A Dragon Age to Remember

Dragon Age: Inquisition is coming as the third chapter in the role-playing franchise. The game spouts numerous improvements in its battle system and storytelling technique. One of the more interesting aspects of the latter mentioned, the storytelling technique, comes as a bit of a surprise. The character the player gains control of in the game is someone of high importance. They lead a character who is the leader of a mysterious order. Little is known of this order, but they do wield highly powerful influence in the game world. This fact comes as a surprising revelation, seeing how in most RPG's, the player takes control of a low-level nobody who slowly rises up the ranks. The game wipes out this narrative cliché right from the get-go. As you begin the game in a high power position, you try to lead your organization to gain more and more power over the land. While leading the organization, the designers of Dragon Age: Inquisition purposefully integrated this concept of high power into the game. One of the designers of the game said, "It's fundamentally about giving an organization the same kind of progression you might expect out of a character…but what it’s like if I can take an organization and give it a character-give it a feel and a tone”. Building off of this idea, specifically focusing on progressing the organization you lead is a great idea. Many games don't utilize this concept. Sure, you get to progress your own character and deck them out with cool looking clothes, weapons, etc. However, if the player is completing missions for his army, faction, etc., the organization often stays the same. Addressing the organization as a type of character in the game is a pleasant production choice to see. Along with the concept of organization as character, the battle system also emanates refreshing ideas. As a designer of the game said, " The concept of the fully controlled party- in our case, doing it with that hybrid real-time or pause-and-play-has always been a thing that we saw as part our legacy and something we want to make sure is key…but we want to make sure we haven’t lost the reactivity and speed-the crispness-with which a character follows their orders. I see that as part of modern gaming." That last part really got to me while I was reading the article in Game Informer. "Reactivity and speed...I see that as part of modern gaming". As a turn-based game, evolving the speed strikes me as...unique. Are the designers tailoring to a more ADD audience? Is modern gaming more fast-paced than ever before? I think modern gaming has been touting behaviors of fast-paced antics in recent years. Specifically, the reactivity of earned points in modern FPS's is mind boggling compared to the FPS's from a decade ago. Since the computers harness more firepower, designers can give the player rewards instantly and for almost anything they want. It should be interesting to see how Dragon Age: Inquisition plays out. I, for one, am looking forward to it.