Summary
DuringScreen Rant’s coverage ofSummer Game Fest 2024, I got a behind-closed-doors look at the future ofDragon Age: The Veilguardin an hour-long demonstration of the game’s opening moments, conducted by a developer.Heading in, I was apprehensive, as my time with theDragon Agegames has been one of extremes:Originsreignited my love of gigantic fantasy RPGs;DA2made me question what I actually wanted out of an RPG (and, later, would prepare me to adore games likeFinal Fantasy 16); andDragon Age: Inquisitionmade me want to start seriously evaluating how I was spending my limited time.
Thatisn’t to sayInquisitionwas bad- I think by now many of us can agree it was perhaps a little bloated, with the Hinterlands an iconic representation of how not to design an early environment.But it has made me leery ofDragon Agebeing able to wrap up its Dreadwolf arc in satisfying, succinct fashion, and even with Solas' beautifully bald head present in even the earliest inklings of story inVeilguard, I can’t help but worry there will be more bloat added to what at its core is a beautifully told story of revenge, regret, and the complexities of good and evil.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard｜Official Reveal Trailer
Dragon Age: The Veilguard gets its first official trailer during the Xbox Games Showcase event of Summer Game Fest 2024.
None of that was ever going to be answered in myDragon Age: The Veilguarddemonstration, but it does help you understand where I’m coming from when I say I have concerns over its initial presentation that might carry into the broader game; I also want to note that I’m very much scarred by my experience with Inquisition’s overtly padded out narrative, so I’ll identify the best of what I saw also.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Is Familiar High Fantasy In Its Early Moments
For Better Or Worse, Players Will Know What To Expect
The story ofDragon Age: The Veilguardbegins with what many veterans of the franchise might expect at this point in its lengthy narrative -the sultry, dulcet tones of Varric narrating the beginning of another promising adventure. The character’s trademark wit and charm is very much present, while the story just sort of jumps right into things under the assumption you’ve got some understanding of where things left off inInquisition. Solas, the Dreadwolf, is already conducting a menacing ritual to dismantle the Veil in the heart of the Tevinter Imperium’s capital city, and Varric has assembled a crew to attempt to stop him.
The demonstration began with a player choice, wherein Rook - our extremely customizable hero (more on that later) - gets to choose between fighting an entire bar or attempting to negotiate his way into more peaceful circumstances. Naturally,the demoist chose to beat everyone up in a bit ofDungeons & Dragons-esque tavern fun, complete with Varric pinning the shady bartender to her own station with a well placed crossbow bolt for some interrogation. It’s cheeky, it’s entertaining, but it’s very familiar at this point - not necessarily toDragon Ageas a whole, which I think does some excellent work in subverting high fantasy expectations or expanding on lesser used tropes, but to the genre itself.
I began to allow myself hope that this Dragon Age might be the right combination of Inquisition’s grand ambition and Origins/2’s more restrained, character-driven story beats.
As Rook and Varric scrounge the city for clues and meet up with a few more teammates en route to stopping Solas' big scary plan, they engage in some back and forth that feels like a mix of cheesy RPG dialogue and the characterization that makesDragon Agesuch a great iteration of its genre. Rook feels pretty generic in the early going, though the player character does have some dialogue change based on their background nearly right away. It’s also worth noting that this demonstration was literally the first hour or so of gameplay, so there isn’t much to establish or anchor Rook’s character,especially when being compared to cast members like Varric and Solas, who have had entire games' worth of development to feel more like they have real motives and behaviors.
Noticeably, the actual design of the city is a major selling point. Its here where I began to allow myself hope that thisDragon Agemight be the right combination ofInquisition’s grand ambition and2’s more restrained, character-driven story beats. TheTevinter capital looks gorgeous and is steeped in magic, with the practice so normalized that its even being used to power what are essentially neon bar district signs. As the environment gets destroyed or decayed and action spills out into the streets, the rendering of each brick and light source helps add to a high fantasy feel.
Dragon Age: Best Class To Pick In Each Game
There are three primary classes to choose from in every Dragon Age game, and each one comes with unique drawbacks and benefits to keep in mind.
When the story finally picks up beyond snappy dialogue between a bunch of characters who all want to be rogues,Veilguardstarts to shine a little more. I can’t go into too much detail because the spoilers present at the end of the demo are, rightfully so, being protected by BioWare - but suffice to say stakes get raised quickly, characters show their true colors and begin to form into more than just archetypes, and the world ofVeilguardgets the kickstart to its tale that promises potential. It was an uneven presentation, filled with a little hesitancy and stagnance in its opening but blossoming into something more substantial towards its close - if the latter is more indicative ofVeilguard’s quality than the former, then the Dreadwolf epic is in good hands.
Character Customization Is Back And Better Than Ever
At The Cost Of A Strange Aesthetic Choice In Broader Design
The other element ofDragon Age: The Veilguardthat gave me pause was its character designs. First, however, it deserves praise for the depth of its character customization options. We only saw some of them in the demonstration, but they’re big changes and additions, with hair rendering for styles that have consistently been criticized as lacking one of the most impactful out of the gate. An increased focus on character background is simplified by choosing a political/power group to be affiliated with - rather than choosing “noble” or “street urchin,” players instead choose a faction to represent them and inform some of their character’s background while also promising to significantly impact how the world views them.
The other big get for character customization is a slider that simplifies body type selection and helps really find that sweet spot in player representation. It looked incredibly easy to maneuver around and create a body that is either close to that player’s real personage or their ideal fantasy self. I’m definitely eager to get my hands on theVeilguardcustomization more substantially to see just how deep the rabbit hole goes, but it’s looking good so far.
What isn’t looking good - at least to me - is the overall aesthetic of the characters.
What isn’t looking good - at least to me - is the overall aesthetic of the characters, especially when contrasted with the intriguing world around them. There’s something just a little off about their design, such that they look a lot more at home as part of aLeague of Legends' champion reveal cinematic than in a BioWare RPG. Maybe it just takes some getting used to, but I’m skeptical, as the initial impressions are just off-putting enough to make it feel like something is amiss. I was a pretty big fan of howDragon Agehas depicted its heroes up until this point, so it’s possible I just need to understand that times change and this is what the people want, but I just don’t think it looks particularly good.
While they might look strange, however, there’s reason to be optimistic that companions inVeilguardwill be at their best in terms ofDragon Agestandards. Apparently, they will not only be influenced by your decisions in terms of how they treat you outside of combat, but closeness to party members will also change how they fight, with those closest to Rook more useful and lethal in battle. Romance will also be present in the game, though we didn’t get an exact estimate on how many options there will be.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Combat Is Its Best Chance At Making A Splash
The Fluidity Of Dragon Age 2’s Misjudged Battle System Returns
I’ll be honest - I’m aDragon Age 2apologist through-and-through, and I think that game was brilliantly made. A big reason I believe that is the combat it housed, which was fun, quick, and a power fantasy of all of the genre’s most enduring tropes - the explosive mage (no pun intended for Anders' sake), the nimble rogue, and the brutal warrior were present and integrated beautifully into a system that simply bucked a trend many players weren’t ready to switch over from at the time.Veilguardhas an improved version of that battle system that combines the tactical pauses ofDragon Age’s deep strategy with a more fluid, eye-catching approach to action that can create gorgeous visuals at times.
During the demo, Rook and crew engaged several enemies on their way to stop Solas. Battle sometimes began through a cinematic and sometimes by simply approaching an enemy on the map. Our Rook was a rogue specializing in agility-based skills and a bow to help close gap advantages, and the string of attacks possible while playing Rook made the combat seem quite dynamic on a base level.Every class inDragon Age: Inquisitionwill have a charge meter unique to them that rewards players for roleplaying their job well; in the case of the Rogue, it’s by chaining attacks together without getting hit and lithely dodging blows. Charging the meter helps fuel special skills, which can be accessed via either the tactics wheel or a mapped shortcut button.
The demo showcased a tougher fight against a Pride Demon that also rewarded smart usage of skills with party members.
At first glance, combat looks extremely customizable. There will be skill trees and three specializations per more broad jobs, so Rogue can then spec into different options. Our presenter said that each specialization was pretty much as deep as a job, though that remains to be seen. Tactical pauses help players position themselves for lethal skill usage, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard is also bringing back healing magic, which will help deepen strategy and allow better party balancing.
The demo showcased a tougher fight against a Pride Demon that also rewarded smart usage of skills with party members. Perhaps due to our demoist’s familiarity with the game and repeated battles throughout the weekend, the boss didn’t appear all that difficult, though it was early into the game and only the first real “hard” foe. Its design was interesting, though, and it certainly had attacks that made it important to pay attention to what was happening on screen.
I’ll be interested to see gameplay from more than just the Rogue, as I’m curious to see how mages maneuver in this system, for instance. But I do love what I’ve seen so far when it comes to combat, and am optimistic it could be the biggest reason to pick up Dragon Age: The Veilguard when it releases later this year.
I’m Still Worried About Dragon Age: The Veilguard
But I Think I’m More Eager To See It Than Ever Before
TheDragon Age: The Veilguarddemo I saw at Summer Game Fest 2024 left me in two minds. The first is one of abject panic - why on Earth does this game look like Varric is figuring out where Tomato Town is? Its first hour introduces evenmoreplot points to the Dreadwolf saga - do we really need more?
But the other mind is one of optimism. It’s clear that, character aesthetic aside, style has been deeply considered by BioWare, with its environmental design and combat flashy and fun. The depth of character customization and skills will hopefully create a reason to play through the game multiple times, provided it isn’t another 100 hours with too much side content.
It’s all or nothing forDragon Age: The Veilguard.
Which game will we see whenDragon Age: The Veilguardreleases? Is it the one that many - myself included - were dreading as a possibility ever sinceInquisition’s release and the subsequent lengthy development time? Or is it the one that will firmly establish the series as a force in the RPG genre? Somehow, it feels like there won’t be an in between this time. It’s all or nothing forDragon Age: The Veilguard, and there’s equal reason to fret over and anticipate that fact.
