If you happen to follow me on my personal blog, there I’ve been a little down on Dragon Age: The Veilguard. In hindsight, I don’t know that I’ve been abnormally picky, but I haven’t yet reached a point where I’m seeing BioWare’s vision for what it wants the game to be. At the moment, the game focus is pinponted on the people making up “Veilguard,” which is fine. Maybe that’s the vision, but I’ve not quite come to terms with how much that has seemingly diverged from a very good plotline BioWare had quite purposefully set up in Dragon Age: Inquisition – Tresspasser. But, I digress. Despite my any overarching qualms, I am having fun with Dragon Age: The Veilguard. It’s a great game, and honestly, while I’ve picked only five favorite highpoints here, there are plenty of things about it to celebrate!
The Veilguard
Okay, look. Even if BioWare turned tail on Solas’s story in this fourth Dragon Age title, at least they offered up an awesome cast of companions in return. As much as I enjoy their individual interactions with Rook, what’s even better is that they interact in meaningful ways with each other. They aren’t each tied to a particular spot in the game’s main hub; instead, they move around, talk to each other, help solve (or maybe cause) problems, and Rook can partake in their matters, or not. I can’t assuredly say yet that Veilguard has my favorite set of companions in any BioWare game, but I’m definitely leaning towards that notion.
The Combat
An opinion on Veilguard’s combat is definitely in the vein of “your mileage will vary.” I was never a fan of the strategic combat options offered in previous titles, so I’m absolutely loving Veilguard’s fast-paced, action-oriented combat. With a Mass Effect-style scheme of choosing actions and combos, no two battles are ever the same. As well, each class’s skill tree offers up lots of different abilities to try out, stick with, or, ignore. Going in with an aim of becoming a two-handed warrior, I was a little worried I’d become bored with combat, but that hasn’t been the case at all. I’m thoroughly enjoying smashing and bashing my way through battles, completing satisfying finishing moves, producing dazzling combos with my companions, and unleashing massive ultimates!
The Regions
Veilguard is a big game that feels small, and that’s a good thing. Gone is open-world bloat; in its place are streamlined areas that invite light exploration among gorgeous backdrops. Set in the northern reaches of Thedas, Veilguard is packed with lots of small spots to see among sun-drenched vistas, brooding cityscapes, sea-swept shores, dense forests, misty swamps, ethereal planes, and majestic dwellings deep underground. It was once easy to call Inquisition the prettiest Dragon Age game, graphically-speaking, but Veilguard blows it out of the water. Veilguard‘s regions call back to the concentrated areas in Origins and Dragon Age II, which, yes, had their drawbacks, but at least they didn’t have players heading for the hills to search for shards. (Stupid, stupid shards.)
The Boss Battles
When it comes to Dragon Age boss battles, I think BioWare hit its peak early in Origins’ terrifying Broodmother. Every boss after that was…eh, fine. Most were more annoying than challenging. Well, BioWare put the gloves back on for Veilguard and made some of the most daunting bosses I’ve seen in a while. The main story bosses that I’ve encountered so far have been impressive, with big, rousing fights on the order of what Commander Shepard faced in Mass Effect 2’s human-Reaper monstrosity. But, the smaller bosses in side and companion quests have been equally good, if not better in some respects. I’m not in a Dragon Age game to be overly challenged, but it feels good to put my skills to the test against formidable foes.
Rook
BioWare did good in finally creating an insert-yourself protagonist with an actual personality. This isn’t to discount the excellent acting of our inquisitors, champions, wardens, and even Commander Shepards. And while I can’t rank Veilguard’s overall writing that highly – frankly, it’s pretty dismal at times – I feel much more attuned to Rook thanks to his varied responses and reactions than I ever felt with previous self-created protagonists. What’s even better is that the character with whom Rook is interacting responds much more naturally than I’ve witnessed in other titles, making the whole dialogue system seem less artificial (than it really is). I already can’t wait to do another playthrough with a different Rook who makes different dialogue choices, if only to jostle out different reactions.
Lede images and videos were captured by author during Xbox Series S gameplay of Dragon Age: The Veilguard (© BioWare).
VIRTUAL BASTION 