Easily one of the most talked about games of the fall season, Dragon Age: The Veilguard has sparked debates for better or worse. Fans approached this release with fingers crossed, hoping BioWare could redeem itself after two massive failures: Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem. This game also marked a return to a series that hadn’t seen a new entry since the early days of the PS4. Considering its tumultuous development—plagued by nearly half a decade of delays—it’s no exaggeration to say that The Veilguard carried immense pressure for BioWare. As a big Mass Effect fan and a more casual Dragon Age fan, I tried to block out the usual internet hivemind negativity before diving into the game. After beating it and spending at least 100 hours in Thedas, I can say this: it’s fine. However, it’s frustrating that any criticism gets dismissed in the echo chambers of social media because, frankly, this game was a bit of a disappointment.
The game kicks off with one of the most detailed character creators I’ve encountered in a while. Usually, I just hit the randomizer until something decent pops up, but this time I spent nearly 50 minutes crafting a character that almost looked like me. Once I moved past the character creation, though, the story wasted no time throwing me into the deep end. You’re thrust into a plot to save the world from the Dreadwolf, but when the plan goes awry, your team ends up releasing two evil gods. It’s now up to you and your recruits to save Thedas.
The story had the potential to be another BioWare classic, but it never quite reaches those heights. The central premise of a double threat feels both overly familiar and unnecessarily convoluted. While there are compelling moments—like uncovering the history of ancient gods and delving into their motivations—these highlights are often drowned out by uneven pacing and exposition dumps. The characters, a hallmark of BioWare’s storytelling, are a mixed bag. Some stand out as classic companions with rich backstories and engaging dialogue. One standout for me was Bellara, the Veil Jumper. Her rough introduction left me uncertain, but as her story unfolded, I found myself drawn to her character. By the end, she was my go-to squadmate, even when I had only one free pick. However, not all companions hit the mark, and many felt underdeveloped compared to the series’ earlier entries.
The gameplay also took a controversial turn, ditching the overhead tactical combat of the older games in favor of an action-heavy system reminiscent of God of War. This shift is polarizing. Unfortunately, Veilguard’s combat feels uninspired and generic, echoing the “shovel ware” era of the Xbox 360. While there are options to vary attack styles, spamming the basic hit button is sufficient for most encounters. Additionally, party members can no longer die in combat, leaving you to manage only your character—a change that feels off in a BioWare game.
On the technical side, The Veilguard is a marked improvement over BioWare’s recent offerings. Gone are the stiff animations and buggy environments of Andromeda, as well as the excruciating load times of Anthem. The game runs smoothly for the most part and looks stunning on current-gen hardware. That said, it’s not without issues. I encountered occasional frame drops and glitches, like NPCs disappearing during crucial cutscenes. These problems, while annoying, are far less frequent than in previous titles, suggesting BioWare is finally mastering the Frostbite engine after years of struggles.
Still, I understand why some fans are disappointed. After nearly a decade of waiting, expectations for Veilguard were sky-high. While the game excels in areas like world-building and character customization, it struggles to recapture the magic of its predecessors. A significant issue is the tonal inconsistency. The game wants to be both a grand, epic tale and a personal, character-driven story but fails to fully commit to either. This leaves the narrative feeling scattered, with moments of brilliance often overshadowed by a lack of focus. By the time I neared the ending, I was definitely feeling the game’s length.
Ultimately, despite my tempered expectations, Veilguard still left me disappointed. BioWare seems to have sacrificed much of what made the earlier entries stand out to appeal to a broader audience. As someone who isn’t a die-hard Dragon Age fan, even I could see the cracks forming as the game progressed. While there’s a good game buried in here—if you cherry-pick certain elements—it’s not one that will stick with me. It’s the kind of game you beat, delete from your hard drive, and forget within a month. That said, it’s also a step forward for BioWare, showing signs that they’re learning from past mistakes. Hopefully, by the time the next Mass Effect rolls around, they’ll have ironed out these issues and regained the magic of their late-2000s heyday.
Score: 6 out of 10
Reviewed on Xbox Series X