Inquisition has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Dragon Age™ Inquisition is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and others.

Dragon Age™ Inquisition

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