Is Dragon Age Veilguard the Worst Dragon Age Game? A short Five-Points Review
- Sneaky Mage
- Mar 7
- 3 min read
Short answer? Depending of what your expectations are going in to the game.
I swear this is not a diplomatic answer, just a statement of fact. A more in depth essay on why this is my final answer, and an in-dept review will follow soon. With everything that has happened since its release, I decided to take some time to organise my thoughts, opinions and feelings in a cohesive and comprehensive post, the (quite probably) last entry in one of my favourite game series of all time deserves...
But for now? Let's start with something short and (bitter)sweet:
Objectively Veilguard is not a bad game.
Environments and hair dynamics are amazing...
(cont.).... music, however, is absolutely subpar (especially when compared to the rest of the series).
Loot and gameplay systems are a mayor improvement, allowing you to adapt to the situation on the fly (and not limit you to that one companion, who is the only one who can perform that one specific task...).
For a leading Dragon Age character Rook has very little agency (even compared to Hawke) - you can only choose how to react or respond, but it changes little in the grand scheme of things, if anything (even the ending is more dependant on how many quests you complete/"prepare" companions for it, and not your actual decisions).
Role playing is limited to NPCs reactions to you with regards to your race, specialisation, faction and a couple of extra dialogue options depending on those factors. And although not a new feature, it was never done to this extent, which is a major upgrade! Now if only there would be more player character agency...
What happened to the "Show, Don't Tell"?, combined with severing ties with any decisions made in the first two entries of the series, it makes for a clumsy, lacklustre and impoverished storytelling experience.
Subjectively Veilguard is a below average Dragon Age game.
If by any chance you haven't played it yet, and you're expecting an experience that will build upon the previous entries, you'll be disappointed.
If you've followed the whole development hell over the last 10 years, you'll probably be heartbroken.
And if you've read through the project Joplin and concept art, you'll be a more than a little frustrated, or even angry.
Ten years is a long time and expectations were obviously running high. It was never going to be the best Dragon Age game ever. Did it met my expectations? No. But I learned my lesion with the Inquisition (being among its beta testers and getting myself in too deep with the hype before the game came out). This time around I stayed out until the game came out, and I could play through it, without lamenting what could/should/would be or almost was. And perhaps that's why I'm not disappointed, heartbroken, frustrated or angry.
I am however a little melancholic, as it seems to spell the end of an era. But more on that at a later date and if you're still interested in the detailed post-mortem that will follow next week... I'll even give it a score. Promise.
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