| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| PC | 7.00 |
| Overall | 7.00 |
|
At its face, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a story-based action-RPG, but describing it much beyond that is a fraught endeavour. The game exists pretty soundly on its own, with no need to have played prior iterations. The real-time combat is simple, but the RPG elements give some depth to make it at least facially more interesting. The player character has a skill tree that improve the battle options in differing ways, allowing the specialization of various forms of aggression depending on the character. The impact of these choices can be rather significant while being poorly explained, leading to situations where battles take much longer than they otherwise would, which in combination with repeating enemies, can lead to drudgery. You have two companions with you for most battles, and you can control what skills they use. They are invulnerable in battle, and for the most part, are ignored by enemies and focus on you. Which means there is a viable, incredibly boring tactic of running away while your companions very slowly dole out the damage. There is minor exploration. There are various locations, with goods that can be sold or used for upgrades, and chests sprinkled about for loot. But for quests there is a blue diamond indicator showing you where to go at all times. In some ways this makes progression feel very linear, but that is offset by missions being able to be completed in any order. Shops have a rank up system in order to be useful, but the game provides on explanation about that, so I by and large did not use them. The game is presented in a way that belies an inability to decide what it wants to be. There is a fanciful, almost Pixar-like expression to the animation and storytelling. It feels like a whimsical tale of what should be happily ever after. But its themes and content dip into the adult in a way that feels anathema to the design choices elsewhere. Either can be effective, but both at the same time is jarring. Perhaps the bulk of the experience, and what will most dictate what the player gets out of it, is in the characters. There are a number of companions you'll meet and have join your team, which through the course of the game, provided you care to do their quests and engage in that part, will have their own story arc and character progression. There is warmth and charm to them from start to finish. Included is also the option of a romantic arc with any of the companions, which adds to the sentimentality, even if the relevance is minimal. Those characters provide the most value to the story as well, as the connections are what make it engaging. At the same time, it almost feels like they are fighting with the writing itself. There are attempts at drama that fall flat and feel disconnected. You can make decisions that are seemingly just ignored by the plot. Consequences of dialogue choices are sometimes unrelated to the actual choice. And there are completely reasonable ways in which you can be left without your best companions for the final stretch of the game. The experience is one that is very up and down. Occasionally the real-time fight mechanics that are somewhat MMO-ish manage to hit a rhythm that feel skill-based, exciting, and rewarding. Most of the time, enemies are repetitive, if fine, seeing the same few baddies repeatedly through to the end of the game. While on occasion, it becomes a frustrating exercise in poor UI, control hiccups, and feeling the need to game the system rather than feel like you're engaged in a sensible form of combat. Sometimes the characters are very enjoyable and warmly written. But the tone is inconsistent and odd, and the big moments are a victim of its own writing. The storytelling has the tone of an epic, with scenes at the keys points to match, but the execution is ham-fisted and childish, despite presenting itself at times as mature. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a contradiction of a title. There is a sense of design-by-committee that fails to please anyone by trying to please everyone. Yet at the same time, also containing elements that are forward-thinking and risky, with aspects that provide charm and a memorable time. It's just a question of whether those memories are worth the 60 hour investment to get there. At its best it is a fantastical fantasy adventure where you and your rag tag group of underdogs save the world against impossible odds, with some light social and minor RPG elements. If that's all you're looking for, you should be able to enjoy yourself; just don't look beyond the veil. |
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Posted by Ellyoda Thu, 06 Mar 2025 16:54:41
Tue, 18 Mar 2025 04:24:06
Great review, I mostly agree. For sure belongs in the 7 score range.
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