"Dragon Age: The Veilguard" has been out for a few days after reviews and now that gamers have their hands on it we see the back and forth between critics and players.
It is interesting to dive into what some of the game's supposed positives and negatives are as well as give my own experiences as I am slowly working through the game. So here are reactions from players, and my own, and be aware this is my take after playing over a dozen hours but not done and more to see what a game feels like in the first ten and if that reflection of complaints and positives is already there especially as the discussion of front-loaded content is so prevalent today.
"Dragon Age Veilguards' writing is like an ice sculpture that is melted halfway so you can't exactly grasp what it is. Almost every time someone talks it feels like it needs 2-3 more sentences like they ran out of VA cash."
The Highlights of "Dragon Age: The Veilguard" and my reactions
1. Deep Character Customization Players seem to love the game's detailed character customization. It’s more than just picking a hairstyle or eye color; it feels like you’re building a character that truly represents you. From different cultural backgrounds to unique personalities, the character creation lets you explore various options.
My own experience: I am not as optimistic. I tried to create a human and spent hours in the creator but the majority of what I could create seemed to have both edges of the extreme cut off meaning the result always looked like Generic Human Template 1 with some slight alterations. Also, the game's factions and their bonuses and plusses seem tangential at best and at worst misuse the actual theme of Dragon Age itself. Instead of ultimately collapsing down like a black hole of suck that means the player gets to add a bit of affliction to a weapon. It's a generic DND style at its worst.
2. Enhanced Combat Mechanics The new combat style in "The Veilguard" leans more action-oriented and feels fluid and intense. Supposedly gone are the days of rough, clunky, combat—this time around, it’s all about smooth movements and strategic choices. Battles have a heightened sense of energy, keeping players on their toes. Many fans are calling it the best combat system in the series so far.
My own experience: Sure I agree with this for the most part, though I am not a fan of the exact controller bindings as holding down a trigger on the same side that you have to click the directional pad can make it all feel cludgy as hell like you need a 3rd thumb, or you were a player who had a third arm and liked the N64 controller. The combat may be a bit smoother at times but many of the locations don't facilitate as much flexibility as I would like and sometimes I feel like the lock-on is corraling a drunk friend and trying to get them out the door of the bar. I just stopped using it and am very happy to say that did improve the gameplay a bit. Once that change had been made I liked the combat a great deal more with a nice flow to the action and using the built-up skills when needed. A couple of boss battles down felt good if a bit repetitive purely due to skill use.
3. Strong Character Relationships The game doubles down on the series’ well-known character-driven stories. Each companion has a detailed backstory and personality, and their development through the narrative feels thoughtful. The interaction dynamics and relationship-building elements add depth, making your decisions feel impactful (even if they sometimes aren’t, but more on that below).
My own experience While I haven't played far enough to say how the relationships work out in the end, the writing, both within the normal quests and fiction as well as the interpersonal character mini-discussions has ranged from what the hell am I doing here to ok. I haven't found myself caring about anyone yet. I have never felt that the Dragon Age fiction and writing hit on all cylinders other than moments from the prior games. Excellent moments for sure, but just moments even back to Origins. A game I love. The same holds in Veilguard so far. It's a representation of showing and not telling to such an extreme that you find yourself sometimes just wishing they would tell you more. Even rub some dirt on it and be fancy a bit.
"The writing in the game is more of a guided tour than a true trip in a new gameworld."
So I guess my opinion is that yes Veilguard continues in the same way as their prior games and may be worse here, but the game issues are not brand new. Just that in the past titles they had some highlights that Veilguard hasn't shown me yet.
And Now for the Bad
The Not-So-Great Parts of "Dragon Age: The Veilguard"
1. Inconsistent Writing and "Forced" Dialogue One of the biggest complaints floating around is that some of the writing feels insanely forced. Certain characters and storylines seem to be included solely to check, we have included you, boxes versus adding interest to the game world. Like a photoshoot of a city street where it's all smoke and mirrors. This has led to some dialogue and character interactions that don’t feel as genuine or as immersive as players hoped.
My own experience: This is something that hits me right in the feels. Everything feels like it's been run through with some kind of filter that makes sure that there is no mystery, no feeling, no actual emotion. It's like someone pretending to scream or actually screaming. You can hear the difference and in Dragon Age, I can feel it every time. This is especially noticed during scenes that pertain to characters and their self-worth, where the game reads like everyone signed some kind of agreement to make sure that no one could be too upset or too pissed off. That being said so far there hasn't been anything in the game that made me rock back and say "oh my lord I can't believe that in the game!"
2. Limited Impact of Player Choices Dragon Age has always been known for letting players shape their journey through their choices. Unfortunately, while "The Veilguard" offers decisions players have noticed that many of these don’t significantly impact the story’s outcome. The choices sometimes feel like “illusion of choice” moments, which can be disappointing for fans expecting a fully branching storyline that takes ideas and gameplay into account. It’s a letdown for those who love the roleplaying aspect and want their decisions to make a real difference.
My own experience: Many of the quests and choices I have made have ultimately resulted in what feels like a "we all got here somehow" kind of moment which reminds me of Choose Your Adventure books. Where getting to page 350 was endgame regardless. Sure it's about the journey but this is more of a guided tour, at times, than anything else. However, that isn't that surprising as many games can feel that way as smaller quests build to larger decisions. Someone with my hours into it could have a massively different feel, something we should also take into account when discussing people who fully review something after 8 hours of 40.
3. Repetitive Gameplay and Overused Mechanics While the combat is exciting, some aspects of gameplay do get old after a while. Later environmental puzzles feel recycled, and a few of the boss battles drag on without introducing anything fresh or challenging. If you’re the type who likes variety, you might find yourself hoping for more diverse mechanics or inventive-level design to keep things exciting.
My own experience: So far I haven't felt this yet, but looking forward and at the choices I have made in combat, and the way the game rolls out new areas, I can see the repetition in its basic form. However, everything is in some way repetition otherwise chaos. I just have to see more and I am not at all bothered with it yet.
The Verdict on "Dragon Age: The Veilguard"
At the end of the day and As a Dragon Age fan, I’d say "The Veilguard" has its heart in the right place its just you don't have access to it. Instead, the game feels like it's been filtered through enough QA and theme testing that what we got is the crib notes version of the games narrative so far. Which makes it incredibly hard to understand why things are done in the game. Mystery is magical if done well, and so far I don't think DAV hit that.
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