It looks like Dragon Age: Inquisition is trying to not make the same mistakes made by Dragon Age 2. According to GameInformer , the game will have multiple playable races, instead of just Humans. Dragon Age 2 got criticised quite a bit because of this, but understandably so, since the game’s protagonist actually had a voice actor.
“Large and varied environments, customisable armor, and the return of multiple player races are just a few of the ways BioWare is addressing feedback from previous titles in order to shape a new future for the franchise,” read GameInformer’s report.
Another important new step for the franchise is the inclusion of mounts. In the previous games, getting from one place to another meant walking and running. Inquisition will be the first game in the franchise that will have mounts.
No one expects the inquisition!
Dragon Age is set in a dark fantasy universe that is more or less a deconstruction of typical high fantasy, like Lord of the Rings. The world is under threat by an evil subterranean race known as the Darkspawn. Sometimes, the Darkspawn tend to form armies and attack the surface world en-masse. This event is known as the Blight and is one of the worse things that the surface races have to face. In response to the Blight, the Grey Wardens were formed. The Grey Wardens is a group of the best fighters and spell casters in the world and its specific job is to combat the Blight.
Dragon Age: Origins was a unique game in that it had a tactical approach to fighting, rather than the hack and slash style that is favoured in games today, including the sequel to the game. The combat system of Dragon Age: Origins allowed you to zoom out the camera to get a better view of the battle and allowed you to pause and queue up commands for your characters, such as casting spells and attacking.
The events of the second game happen in the same timeframe as that of the first game, but with different characters. The main character in the second game is a human named Hawke, who is destined to be the famous Champion of Kirkwall. One of the main changes that the game made was to the combat system. The game followed a more real time hack-and-slash style of combat with waves of enemies. Another major change was the main character. While in the original game you could play any of the three races, all with different origin stories, the main character in Dragon Age II was specifically a human named Hawke.