
Dragon Age: The Veil Guard - BioWare Drops the Ball (Hard)
BioWare / Electronic Arts
PC, PS 5, Xbox X/S
31.10.2024
Action RPG
Dragon Age: The Veil Guard looks pretty, runs smooth, but forgets what made Dragon Age Dragon Age. Shallow story, dull combat, and choices that don't matter. Ouch.
pros
- Technically polished, runs well.
- Visually stunning environments.
- DRM-free and Steam Deck verified.
cons
- Stylized character designs miss the mark, uncanny valley vibes.
- Weak, juvenile writing compared to previous entries.
- Bland combat, repetitive and lacking tactical depth.
- Meaningless player choices, illusion of agency.
- Underdeveloped companions and romance system.
Detailed Review
Alright, gamers, let's talk Dragon Age: The Veil Guard. BioWare's big comeback? More like a faceplant. The game looks fantastic. Seriously, the environments are gorgeous. The game runs like a dream, too. No stuttering, no crashes, smooth as butter. They even went DRM-free and Steam Deck verified – props for that. But here's the kicker: it’s all surface level.
First off, the character designs. They’ve gone for this stylized, almost cartoonish look. Think Dreamworks, not gritty fantasy. The result? Uncanny valley overload. It’s tough to connect with characters who look like they belong in a Pixar movie, not Thedas. The Qunari? They look… different. And not in a good way. It really takes you out of the experience.
Then there’s the story. Remember the complex narratives and tough choices from previous Dragon Age games? Forget about it. The Veil Guard plays it safe, with a story that feels like it’s aimed at a younger audience. The writing lacks the depth and maturity we’ve come to expect. The companions? They're just... there. Their stories feel disconnected, and the banter lacks the spark of previous games. The romance system? Don't even get me started. It's a shallow, checkbox affair.
Gameplay-wise, it’s just as disappointing. The combat, while visually flashy, is incredibly repetitive. You’ll be mashing buttons against the same handful of enemy types over and over. There’s no real strategy or tactical depth. The level design, despite looking pretty, feels restrictive. It’s like they built these beautiful sets and then fenced you in.
And the biggest sin of all? The choices. In a BioWare game, choices should matter. They should shape the story and have real consequences. In The Veil Guard, they’re mostly cosmetic. You’ll pick dialogue options that amount to different ways of saying “yes.” It’s an illusion of choice, a total letdown.
The last couple hours offer a glimpse of what could have been. Suddenly, there are actual choices, exciting set pieces, and some emotional moments. It’s like a completely different game. It just makes the previous 48 hours even more frustrating.
Technical Performance
Performance Issues
None
Minimum Requirements
Operating System: Windows 10/11 (64-bit) Processor: Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 3 3300X Memory: 16GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 970/1650 or AMD Radeon R9 290X DirectX: Version 12 Storage: 100GB available space Additional Notes: SSD recommended but HDD supported
Recommended Requirements
Operating System: Windows 10/11 (64-bit) Processor: Intel Core i9-9900K or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Memory: 16GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 2070 or AMD Radeon RX 5700XT DirectX: Version 12 Storage: 100GB available space (SSD required) Important Note: AMD AM4 CPU users running Windows 11 must have AGESA V2 1.2.0.7 or newer firmware installed.
Final Verdict
Dragon Age: The Veil Guard had the potential to be great. It had the visuals, the tech, but it completely missed the mark on what matters most: story, characters, and meaningful player choice. It’s a polished turd.