Summary
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a polarising game, but there are widely praised aspects of it.
- The environmental design and visuals are a particular highlight.
- The new combat system has also earned plaudits.
Everyone has an opinion on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and a lot of them are quite negative. The Veilguard certainly has its fans, but a cursory scan over forums and boards dedicated to Dragon Age uncovers a lot of criticism. The writing and narrative aspects of the game are a common pain point for fans who are accustomed to BioWare excelling on that front.
With these sentiments in mind, WanderingStrang created a Reddit thread to quiz the community on what they enjoyed about the game. The answers are unsurprising, given that The Veilguard has high production values and does excel in certain respects.
The Veilguard’s Strong Points
The visuals of Dragon Age: The Veilguard are undoubtedly one of the game’s strong points. The stunning vistas of Arlathan Forest and the imposing skyline of Dock Town are two particular highlights. This opinion was expressed numerous times in the thread, with some even saying that The Veilguard deserved awards for art design and direction.
“It’s absolutely stunning visually. Every location was breathtaking in its own way, with a lot of variety,” writes snickcave. “The environment team deserved awards,” concurs smolperson. Other commenters also praised the game’s environments and visual design.
On a similar note, the hair physics of Dragon Age: The Veilguard are very well done. “My Rook looks like he belongs in a shampoo commercial,” comments Gmorning_Internet. I actually played with a bald Rook, but the reactivity of the other characters’ hair is genuinely impressive.
A small but appreciated change is mentioned by actualcatjess – companions restart conversations when they’re interrupted by combat or other characters speaking to Rook. After the commotion has ended, the listening companion will prompt the storyteller to continue. This, in addition with characters going through their banter lines at the Lighthouse, means you never miss these interactions.
On the narrative front, commenters praised the game’s third and final act. It’s structured similarly to Mass Effect 2’s “suicide mission” and feels appropriately climatic. The climax of Act 1, the Siege of Weisshaupt, has also attracted plaudits.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that a lot of respondents enjoyed The Veilguard’s combat. Although there are some traditionalist holdouts like myself who enjoy the somewhat clunky CRPG-style combat of Dragon Age: Origins – the times have changed. “I love the new combat, it’s so fun and dynamic! Already completed the game as a mage and a rogue. Playing as a warrior now and having just as much fun. I always found warrior gameplay boring before, now it’s great,” writes OkBobcat8856.
It’s good to highlight the aspects of Dragon Age: The Veilguard that are good, to give appropriate credit where credit is due.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the long-awaited fourth game in the fantasy RPG series from BioWare formerly known as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. A direct sequel to Inquisition, it focuses on red lyrium and Solas, the aforementioned Dread Wolf.