I actually took off early from work to be in time for the gameplay reveal for Dragon Age:The Veilguard. Crazy, right? Was it worth it? Prepare for SPOILERS. Though, if you are reading this, you probably watched the footage yourself. Here goes.
The End of The Beginning
So, I called it. The gameplay is set very early in the game and has been cut to avoid spoilers. Which is understandable, but it means that the viewer will lack immersion and bonding with the party. So, anyone complaining about the dialogue, hold your horses.
The party, at this point, is made up of Varric, rogue Rook – our hero –, scout Lace Harding, freed from a generic face at last, and Neve, an ice mage, or, detective? Both, I guess. They set out to find Solas, who has started the ritual to tear down the Veil seemingly in the midst of Minrathous in Tevinter.
Which is what I predicted. That Solas would be challenged – and possibly taken out – in the very beginning of the game and we, the hero(es) would be left with cleaning up the mess. And, truth be told, I would not mind at all. Solas is a great character, and all, but we know how his imperfect plans usually turn out, right?
The fact that our party are willing participants in seemingly ruining said plan and unleashing unspeakable evil may just be poetic justice. And Solas could still be part of the storyline, either because we have to free him since he is the only one who truly knows the secret to saving the world, or in the form of a corrupted creature aka the end boss. Who knows?
What I liked about the gameplay showcase Contrary to the reveal trailer, I really enjoyed the musical score. Also, both Minrathous and Arlathan Forest look absolutely amazing! The atmosphere is impressive, especially at the ritual site.
I think I will also like the characters, though at this point it really is too early to tell, who might become a favorite, though Lucanis is a hot contender
What I found weird So, I followed a reaction to the gameplay reveal and one of the hosts said during the first fight scene something along the lines of “It’s so fast-paced!” referring to combat. Well. Have you played recent, combat-heavy RPGs? Like Ghost Of Tsushima or Rise Of The Ronin? That’s what I call fast-paced.
The enemies of the gameplay reveal – various demons and Venatori – were unremarkable at best. I also disliked the new design for the demons. The pride demons looked much more intimidating the way they were before. Also, it was kind of jarring that Neve casually zapped these Dementor-like demons into non-existence without even looking at them during cut scenes, but made next to no impact on them during the combat sequence itself. So, well. There’s that.
Will I play it? Absolutely. So look forward to more coverage of Dragon Age: The Veilguard in the months to come.
Also, I am long overdue on my insights of Rise Of The Ronin, which I enjoyed immensely.
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