My position on Inquisition is overall positive, but I do not consider it the return to form that some claim it to be. It is superior to Dragon Age II, and while it suppresses Origins in some ways, it can't be compared to the first game when it comes to the most important feature; (Perhaps it's better to call it a mechanic or set of features) story.
My fears were not unfounded; Inquisition suffers from a severe identity crisis. It's trying to be a sequel to both the previous games, incorporate elements of the novels, AND tell an original story in it's own right. While the story is overall engaging, and has the standard Bioware strengths of witty, dynamic dialogue and banter, and a likable cast of characters, it ultimately spreads itself too thin. Because the story tries to hit so many different notes, the connection between them feels tangential at best and contrived at worst.
The plot has trouble building any real sense of momentum or tension, since not a whole lot really changes from one section of the story to the other. This is compounded by the games perplexing decision to avoid involving your companions in the main plot in any major way; the one aspect of the story that is invested with pathos and drama is relegated to what are essentially side quests.
All this could have been avoided if Bioware had taken a risk, and moved away from their boilerplate plot writing. The central conflict of the story is lacking in nuance and thematic purpose; the few hints that it's anything more than a fight for survival against a toothless, generic, one dimensional enemy are minor, and amount to nothing. Bioware has employed the Mono Myth in the worst possible way; it's intended use is as a tool to organize and simplify a narrative that lacks structure, but here it serves only to over-complicate a story that is already brimming with complexity. If Bioware had abandoned the Heroes Journey, and focused more intently on one of the two other major conflicts in the DA setting, (The civil war, or the Mage VS Templar issue) the story could have overcome all of these issues.
Inquisition is ultimately a perfectly engaging and competent piece of work, but it lacks the soul and narrative strength of Origins; it all feels very safe; devoid of artistic ambition and risk in all the areas that matter. Play it for the gameplay and side quest content, but be prepared to play through a ho-hum main quest, that can't simply be ignored like in other, better open world games such as Skyrim or Fallout.
