It's been a long time since a game obsessed me as much as Dragon Age: Inquisition does. So far I have spent hours running around Thedas, listening to my companions banter, helping the needy, and flirting. Lots of flirting. I am definitely going to finish the game, and I may replay it.
But the weirdest thing about playing Dragon Age is how uneven my relationship with the game is. I love some parts of it, but not others. Unfortunately, the part I hate the most is combat. Maybe it would be easier on a PC, but on the PS4 I loathe the tactical cam and don't find it fun at all. I also don't think the skill trees are all that interesting. There are fewer natural-feeling uses for stealth and traps than there were in Skyrim, which is the king of all addictive games for me. Every time I have to go through a fighting sequence, it feels like a slog. Exploring can be fun, but the geography of some areas is confusing, and I get tired of trudging around trying to get past yet another mountain range. On top of that, a few of the collection missions are less than intuitive—I am going for my Tempest specialization right now, and the hunt for essence containment apparatuses is infuriating.
I keep going back to Dragon Age, despite the combat mechanics, because the story segments are awesome. I perk up whenever I talk to one of my companions at Skyhold and get a cutscene or special mission. Goofing round with Iron Bull, Varric, Sera, and Cassandra is hilarious enough to be a game in itself. I find myself investing hours of time in less preferred activities—like engaging in combat—so that I can get back to what matters to me, which is expanding my influence and building relationships with my in-game friends.
Dragon Age's Power and Influence mechanics also feel a little wasted to me. To progress through Dragon Age: Inquisition, you can't just go around killing things (although that is part of it). You also have to gain Power and Influence points so that you can unlock missions and acquire "Inquisition Perks," which are bonuses that rack up as you become increasingly influential. But all of that movement-building is ultimately a gateway to more combat—no matter how big your movement becomes, you ultimately have to build your party and take down the bad guys yourself. I wish that all of the influence I've wracked up could be used for something more game changing than that. More politics, please!
For me, the best missions in Dragon Age: Inquisition don't involve big bosses or perfectly-crafted combinations of skill perks. I'd rather unlock codex entries, wrangle with nobility, or use my influence to acquire the next installment in one of Varric's book series. But even if the game can't be all "fun parts," I will play through all 90 or so hours of Dragon Age: Inquisition because of how much I enjoy the people of Thedas and their stories.
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