Gab Hernandez 
Dragon Age: The Veilguard has finally arrived and while it delivers an aesthetically pleasing experience, it divorces itself from the rest of the series in the worst ways.
Throughout the 2000s, Bioware produced some of its best RPGs ever. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and of course, Dragon Age: Origins. Of those three, Dragon Age: Origins came last, yet it strangely feels like the most traditional RPG. Set in a dark fantasy world, Dragon Age: Origins commits to an authentic tabletop storytelling experience in a virtual medium.
Dragon Age: Origins feels like the quintessential Bioware RPG, from its turn-based combat to many branching paths. Since then, the franchise has seen many change; some for the better and some for the much, much worse. Dragon Age: The Veilguard lands somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.
The Good:
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the most optimized and best-looking Dragon Age game yet
- The combat is very fun and rewarding
The Bad:
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard has the most boring story in the entire franchise
- None of the choices from previous Dragon Age games matter
- The game overall lacks the personality of previous Dragon Age games
Review Details:
- What Platform Did the Reviewer Play On?: PC
- Platforms Available: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows
- Official Release Date: October 31, 2024
A Gorgeous Revisit
During the marketing phase of the game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard got some flak for its odd character models. Now that it’s out, it’s clear that those trailers did a disservice to the actual game.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the best-looking game in the franchise so far.
The enhanced graphical fidelity and distinctive style make the world feel vibrant. Meanwhile, the characters themselves look striking in action.
The combat also feels more refined and impactful than in previous games. While the combat does sacrifice some of the complexity, it feels more intuitive and fun. Still, some fans may miss the complexity and build options present in previous games. While the gameplay and atmosphere of Veilguard give a great first impression, things start to fall apart with its story.
A Toothless Return
For all of the faults from previous games, the story always remained a highlight. Even the controversial Inquisition boasted a cast of memorable characters, including the Inquisitors themselves. Unfortunately, Dragon Age: The Veilguard feels more like a game cosplaying the Dragon Age aesthetic.
Companions especially don’t feel as deep this time around. Quests are overly linear, and even when the player does have some influence, the end result is rarely impactful.
That problem extends to the entirety of the story. By the time players reach the end, they realize all they’ve done is change the flavor of how they “win.”
This is in sharp contrast with Dragon Age: Origins, where the chosen backstory could change the character’s entire quest line. The repercussions of every choice feel heavy and real, a tension that’s sorely lacking from The Veilguard. The dialogue is also far less serious, and too much time is spent with characters dumping lore on Rook instead of having it expand organically.
None of it is particularly “bad” per se, but neither is it very interesting. In some ways, players may wish Veilguard was worse than it is because at least it would be memorable. As it stands, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a good-looking game with decent combat and a milquetoast story. The most interesting bits tend to come from the cool things that happened in lore dumps, not the game itself.
For a franchise built upon complex RPG mechanics and branching storylines, the safe approach was not the way to go. New players will certainly enjoy their experience. Longtime fans will feel disappointed that after 10 years, Bioware released a game that barely looks like the franchise they came to know and love.
The Bottom Line: Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a mediocre successor to one of Bioware’s best franchises, and longtime fans will be disappointed.
Score: 4/10
