110 hours played (!!)
Having never experienced the first two Dragon Age games, mainly due to poor reviews, I didn't know what to expect. I was originally going to give this game a miss but then strong reviews came out and it sounded like my cup of tea as I enjoy RPGs. Quite simply I am so glad I picked this game up as it is truly amazing.
The story of this game starts off fairly generic with a civil war between magic and close combat forces. Portals start appearing with demons spewing out of them and you somehow are the only one with the power to close them. Luckily the story does evolve and by the end I really cared about the world and its characters. Like with the Mass Effect series you can design your character to look however you like. I chose an Elf Mage called Ava.
The story wraps around your character and changes depending on your traits and choices throughout your game. It truly feels like the game was different due to the choices I made. Most of the cut scenes are processed in real time meaning your characters and their apparel are in all the scenes and look great. My main criticism when it comes to the story is that I wish there were more main missions. The main missions feel amazing compared to most of the side missions and the production value is incredible. Most of these missions end with a pivotal choice which can be quite drastic in what changes. These missions can go on for hours on end, but there are only 11 in the game. The side missions and investigating the world takes up the rest of the time, but they don't feel as epic. Also, the final mission is quite generic with very little payoff from choosing certain paths throughout the game. Everyone has the same last mission experience unlike with Mass Effect 2. Although I put over 100 hours into this game it can be completed in much less if you don't want to experience everything.
The combat in this game is great. You have the choice of three companions out of a possible of nine. There are three different types of fighting styles; Mage, Warrior, Rogue. There are though lots of choices when it comes to specialisation as when you play as a Warrior you can use two-handed weapons or one-handed weapons with a sword. Because of this I generally had in my team my Mage character along with a Rogue and two Warriors with different specialisms. This was mostly Sera, Iron Bull, and Cassandra. Unlike with Mass Effect, you can control each of the characters individually whilst on a mission. The game has two combat styles you can choose from depending on what you prefer and what platform you're playing on. The first uses a tactical overhead camera system where you control all four characters at once choosing who to attack and when to use an ability. Time is also paused in this mode whilst you select your attacks. The second puts you back on ground level and in control of just one character at a time and doesn't slow time down. The first system is there to please the PC audience and as I was playing on PS4 I generally used the second system. Both though are easy to understand and are always available if you fancy a change.
This game looked great on PS4 whether it was during cutscenes or not. It ran fairly smoothly too except for a few crashes and some frame rate drops in some rather intense combat scenes. The main issue with its performance are the loading screens as they are long and generic. Also, when you load into a new area it normally takes a good thirty seconds for the sound to catch up with your actions which can be annoying.
My other criticisms with this game are due to its complexity and lack of instructions. This is not a simple RPG which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can be overwhelming. It took me forever to realise I could remove upgrades from armour and weapons. Runes recipes are annoyingly difficult to find and it can be difficult to understand how they are improving your weapons.
In conclusion, this game is incredible and is one of the best RPGs I've played in a few years. My main complaints are the game being sometimes too confusing and its combat systems not being as involving as they could have been. My main positives are the incredible set pieces in the story and how it truly feels like your own story is tailored to your character and choices.
Final Score: 9.0 (20 point scale system)
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