BioWare games are difficult to review. It has a slightly different balance than other games, and players expect, nay, demand certain things that they might not care about or consider in other titles. Therefore, I feel compelled to give Dragon Age: The Veilguard two different reviews. One is just how great, fun, and easy to play the game is overall. And two, how satisfying and fun it is as a BioWare title. Since that’s not really an option, I’ll try to summarize that opinion and say that this is a very good game. at a cost I appreciate it being a great BioWare game.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the latest game in one of BioWare’s flagship series that fans have been waiting for for nearly a decade. Set 10 years after the events of the Inquisition, the titular group of characters unite under the leadership of player character Luke to stop Solas, an ally from the previous game, who plots to destroy the world. But their attempts to stop him accidentally unleash an even greater evil, and Luke and friends must rock and roll across Thedas trying to stop it.
When I had a chance to preview the game, I spoke with several of the developers about the development of Veilguard and what they wanted to focus on during development. They were all adamant that Veilguard would “return to BioWare’s roots,” but were also honest about their hopes that doing so would repair the studio’s tarnished reputation. Following the mixed reviews of Mass Effect Andromeda and the complete failure of Anthem, BioWare has fallen from the lofty position it held in the minds of many gamers. But will one game be enough to change that?
In theory, the new Dragon Age game is the ideal candidate for that. Its predecessor, Inquisition, was BioWare’s best-selling title of all time. Lifetime sales: 12 million bottles. And The Veilguard ranked among Circana’s top 10 best-selling games in the U.S. for October, even though it was released late in the month. That being said, Circana analyst Mat Piscatella said in an interview with IGN that the game is a “good release, but not great” and that it is “more than Inquisition’s lifetime sales.” “We will face a bit of an uphill battle,” he said.
Welcome to Thedas — who’s in charge here?
Before I go any further, I would like to clarify that most, almost all, of the previous decisions made in other titles in this selective series are not important in Veilguard. This is a mild spoiler, but you’ll find out as soon as you boot up the game and look at all three questions the game asks about what choices you made in the Inquisition. As a Dragon Age fan and lore buff, I can’t help but be a little disappointed to learn that many of the choices I’ve made in the previous three games ultimately lead to nothing.
But as a game critic and fan of the industry, I respect BioWare in a way. If you think about it, Veilguard is spinning a lot of plates at launch. A series that has been dormant for 10 years needs to be revived and made accessible to new players. It needs to follow up three games’ worth of stories in a way that satisfies and rewards the fans who have waited so long. This is also the game that needs to “bring BioWare back,” or reinvigorate the studio’s flagging reputation. There’s a lot of pressure to run a single game, so I can’t really blame BioWare for choosing to give up some of the ballast.
Heck, there’s even a kind of metaphor there, for the game’s antagonists as well as the real world, about seeing the world as it is rather than as you want it to be. By the way, that’s not my decision. I’m just acknowledging what I believe is BioWare’s intent. Now let me tell you how they were able to successfully accomplish that intention.
Who let all these demons in?
Veilguard continues Dragon Age’s tradition of reinventing gameplay with each new entry. It’s more of an action RPG than a traditional RPG, and has the most in common with Dragon Age 2. Gameplay is faster-paced than Origins or Inquisition, emphasizing the synergy of Luke and his allies’ combo abilities and elemental attacks. This is where the game’s live service roots seem to be most exposed, as Rook’s companions are both important and unimportant. You can’t be targeted by enemies during battle, and you can’t get injured.
The rest of the gameplay is fairly linear, but spread out over a number of different bite-sized sandboxes. Luke and Veilguard visit various parts of the in-game world that have been mentioned but previously unexplored. There’s not a lot of detail for those who want to really dig into those locations, but it’s still satisfying to see Rivan and Nevarra represented as something other than names in the codex. Treviso, the capital of Antiva, is particularly impressive for its gorgeous Spanish-style architecture.
That said, the quick gameplay and beautiful environments are let down by the lack of enemy variety. Veilguard only has three enemy factions. Venatori cultists, brutal excommunicated Qunari warriors, and hordes of ravenous darkspawn. Aside from the occasional boss fighting a large beast, these repetitive battles break up, especially when enemies keep respawning at the Crossroads, the in-game magical thoroughfare you use to get to far-flung destinations. There is nothing.
Bringing back the best of BioWare
Listening to BioWare’s own employees, one of BioWare’s biggest draws as a company is its companion characters. Teams in the game are written as friends, family, and potential partners for the player character. You’d be hard-pressed to find an in-game NPC as beloved as those from Mass Effect, Knights of the Old Republic, or previous Dragon Age games. In recent memory, Baldur’s Gate 3 has been rated about as high, but given that the first two Baldur’s Gate games are BioWare titles, I count them as honorable BioWare companions.
And it looks like the titular Veil Guard follows the same formula. They are a group of capable warriors with personal issues that need to be resolved. They represent different races and backgrounds in the game, each offering a unique take on the world. Their interactions with Luke are fun, if a little silly at times. Some of the best moments in the game are when all of the Veil Guards sit together around a table and talk.
That said, it sometimes feels like it was specifically written to be as BioWare-like as possible, if that makes sense. You can see the invisible bullet points behind each design. They must have a romantic attraction, be at odds with other team members, and have a personal crisis that can be resolved with a few missions and some fun conversations. The writing about the companions is that they’re still interesting and fun to spend time with, but I wish they’d been given a little more room to exist beyond who they are to Luke. Sometimes.
Will Dragon Age: The Veilguard bring back BioWare’s best qualities?
Overall, Dragon Age: The Veilguard feels like a compromise. A new addition for multiple new players jumping into the series after a 10-year hiatus, accompanied by as much ongoing story elements as BioWare can actually insert to keep long-time fans interested. . . The downside to this compromise is that I don’t think it will fully satisfy fans new or old. But even after so much time, I’m not sure it was possible to completely satisfy either party.
The reaction I’ve seen from longtime BioWare fans has been a little mixed, but otherwise the reaction from players has been positive. It seems like it’s enough for BioWare to come back, in terms of BioWare releasing games again. The appeal of the game as a particular property of BioWare is negotiable. To be honest, I would have welcomed a Canadian studio to push the envelope a little more. At least BioWare has garnered enough goodwill from The Veilguard to generate interest in future Mass Effect titles.
