Dragon Age: The Veilguard will most likely be looked at as a degraded version compared to the previous series of iterations.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard, developed by BioWare, is their fourth title in the ARPG franchise published by Electronic Arts. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a direct continuation of the storyline in Dragon Age: Inquisition, which builds high expectations for the newer game to deliver on its promises in the dark fantasy universe. BioWare is very cable with their production, and much of the storyline’s visuals and intensity of action are aimed at the development of the previous games’ history.
Nonetheless, Dragon Age: The Veilguard does not particularly land for everyone. To some degree, some will do fine with its filmic style and science and even action-laden interludes. Others will feel it is a step down from the highly narrative engagements associated with the Dragon Age franchise, as activities of the campaign tend to focus more on action.
Meanwhile, Disciples of the earlier versions may feel that the more serious themes and story-driven content that had always been the core of this brand have given way to a less challenging storyline that has more appeal to average fans.
More likely, the expectations of Dragon Age: The Veilguard will differ, depending on the outlook you come into the game with. Those expecting a very complex and intricate RPG with meaningful choices and strong character arcs may end up disappointed, but non-veterans of the genre might be pleased with the eye candy and action Dragon Age: The Veilguard has to offer.
There were concerns regarding Dagon Age: The Veilgard’s story about the game’s lack of connection to the previous. I can’t really say much about it because of spoilers, but there is some truth behind it, although also some accusations of it aren’t true. The plot of the Dragon Age: The Veilguard may not make everyone happy because people have varying expectations.
Presentation-wise, the environments of Dragon Age: The Veilguard are beautifully crafted; they are diverse and numerous, especially since they are hand-crafted. I expected the darker regions of the game to be toned down, but that wasn’t really the case. Despite the potentially weakest first act, I remained somewhat invested throughout the game. You’ll see the consequences of the choices you make in the game at the end.
There is a sense of cinematic grandeur throughout the game, but nothing compares to the ending. Without spoiling anything, if there were anything I enjoyed in the game, it would be the ending missions. Without spoiling anything, I would say that it was probably one of my favorite ending missions in a while, quite similar to Dragon’s Dogma 2, as the choices you make up until then either pay off or bite you in the bottom.
Everything you do for your companions and the factions where they belong all have a purpose. Each companion has a mission that is related to the world in some way, and it is their ultimate goal to bring order to the chaos. Each companion has multiple quests to complete, and they must eventually choose between two paths with very different rewards that help them in combat.
Companions in Dragon Age have always been one of the highlights and one of BioWare’s biggest strengths over the years, not only with this franchise but with Mass Effect as well. However, in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, it was different to form a personal connection with any of them because of the way they were written. The lack of character depth and development for companions made them an afterthought, and I ended up not really caring about them when making choices in the game.
The game ties well with previous Dragon Age games, with returning characters and a proper conclusion to the Dread World storyline, as well as unexpected twists and turns. A lot of people can be pleased to know that there aren’t any cliffhangers in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. I feel like Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a type of game that is curated for the newcomers to the genre; it’s a decent starting point for an ARPG, and whoever played Inquisition and the Trespasser DLC will get more out of it.
With all that being said, the story writing, plot, and dialogues aren’t perfect by any means, and some would say they are even far from it. There are so many clichés, and there are a lot of moments in the game where you see what’s happening from a mile away. And the romance features in the game aren’t intricate at all and very underwhelming.
The dialogue options that the game gives you rarely resonate with me and what I wanted to do; they just seemed to be ‘sugar-coat-ey’, and that goes for all the options. When you compare it to games like Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s night and day. This issue is exacerbated by this game’s poor writing; BioWare spent two years creating the world and creating the characters before deciding on a plot and writing out a story—and it really is visible.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is yet another primary example of the work that has been continued by a writer whose work is different from the one previously explored. Somebody tells a very different story but not entirely a new one. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a concept that has a different audience and tone from that of the source material, yet they face difficulty in questing through the use of dialogs because of BioWare’s world and the tone it seeks.
In simpler words, it indicates that Dragon Age is a Darkhearted Medieval fantasy enriched with the slang and the dictionary of 2024 comedy entertainment and the language that, when played, even for a split second, makes the audience lose focus from the storyline and the characters. It does not take place on a regular basis, but if and when it does, it is jarring, and it often happens during the engagements with the allies.
Quests in Dragon Age: The Veilguard take place in different hand-crafted areas, which is a nice change from the Inquisition. These areas are also fun to explore because of the immense level of detail put into the environment. The areas in the game are also littered with treasure. It would’ve been alright if it weren’t for the fact that the game’s loot is so painfully bad that it ruins the excitement of even seeing them.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard also has puzzles you can solve, and they reward you with unique items that are worth scrambling to solve. You’ll revisit other areas other than the usual main mission quests, but you won’t be sent on fetch quests. Side quests include recurring entire factions from destruction, uncovering evil plots, and other interesting mission concepts.
Perhaps the most interesting part of Dragon Age: The Veilguard is its core gameplay loop, which focuses on combat, skill trees, and character progression. The combat experiences themselves, complemented by significant skill trees and diverse ways of playing, are spectacular and most appreciated in the earlier levels of the experience.
The environments and, more so, the graphics of the game are quite impressive, and the players may throw themselves into the fun of the game by the fast and furious action of class abilities whose effects are enhanced by class effects.
However, the letdown comes in with Bandai Namco’s games, where the progression of the game, most especially the enemies, becomes shallow and dull. Boredom sets in, and there are too many simplistic enemies and repetitive attacks that are cleverly disguised with the game’s visuals, mostly for those who prefer tough fights.
The character development is smooth, as trees of skills and systems of obtaining armaments do not convey practically anything other than equipping gear. While this may suit those called gamers who prefer the more relaxed game sessions of an RPG, gamers in the line of action for many years would see this as an unwelcome simplification of the system.
Lots and lots of loot are very tempting. Still, it feels, most of the time, like an annoyance rather than a gratifying exploring element, as most items collected are just either crafting items or coins that do not add much value to the gameplay. Looting sometimes can be too excessive as it renders the activity less enjoyable and more of a chore.
In sum, the combat on display has its own merits through its immediate enjoyment, but the entire game completely lacks the scope for discernible growth and progression in where it matters. But if there is one thing that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has going for itself is its performance. I was impressed by how well it runs, considering how, with early-build RPGs, you kind of grow to expect bugs or performance issues.
Visually, the detail of the landscapes is phenomenal in most areas, and the game is definitely worth exploring. The amount of detail that went into hand-crafting the environment is worth noting. While I think the character models look alright, some might say that they are too rigid and contained within a fixed range, and the lack of variety may bug some people.
The music and sound design are all right, but it’s not something that would blow you away. It’s just the poor voice acting and writing that makes the character dialogues in the game seem like they aren’t in it.
There is a title, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which should satisfy the appetite of players who crave an action role-playing game with better graphics and simple gameplay. The game has a very active combat system with beautiful landscapes and a load of cinematic moments that encourage engagement, particularly for the series newcomers or people who want to enjoy uncomplicated RPGs.
Nonetheless, for the series loyalists and for whom gameplay and relation draw more than the simple, uncomplicated action, Dragon Age: The Veilguard will most likely be looked at as a degraded version compared to the previous series iterations.
While Dragon Age: The Veilguard is great visually and in terms of ease of playing, it lacks the richness and sophistication that many people may associate with the Dragon Age games. While there can be no denying that it is an enjoyable action-adventure in a beautiful world, there is a void in storytelling and tactical engagement that was present in previous releases, causing some disappointment. Whether this will work for you will hinge upon your demands and what attractions you want in an RPG.
