'Dragon Age' soars highest in 'Inquisition'

During my first hours exploring Thedas in the role-playing epic Dragon Age Inquisition, my party travels to the Storm Coast to close rifts that serve as gateways to demons.

As we walk along the edge of the water, I looked across and spot a dragon. But it's not alone. Looking more closely, I see a giant leap into the air, trying to pound the dragon with his massive fists. My party is still lacking experience, so we just enjoy the spectacle. The giant gets in a couple more punches before the dragon wipes him out for good and flies off.

This is a sliver of the adventure portrayed in the third installment of Dragon Age, the best of the series from beloved video game studio BioWare (Mass Effect, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic). The studio's reputation for epic storytelling shines, while combat and party management feel simple and more rewarding.

The game starts with players creating their character. They'll choose one of four races: human, elf, dwarf or a race of horned giants called Qunari. Each race delivers special bonuses that give a character a quick boost. Qunari add a boost to melee defense, while elves receive an increase in ranged defense.

Then, players choose their gender followed by class: warrior, mage or rogue, each offering unique combat strategies. In my case, I specialized in archery and stealth, using an invisibility power to continuously flank foes with arrow strikes. Depending on my party, I could change on the fly, swapping to daggers and dealing more damage up close. Mages can specialize in fire magic or ice magic, for example, while warriors can dive into weapon-and-shield tactics versus two-handed weapon mastery.

Players will lead an inquisition, investigating rifts that have opened in the land of Thedas. Demons spill out of the rifts, and the player boasts the unique ability to close them. Players will lead a party of characters across Thedas to close these rifts and investigate their cause.

Like BioWare's earlier work on Dragon Age — and its other properties such as sci-fi epic Mass Effect — there is an incredible amount of information to consume. Players can spend hours simply reading letters or exploring Inquisition's codex, which serves as a hub detailing every region and element within the universe.

During Inquisition, players are more than just an archer, or warrior, or necromancer. They have to make key political moves to lead Thedas through this troubling period. After setting up in The Haven, players will congregate in the war room, sending representatives to perform a variety of tasks. Players can opt for diplomatic approaches, secretive moves or military displays with a show of soldiers.

When players complete missions, they earn power that is cashed in to perform more critical tasks. This inquisition takes place amid a larger battle between Mages and Templars, so players must make big choices that impact how events unfold.

Joining "The Inquisitor" is a diverse cast of characters to assemble your party, ranging from warriors Cassandra and Iron Bull to mages Solas and Dorian. Players will develop their relationships with these characters -- even spark potential romances -- as well as watch this crew interact with each other, such as a puzzled Dorian asking Iron Bull why he must embark on this journey shirtless. The give-and-take helps develop bonds with characters that other games often only hope to achieve.

Combat has changed considerably since the game's 2011 predecessor Dragon Age II. Players press and hold the right trigger to unleash a basic attack, adding special moves mapped to the controller's face buttons. BioWare adds Tactical View, a top-down perspective that pauses action and allows players to assign actions to party members. Let's say the party encounters a giant. I can have my warriors get up close and target its leg while my archer and mage characters shoot at its head from a distance.

More importantly, even when I don't issue orders, the party of computer-controlled enemies feel far more adept at handling battles. This is critical when, say, I need to close a rift and my colleagues must fend off throngs of demons. Players don't need to babysit party members. They're far more capable owning the battlefield without assistance. Players can also adjust the behaviors of party members, but it's a simpler experience compared to earlier games.

Then there are the countless things players do that don't require fighting, such as setting up camps, filling requisitions or gathering valuables that can be used to craft better weapons or armor. This is a rewarding journey that soaks up dozens of hours of time.

Inquisition introduces multiplayer, consisting of a variety of four-player cooperative missions. After players choose a character type, they dive right into the action by selecting one of the game's regions. It's a fun diversion that allows players to work together on in-world missions and tasks.

The world of Inquisition has a scale that expertly matches its epic storyline. One moment, you're setting up camp in the desert, the next exploring lush forests. In another moment, you're fending off waves of giant spiders inside a cave, the next teaming up to conquer a massive dragon. The adventures awaiting players are boundless.

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: BioWare

Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360

Price: $59.99

Rating: M for Mature

Release Date: November 18

Score: 4 out of 4