Dragon Age: Inquisition might sounds like a fantasy take on Mass Effect 3 – what with trying to rally all the world’s warring factions to take down a single threat and all that – but BioWare producer Cameron Lee has explained why it’s not all that similar, along with insight into the game’s morality, classes and much more.
Speaking with OXM, Lee was asked about the similarities between the Dragon Age: Inquisition premise and Mass Effect 3′s Reaper-vanquishing tale. He replied, “Well, it’s interesting that that’s the impression that you got – it’s not really the case.
“We have this event that occurs and the world is in chaos, sure, but in Mass Effect, you always knew what the threat was, you always knew that the reapers were there. In Dragon Age: Inquisition, whilst there is a humongous tear in the sky, and all these powerful factions and nations are in chaos – all this is happening at once, and that’s a little too strange to just suddenly occur and be coincidence.
“So the player has more of an investment in uncovering what’s going on here. And it’s not necessarily about uncover some truths and get this person on side in order to deal with the thing at the end, it’s a lot more complex than that. And you know, you are a force. Yes you’re a character, but you lead this organisation, this inquisition, which has a really significant presence in the world, a presence and an influence on these different nations and factions.
“So in Mass Effect you formed factions but it was mostly on a personal scale, whereas in Inquisition you’re talking about having a personal impact, but mostly through these big crunchy, meaty decisions and impacts that the Inquisition can have on the world. It’s kind of like the difference between being a Jedi, and founding the Jedi Order.”
Elsewhere, Lee touted Inquisition’s greater emphasis on customisation and strategy, stressing that players will have more moral responsibility than before, a duty to really look out for their followers and more of a say in how their character looks and acts. To this end, he suggested that Inquisition is more like Dragon Age: Origins, rather than Dragon Age 2.
When asked about recent multiplayer hires on the Inquisition team, Lee replied, “I have no idea at all in terms of hiring, but you know, the Mass Effect multiplayer stuff is really good, so we’ve certainly looked at options like that, but we haven’t decided on anything in terms of multiplayer at this point.”
Lee also addressed Inquisition’s delay into Q3, 2014 and the addition of the Quanari as a playable race. Just how will the people take to these brutish warriors leading the charge for the world’s salvation? “There’ll be people out there who understand the Qunari and their religious beliefs and how all that work,” Lee explained. “There is a valid reason why Qunari are sitting on the throne of the Inquisition, as there is for an elf.
“Elves have been persecuted in this world, so how would a human nation feel about having an Elven inquisitor come up to them and talk to them? So there are ways that all this fits together. David Gaider and the writers are hard at work putting that together. But it’s interesting to see it all take shape.”
