‘Dragon Age: Inquisition’ Screenshots Confirm Nugs, Baby Dragons

There’s plenty to look forward to with the impending release of Dragon Age: Inquisition – seeing what the developers have learned from the mixed reactions to Dragon Age 2, the chance to once again build an epic story around a Dwarven hero, and a brand new chapter in the story of Thedas.

But even if BioWare has made its name on compelling story of late, there’s more to Inquisition than scripted cut-scenes. Plot-driven campaign aside, the developers seem most excited about the opportunity to emphasize player choices and consequences. Whether they can deliver on handling both open-world gameplay and scripted story remains to be seen, but the living, breathing world continues to be emphasized in released assets.

After BioWare decided to feature a massive dragon in their first full unveiling, players have been left to wonder if the boss creatures would actually be featured more prominently in the game. New screenshots have surfaced on NeoGAF, hinting that the creatures may be found in more than just dungeons.

BioWare’s cinematic director confirmed that the dragon seen in the above image is only a baby, with the previous gameplay trailer showing not just its full-grown relative, but the mixture of both predator and prey in one of the game’s larger desert environments. It’s still hard to tell whether that footage was only meant to show the potential of next-gen hardware, or is an accurate reflection of what players can expect.

Luckily, one other screenshot showed that it won’t just be dragons moving aboutInquisition‘s world. The nugs are back, Dragon Age fans, and they’re better looking than ever.

For those unfamiliar with the odd combination of a pig and rabbit, nugs – or ‘mudsplashers’ – are most often found in the underground caverns populated by Dwarves. Due to their near-blindness, they can often be found either acting as pets or dinner in the world of Dragon Age. It’s hard to say how long it could survive in the sun-drenched deserts seen in the images – or next to such a deadly creature – but if the developers are rendering an in-joke with this much care, it may spell good things for the rest of the game.

What are your impressions from the images? Do you think that BioWare has truly crafted an open, living world, populated with these types of creatures, or is that hoping for too much? The developers have certainly promised as much being made possible by a new generation of hardware, so hopefully more examples will be given soon.

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Dragon Age: Inquisition is expected to release in 2014 for the Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4 and PC.