Better than DA 2, but still a step down from Origins. Spoiler warning.
I'll start out by saying I'm a DA fan. Own all three games, DLC, the works. Each game has its rough bits, but Dragon Age: Inquisition's are particularly glaring. Scale that doesn't fully deliver, poor customization, and a generic main plot, villain, and lackluster character development are some of it's biggest faults. However, some of the series' best controls and overall design are front and center. I've even learned to appreciate the janky tactical camera.
The biggest issue for me is the proclaimed scale that Bioware billed as one of Inquisition's biggest selling points. You do get scale. Dragon Age: Inquisition features massive environments that are beautifully crafted. Unfortunately, for that scale you get a staggering amount of padding in the form of fetch/kill quests. Dragon Age 2 and Dragon age: Origins at least devoted a good chunk of the game to the main questline. Inquisition doesn't feel like it does. You get 10 2-4 hour quests, each broken up by more and more padding. And while what story quests you do get are generally well-written and fun to play, they hardly feel like enough. If anything, I found myself enjoying the game more for the (mostly) brilliantly written companion quests.
That leads me into the companions. The only companions that get significant development are the returning cast from Dragon Age: 2, Varric Tethras and Cassandra Pentaghast, because they had the weight of previous appearances behind them. Sera in particular felt flat and wasted. What could've been an interesting take on internalized racism was left alone in favor of an uninspired robin hood-esque subplot. In fact, how little most of your companions react to decisions in their personal quests is bothersome. The Iron Bull, for example, reacts about the same way to the outcome of his quest. A cut-scene or two depicting his reaction to some fairly heavy stuff would've lent considerable weight to the decision.
Customization was a huge issue for me. It's annoying at best how Bioware programmed the entire Haven section to let you wear armor inside of Haven, but didn't do the same for Skyhold. Instead you're stuck with grey pajama-looking garb without even the option to switch to armor. In lieu of more outfits (a la Mass Effect 3), I would've been fine with the option to wear my armor around Skyhold. It certainly would've been more intimidating and official than the rubbish you're given. It's not just the clothes, either. While graphically a step up from previous games, the character creator still feels constrained compared to other offerings of the genre. I've made plenty of Inquisitors I love to look at, but that's after fiddling with disappointing hair choices and resigning myself to the "one body type fits all" mentality. I will commend Bioware for finally giving lady dwarves beard options, though Inquisition's facial hair selection is even worse than its hair.
Inquisition's plot is so standard Bioware that it feels like I've played it a half dozen times before. Dragon Age: Origins at least had plenty of diverse, enjoyable side content to make up for it. You fight an ancient evil with aspirations of godhood, and pick up a merry band of allies along the way. Corypheus falls completely flat as an antagonist, serving more to annoy me than intimidate. If anything, I found myself despising the racist Orlesian court more than the ancient darkspawn. His motives are bland, his methods tired, and he takes a backseat to his subordinates, Calpernia and Samson. Both of whom are significantly more interesting as opponents.
The main plot doesn't suffer alone, either. In the backdrop is the Mage-Templar War, though it's more of a series of skirmishes in the Hinterlands, by what we're shown in the game. You resolve it in one questline by siding with one side or the other, receiving the ones you abandoned as enemy minions for the rest of the game. No mention is given to a solution aside from a panel in a post-credits slide-show, and it feels hollow. It's part of a larger issue of your decisions not really having much weight as the head of an upstart order with rapidly increasing power and authority.
Ultimately, Dragon Age: Inquisition is an enjoyable game. If you like Bioware's brand of RPG flair, it's worth a play. Just don't expect a compelling piece of art. The characters, while sometimes flat and uninspired, will make you laugh and occasionally tug on your heartstrings, but probably not much else. If you're like me, you'll keep playing for the challenge of closing rifts and slaying high dragons, and exploring new classes, races, or specializations. There's filler abound and a generic RPG storyline, but it's a decent game. Here's to hoping they work out the kinks with Mass Effect 4.
