We play ‘Dragon Age: The Veilguard’: The saga returns full of action, but short on role-playing

Now, ten years later, the continuation of the story suffers a similar fate. Because if ‘Inquisition’ was already beginning to look more like a ‘God of War’ than a ‘Baldur’s Gate’, ‘Veilguard’ is even further removed from Larian’s game to get right into the actionparking the role in his path. A decision that has been liked in part, but that has left many dissatisfied.

At ABC we have played ‘Dragon Age: The Veilguard’ in recent weeks and we liked what BioWare has offered us. And a lot. But not everything is perfect and last minute decisions —like the name of the title, which is not mentioned once in the entire campaign— as well as separating itself almost completely from the role-playing core of the saga have not excited us.

Old-fashioned linear story

The story puts us in the shoes of Rook, a hero that we completely customizerecruited by the great companion of the saga Varrick to pursue the elf Solas, another former ally of ‘Dragon Age’ and now known as the Dire Wolf, who already revealed at the end of ‘Inquisition’ that he has an outstanding debt with the gods darks of the world of Thedas.

In our adventure we will visit the lands of Minrathous, Arlathan and beyond (or below, rather) but no longer framed in open worlds interconnected with each other; Now they are large areas but smaller in size, including areas with very marked paths to advance. And in our opinion it has been a very correct decision. We return to what the role has accustomed us to: well-designed and cared for areas, smaller in size and more linear, but that exude much more personality and essence than the vast open worlds that, in most cases, are empty and lacking in magic. .

Here each area and mission has its personality, its essence. From large metropolises to forests and ruined temples, with trips to the bottom of the sea and even the beyond involved. Everything is taken care of in detail and we are grateful that this decision has served to create interesting missions and scenarios that remain etched in the retina.

The game is really interwoven as a succession of cinematic moments of high dramatic intensity united by fast-paced combat. It’s like watching an epic fantasy movie where, from time to time, you are handed the controller to participate in action scenes full of dodges, counters and blocks against numerous enemies and final bosses. And although this may sound negative, the truth is that it works. lsatisfaction produced by the combat system more than compensates for the loss of strategic depth.

The role takes a backseat

And we can always return to the Lighthouse, the main base of the title, where we can rest and develop our skills – whether you are a mage, a warrior or a rogue -, and improve relationships with our colleagues. Because this characteristic touch of BioWare has not been lost, even though it is quite diluted with what it offered us years ago. Here the menus and statistics take a backseat, because they are still there, but they are no longer as important, as are decision making and deep conversations with colleagues. All of this is relegated, too much on certain occasions.

You can still flirt and even make a member of the group fall in love with you, but it feels like, at all times, it doesn’t matter what you say that, simply by continuing to press the talk option, sooner or later they are going to tell you about their past or move on. surrender at your feet. It is a general problem with all dialog optionsalso during the missions, since at no time does it feel like you can avoid looking good, being funny or a little aggressive with the other, the guidelines set by BioWare. Forget about being able to piss off a character, take violent action, or actually having freedom in what you say. It is the biggest negative point that we put in the title.

And it’s a shame, because, despite having a not so deep and complex plot, the entire plot load is supported by a cast of atypical characters, who manage to support the narrative on their shoulders. It is a diverse and unexpected group of heroes where their stories are very well constructedwith good presentation arcs and a unique charisma. And we would have liked to discover them by going further, or in another way that was not the path that the developers had stipulated. Renew or die, we understand, but perhaps not abandoning what made Dragon Age so unique.

In short, ‘Dragon Age: The Veilguard’ can lead to both enthusiasm and disappointment. Anyone looking for an improved clone of their ancestors will be disappointed, but anyone who lets themselves be carried away by their story will enjoy a handful of hours of fun. BioWare has opted heavily for renewal, and although not all the changes are correct in our opinion, the final result is a game that manages to maintain the current trends of the genre and, most importantly, entertain.