After more than 10 years, a new Dragon Age finally arrives with the title: The Veilguard. However, the new trailer immediately causes outrage. MyMMO editor Benedict Grothaus has been a fan of the series since day one and understands the reaction – but finds what is shown great.
I grew up with Dragon Age more or less. After Gothic, the games set in Thedas and the Grey Wardens were my first RPG series, and Origins remains one of the best games of all time for me. Even the TV series captivates me more than Arcane.
At the Xbox Showcase, BioWare finally showed a new trailer, and it was not well received. No matter where you look, YouTube, Reddit, Twitter – everyone is complaining about the visuals:
- Way too colorful, no dark atmosphere anymore
- The gameplay doesn’t seem to fit either, it reminds more of a hero shooter like Overwatch
- And what about the humor and this cartoon style, is this Borderlands?!
This is how the comments on Dragon Age 4 read. And yes, the trailer looks significantly different from what one would expect from the predecessors. The visuals do not match what I expected. So why do I not hate the trailer as much as everyone else?
Veilguard has everything a good Dragon Age needs so far
The trailer is packed with action and showed me everything I wanted to see – and even a bit more:
- Familiar faces, Varric alone gets me every time
- The companions, the most important aspect in any RPG
- A threat and dragons, which are quite important for a “Dragon” Age
I expected maybe some cryptic message from Solas and a hint that an old evil is returning. But seeing so many characters right away really thrilled me. I’ve even started thinking about who my romance will be.
I have been waiting for a sequel to my favorite games for over 10 years. Maybe that’s why I overlook what bothers some – but at least the notion that it is “too colorful” is simply not true. Origins was the only part I would truly describe as “dark”.
However, it’s relatively unimportant whether the overall atmosphere is exactly like before, as long as it fits the game. After all, we have been working in Dragon Age for years to drive away the darkness. So why not see a success? The game builds on telling one’s own story throughout all installments. And that has been evident since part 1.
I clearly prefer the new trailer with solid information over that dark trailer from last year:
Dragon Age has always been a versatile game
When I think about how Dragon Age: Origins was, how much Dragon Age 2 differed from it, and what new features Inquisition finally had, the games are hardly comparable on gameplay level:
- Part 1 still has an isometric perspective and plays like a CRPG
- In part 2, there are no truly customizable characters anymore, more like a light version of The Witcher
- And with Inquisition, the “Ubisoft formula” came into play: an open world with way too many side quests and useless areas
Whether and how Veilguard will differ from its predecessors, I can’t say yet, as no gameplay has been revealed so far. Yes, part 4 seems to break with the traditions of Dragon Age at first glance. However, keep in mind that the new images are from a render trailer. Real gameplay will be shown tomorrow, on June 11. Then you can still complain.
I understand the frustration, but give the game a chance
I wouldn’t want to play the same game as before, especially since the open world with dozens of fetch quests became truly tedious at some point. Even if Dragon Age 4 becomes a bit more “arcade” than its predecessors, that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
Inquisition is more than 10 years old, and if I want to play it, then I’ll just play it again. But I want to play Dragon Age 4, not Inquisition 2. I understand that fans of a game series expect some continuity, even in terms of gameplay.
For me, however, they are simply works that stand on their own and are connected through the story. I was already thrilled with Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, even though from a gameplay perspective it simply wasn’t Assassin’s Creed anymore. The overall work must fit.
That’s why I form my own opinion while playing and then decide based on the gameplay whether Veilguard will be one of the better or one of the worse Dragon Ages. For me, it’s about experiencing the story and having a consistent picture. But that seems to be less important to many people: Video game author created fantastic worlds with Dragon Age at BioWare, now says: No one appreciates good stories anymore
