I went back to Dragon Age: Inquisition after a few months of playing Final Fantasy XV. I figured it'd be interesting to compare them, since they're similar in many ways, and get criticised for a lot of the same things (mindless fetch quests, bland open world, one-button combat). Bearing in mind this is all subjective of course; I just wanted to open up some quality Discourse.
Graphics:
FFXV wins, hands down. That foliage. Those animations. I love DAI, but I can admit it can be jank as hell.
FFXV
vs
DAI
Bioware, I love you, but Learn 2 Animate.
However I personally prefer DAIs art direction and find it much more cohesive. The coloursssss.
FFXV
vs
DAI
Music:
Different strokes for different folks. Both Yoko Shimomura and Trevor Morris are supremely talented, and both soundtracks have absolute knock-outs on them.
FFXV: Wanderlust
Trespasser: Lost Elf Theme
Story:
The issues with FFXV's story are numerous and well-documented. Inquisition's story has been criticised for choices not meaning anything, a bland and unthreatening villain, and a generic "save the world" plot. However, the quality of storytelling in the two games is incomparable. Final Fantasy XV relegates its plot points to the anime and movie, and kills a supposedly important antagonist off-screen, leaving you to learn what happened to him from a bunch of notes lying around his body (yes, I know they're patching it, that's not the point). Characters are introduced, show up for two scenes, then promptly vanish into the ether. In Inquisition, everything happens for a reason, and I never found myself thinking "wait, what the fuck is going on?". Everything is explained. Plus you've some awesome and memorable secondary antagonists, such as Alexius, Calpernia, Samson, Erimond, Florianne, etc. FFXV SHOULD have memorable antagonists in Iedolas, Ravus, Verstael, Loqi... instead they show up once (literally, in some cases) then proceed to unceremoniously die off-screen.
Another issue is the heroic supporting cast - Prompto, Ignis, Gladiolus, Aranea, Cor, etc. There's no doubt that, whatever you might think of them, the party members in Inquisition are MUCH more fleshed out, with personal quests, optional scenes, each having their own motivation and backstory. I love Iggy and Prompto (Gladio can walk into a ditch tbh) but they have the depth of a puddle, and no motivations outside of Noctis. None of them have any real impact on the plot, whereas the same cannot be said for DAI's party members (cough Solas cough).
However even Tabata has acknowledged the story issues, so at least it's something they're aware of and something that hopefully will be improved in future instalments. I think a lot of the story issues in XV arise from having to cut down Nomura's trilogy plot into one game, and also from hiring the fracking Dissidia scriptwriter (just... don't do that) whereas Inquisition's story is its own thing that has room to breathe.
Quests:
Okay, getting into the good stuff here. FFXV and DAI have both been criticised for having grindy, MMO-esque fetch quests. Broadly speaking, that is true. However, in going back to DAI right after FFXV, I've found that it's actually a much bigger issue in XV. For example, let's compare two broadly similar (at the outset) quests that end up going in completely different directions.
FFXV: Restaurant owner tells you, a prince, that a shipment of beans he's waiting for hasn't arrived and dispatches you to fetch it. Go find the truck, kill the monsters that attacked it, get the beans, return them to the dude, get some money and EXP. He says thanks, then immediately sends you back out to get him some onions.
Inquisition: Soldier tells you, a member of the organisation fighting to restore order following a catastrophic event, that bandits have been attacking refugees. Go to the place where the bandits are. Another soldier tells you they're too well-equipped to be bandits, and to be careful. Kill the dudes, find a note saying they're holed up in a building somewhere else on the map. Go there, kill the dudes, find another note tying them to a crime ring hiding out in a dungeon nearby. Go there, kill everyone, get sweet sweet loot and EXP. The refugees are so grateful! Walking around the world, you can come across groups of them camping and talking about how much the Inquisition has helped them. Warm fuzzies all around.
Broadly speaking, the quests aren't all that different: talk to quest-giver, go here, kill some monsters/dudes and get rewards. However, the story framing for the quests is completely different: in XV, your kingdom has been attacked and your father killed, and you're out for revenge... and also beans, apparently. In Inquisition, you're specifically tasked with helping people and spreading word of the Inquisition's good deeds to get more people on your side, so taking out bandits makes complete sense!
This leads me onto another topic, because I'd argue that traversing the world to get to said quests is a very different experience in both games. So...
Open World Design:
The car in FFXV gets a shitton of criticism, for good reason; it's a glorified loading screen, and amounts to you a) just sitting there while it drives itself or b) just sitting there holding R2 while it basically drives itself. The world's size is an encumbrance more than anything else, and long (long, long...) loading times make fast travel a pain to use. Inquisition's decision to use smaller, self-contained zones was a good one; you still keep that sense of exploration and discovery, while making it relatively easy to get around even on foot. DAI's maps are much denser than XV's; there's basically something around every corner, even if it's just an Inquisition campsite or an astrarium.
Compare FFXV's entire world:
vs
The Hinterlands:
It takes about an hour to run from one end of the FFXV map to the other. The Hinterlands takes like... twenty minutes? Perhaps not even that? It's very impressive having a big open world, but having it big just for the sake of being big only hurts the experience and only makes getting around a huge pain in the neck. I mean, DAI is also guilty of this with the Hissing Wastes, but that shit is optional and many people never even see it
Combat:
I'm not going to talk about the quality of the combat system themselves because both are competent, and other than that it comes down to preference. However, DAI has elements to it that I think would have vastly improved XV: the ability to directly control party members and issue orders to them; the ability to enter tactical view and freaking move your party out of the enemy's direct line of attack because they're ranged archers and shouldn't be in melee range oh my gOD PROMPTO; a limited number of healing potions that adds some challenge to gameplay instead of just buying 99 of each healing item and spamming them until the battle is over or you die. Also the camera. If FFXV added these things and fixed up the camera I honestly think I would like the combat a lot more.
Finally...
f e m a l e c h a r a c t e r s
I've talked about my issues with FFXV's female characters. For those who missed it:
FFXV is a deeply (unintentionally, I think) misogynistic game and its female characters reflect archaic and harmful views of women in general, especially considering the series has a long history of very well-written women.
Dragon Age Inquisition lets you play as a woman - specifically, a woman who is never sexualised, who is powerful, who is respected, who has agency and choice. Cassandra is a skilled warrior, a loyal friend, a gooey romantic heart covered up by a spiky exterior. Leliana is a skilled and sneaky spymaster who all but runs the Inquisition and is torn between her innate compassion and her growing ruthlessness. Josephine is a talented diplomat who chooses to shy away from violence and encourage peace. Vivienne is a badass mage who can solo dragons, is an amazing, complex, compassionate, infuriating character, and is also a smart and powerful woman of colour. Sera is... Sera, but she still doesn't take shit from men who think they can boss her around. There are more, but you get my drift. FFXV has Aranea, who is amazing and underused; Iris, ditto; Cindy the sex doll; Luna the
damsel in distress; Gentiana the walking plot device. Wow. Much strongness.
To sum up
I'm not saying OMG FFXV IS SO BAD AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD FOR LIKING IT (I'd settle for acknowledging its women problem honestly) or that DAI is the BEST GAME EVAR (that honour obviously goes to Final Fantasy XII and Persona 4). What I am saying is that one game is largely criticised by GAF while the other receives widespread praise, even though they're actually very similar in a lot of ways. Just something to think about, I guess.
Graphics:
FFXV wins, hands down. That foliage. Those animations. I love DAI, but I can admit it can be jank as hell.
FFXV
vs
DAI
Bioware, I love you, but Learn 2 Animate.
However I personally prefer DAIs art direction and find it much more cohesive. The coloursssss.
FFXV
vs
DAI
Music:
Different strokes for different folks. Both Yoko Shimomura and Trevor Morris are supremely talented, and both soundtracks have absolute knock-outs on them.
FFXV: Wanderlust
Trespasser: Lost Elf Theme
Story:
The issues with FFXV's story are numerous and well-documented. Inquisition's story has been criticised for choices not meaning anything, a bland and unthreatening villain, and a generic "save the world" plot. However, the quality of storytelling in the two games is incomparable. Final Fantasy XV relegates its plot points to the anime and movie, and kills a supposedly important antagonist off-screen, leaving you to learn what happened to him from a bunch of notes lying around his body (yes, I know they're patching it, that's not the point). Characters are introduced, show up for two scenes, then promptly vanish into the ether. In Inquisition, everything happens for a reason, and I never found myself thinking "wait, what the fuck is going on?". Everything is explained. Plus you've some awesome and memorable secondary antagonists, such as Alexius, Calpernia, Samson, Erimond, Florianne, etc. FFXV SHOULD have memorable antagonists in Iedolas, Ravus, Verstael, Loqi... instead they show up once (literally, in some cases) then proceed to unceremoniously die off-screen.
Another issue is the heroic supporting cast - Prompto, Ignis, Gladiolus, Aranea, Cor, etc. There's no doubt that, whatever you might think of them, the party members in Inquisition are MUCH more fleshed out, with personal quests, optional scenes, each having their own motivation and backstory. I love Iggy and Prompto (Gladio can walk into a ditch tbh) but they have the depth of a puddle, and no motivations outside of Noctis. None of them have any real impact on the plot, whereas the same cannot be said for DAI's party members (cough Solas cough).
However even Tabata has acknowledged the story issues, so at least it's something they're aware of and something that hopefully will be improved in future instalments. I think a lot of the story issues in XV arise from having to cut down Nomura's trilogy plot into one game, and also from hiring the fracking Dissidia scriptwriter (just... don't do that) whereas Inquisition's story is its own thing that has room to breathe.
Quests:
Okay, getting into the good stuff here. FFXV and DAI have both been criticised for having grindy, MMO-esque fetch quests. Broadly speaking, that is true. However, in going back to DAI right after FFXV, I've found that it's actually a much bigger issue in XV. For example, let's compare two broadly similar (at the outset) quests that end up going in completely different directions.
FFXV: Restaurant owner tells you, a prince, that a shipment of beans he's waiting for hasn't arrived and dispatches you to fetch it. Go find the truck, kill the monsters that attacked it, get the beans, return them to the dude, get some money and EXP. He says thanks, then immediately sends you back out to get him some onions.
Inquisition: Soldier tells you, a member of the organisation fighting to restore order following a catastrophic event, that bandits have been attacking refugees. Go to the place where the bandits are. Another soldier tells you they're too well-equipped to be bandits, and to be careful. Kill the dudes, find a note saying they're holed up in a building somewhere else on the map. Go there, kill the dudes, find another note tying them to a crime ring hiding out in a dungeon nearby. Go there, kill everyone, get sweet sweet loot and EXP. The refugees are so grateful! Walking around the world, you can come across groups of them camping and talking about how much the Inquisition has helped them. Warm fuzzies all around.
Broadly speaking, the quests aren't all that different: talk to quest-giver, go here, kill some monsters/dudes and get rewards. However, the story framing for the quests is completely different: in XV, your kingdom has been attacked and your father killed, and you're out for revenge... and also beans, apparently. In Inquisition, you're specifically tasked with helping people and spreading word of the Inquisition's good deeds to get more people on your side, so taking out bandits makes complete sense!
This leads me onto another topic, because I'd argue that traversing the world to get to said quests is a very different experience in both games. So...
Open World Design:
The car in FFXV gets a shitton of criticism, for good reason; it's a glorified loading screen, and amounts to you a) just sitting there while it drives itself or b) just sitting there holding R2 while it basically drives itself. The world's size is an encumbrance more than anything else, and long (long, long...) loading times make fast travel a pain to use. Inquisition's decision to use smaller, self-contained zones was a good one; you still keep that sense of exploration and discovery, while making it relatively easy to get around even on foot. DAI's maps are much denser than XV's; there's basically something around every corner, even if it's just an Inquisition campsite or an astrarium.
Compare FFXV's entire world:
vs
The Hinterlands:
It takes about an hour to run from one end of the FFXV map to the other. The Hinterlands takes like... twenty minutes? Perhaps not even that? It's very impressive having a big open world, but having it big just for the sake of being big only hurts the experience and only makes getting around a huge pain in the neck. I mean, DAI is also guilty of this with the Hissing Wastes, but that shit is optional and many people never even see it
also I love the Hissing Wastes fite me
Combat:
I'm not going to talk about the quality of the combat system themselves because both are competent, and other than that it comes down to preference. However, DAI has elements to it that I think would have vastly improved XV: the ability to directly control party members and issue orders to them; the ability to enter tactical view and freaking move your party out of the enemy's direct line of attack because they're ranged archers and shouldn't be in melee range oh my gOD PROMPTO; a limited number of healing potions that adds some challenge to gameplay instead of just buying 99 of each healing item and spamming them until the battle is over or you die. Also the camera. If FFXV added these things and fixed up the camera I honestly think I would like the combat a lot more.
Finally...
f e m a l e c h a r a c t e r s
I've talked about my issues with FFXV's female characters. For those who missed it:
FFXV is a deeply (unintentionally, I think) misogynistic game and its female characters reflect archaic and harmful views of women in general, especially considering the series has a long history of very well-written women.
Dragon Age Inquisition lets you play as a woman - specifically, a woman who is never sexualised, who is powerful, who is respected, who has agency and choice. Cassandra is a skilled warrior, a loyal friend, a gooey romantic heart covered up by a spiky exterior. Leliana is a skilled and sneaky spymaster who all but runs the Inquisition and is torn between her innate compassion and her growing ruthlessness. Josephine is a talented diplomat who chooses to shy away from violence and encourage peace. Vivienne is a badass mage who can solo dragons, is an amazing, complex, compassionate, infuriating character, and is also a smart and powerful woman of colour. Sera is... Sera, but she still doesn't take shit from men who think they can boss her around. There are more, but you get my drift. FFXV has Aranea, who is amazing and underused; Iris, ditto; Cindy the sex doll; Luna the
fridged
To sum up
I'm not saying OMG FFXV IS SO BAD AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD FOR LIKING IT (I'd settle for acknowledging its women problem honestly) or that DAI is the BEST GAME EVAR (that honour obviously goes to Final Fantasy XII and Persona 4). What I am saying is that one game is largely criticised by GAF while the other receives widespread praise, even though they're actually very similar in a lot of ways. Just something to think about, I guess.
