'Dragon Age: The Veilguard' Spoiler-Free Review

Video Games

Nov 3

Dragon Age poster — Image Source: IGN Nordic

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the newest installment in the Dragon Age franchise and the direct sequel to Dragon Age: Inquisition. The game underwent many name changes until it settled on its current one. It was also teased for many years, but official reveals didn’t start ramping up until recently. The game is massive and is sure to please any fan of the series.

Gameplay

When it came to combat in the Dragon Age games, it was more tactical focused than hack and slash. You would control each character and get them to the best position to fight. While this wasn’t always necessary to use, it helped in more intense fights. The Veilguard completely ditches that for a more hack-and-slash type of combat. You don’t have the tactical camera anymore, and you just directly click on the enemy to attack it. You and your companions do have special abilities that help in the fight that you can control to give you an edge. You do have various dialogue choices you make throughout the game, but the game itself is quite linear. It’s not as open-world as the previous games, but there are still plenty of side quests to get and areas to explore. The character creation is massive, very inclusive, and will have players spending hours in it to create their perfect character. You also get to customize your Inquistior from the previous game, so make sure you remember what they look like.

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Graphics

The game is gorgeous. Unfortunately, the previous installments look their age and sometimes make those games hard to play. Veilguard is a beautiful and colorful game with incredible graphics. The art style is also a bit different from what fans are used to, but not in a bad way. It fits the aesthetic of the game very well.

Story

The game continues the story of the final events of the Inquisition. Your characters, Rook and Varric, have been searching for Solas, and he is finally in their grasp. He is in the process of opening the veil, and you and Varric are determined to stop it. Of course, it never goes the way you want it to, and two ancient Elven Gods end up being freed, and Solas is trapped. This is not good, as the Gods want to reign destruction across Thedas, so it's up to you and your companions to make sure this doesn't happen.

Pros And Cons

One of the best parts of the Dragon Age is the addition of companions who accompany you on your mission. In previous games, you always had three companions join you. In this game, you only get two companions to follow you. While it’s not the worst thing in the world, the party banter between the three of them was always entertaining. Speaking of party banter, that is still there, and it’s as funny as ever. All of these companions are very different from each other but come together in order to defeat Solas once and for all. You also cannot chat with your party in between missions unless they have something to say. Fans know that after a mission in previous games, you could run around and talk to the party members. The game also does not import your choices from the previous games. The story is a bit slow in the beginning, and the world doesn’t open up until a few hours in, but once it does, you are pretty much able to choose which way you wanna go. One of the coolest new things in the game is the use of ziplines. It’s a lot of fun ziplining all around different towns and cities, and something I hope they always continue to include in BioWare games.

Dragon Age gameplay — Image Source: CultureSlate

Verdict

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the perfect sequel to Dragon Age: Inquisition. The characters are all extremely likable and make the game much more enjoyable. The game is very inclusive and makes it accessible for everyone to play, which is great to see. As someone who didn’t enjoy the tactical-based combat, I am so happy they changed it for this game. If you are a of the series, this is a must-play.

Ranking: 9/10

Developer: BioWare, Publisher: Electronic Arts, Players: 1, Released: October 31st, 2024, ESBR: M, MSRP: $69.99-79.99

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