Dragon Age: The Veilguard Review

It’s been ten years since BioWare released a new Dragon Age title after its last trip to Thedas in Dragon Age: Inquisition. However, the wait seems to have been worth it with Dragon Age: The Veilguard ticking many of the right boxes even as it courts a bit of controversy over a few inclusions to its massive RPG-lite narrative.

The Veilguard takes its players across a vast swath of Thedas for an adventure that blends a brand-new combat system with a story that had me smiling at my screen more than a few times while other moments were so breathtakingly well-crafted that I was forced to take a break to simply process all that had unfolded in front of me.

It is an excellent addition to BioWare’s illustrious portfolio that deserves the praise it has been getting while its minor flaws can largely be ignored as its story takes you to corners of Thedas that are inhabited by a cast of characters that are sure to stay with you long after the credits have rolled on the grand adventure you share with them.

Thedas Beckons Faces Old and New in Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Let’s get a few things straight. Although I’m floored by the way BioWare has managed to craft a new Dragon Age experience in its latest addition to the long-standing franchise, The Veilguard is by no means perfect. For starters, its performance mode on the base PlayStation 5 could use some graphical polish, especially on the faces of its characters in conversations.

The Quality Mode’s framerates made me give up on it altogether sooner than Bioware may have hoped with its choppy framerates ruining its gorgeous visuals that showcase the studio’s creative chops nearly as well as the game’s explosive main narrative. Other minor gripes include an overabundance of loot tucked away in obscure corners of the world that could translate to a lot of grinding toward Veilguard’s endgame.

However, Thedas’ outstanding beauty across varied biomes alongside a sprawling adventure that sees your character (a new addition in typical Dragon Age style) visit several of them shines through in an art style that is an intriguing and refreshing departure from BioWare’s usual fare. It is clear that the studio has left Anthem’s mistakes behind in its effort to recapture the magic of its glory days.

Bioware Strikes a Perfect Balance Between Old and New

There are several changes in Dragon Age: The Veilguard which showcase BioWare’s new approach. Gone are the elaborate choices related to past titles in the franchise that inform your current playthrough, with a few notable exceptions that make themselves known right from the get-go. Your playable character is known as Rook irrespective of their origins and backstories you get to select using a character creator that is polished and intuitive, allowing you to craft a truly unique appearance for them.

However, the biggest change to the franchise’s tactical RPG roots is its revamped combat system that allows you to create very powerful builds as early as the main narrative’s first act as long as you take the time to explore and pick up a few pieces of gear from an extravagant selection of options that are scattered across Thedas.

Fluid animations and excellent mechanics make Veilguard’s combat a pleasure to behold and the Souls fan in me was awed by its well-tuned systems that allow for some truly spectacular encounters against the game’s admittedly limited enemy types while its bosses provided enough of a challenge to send my Rook right back to the nearest respawn point on several occasions.

The new combat system works very well with the game’s narrative, arguably the centerpiece of BioWare’s latest outing. Rook encounters several characters from past titles that are sure to bring a knowing smile to those among you familiar with Dragon Age lore while its latest batch of companion characters bring nuance and heart to their respective storylines despite a rather toned-down approach to their personalities and narratives, unlike similar titles like Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3.

And what a story it is! Missions unfold in front of you at a frankly overwhelming pace although a new fast-travel system makes managing your Rook’s time a lot easier. Alongside an upgrade system that allows for a fairly easy time in Thedas as soon as you can figure out a playstyle that suits you, Veilguard allows you to take on its story with ease as it races to concluding chapters in each act that put BioWare’s excellent production values and writing talent to good use.

Should You Buy Dragon Age: The Veilguard?

The answer to that question is fairly simple. If you are a fan of action RPGs with excellent narratives and intense combat, it is a resounding yes. BioWare has put a lot of effort into crafting a polished experience for both veterans of the Dragon Age franchise and newcomers alike that is a must-have for fans of the genre – and is sure to be an excellent showcase of the PS5 Pro’s new graphical prowess.

However, if massive titles that require a lot of time to truly appreciate are not your thing, you may want to give this one a pass considering that it does require you to invest some time into it before you begin to truly appreciate its scale and grandeur. I’d place Dragon Age: The Veilguard only second to Black Myth: Wukong as my choice for 2024’s Game of the Year. And considering my love for Game Science’s take on the Monkey King, that’s saying something.