REVIEW: Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a great experience, but lacks pacing

After ten years, BioWare returns to the Dragon Age universe with The Veilguard, offering players a completely new story. This adventure promises to delight new fans, but may displease some veterans of the franchise. Want to know more about the new features and challenges of this title? Continue reading the review that we at showmetech we prepare and find out if Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the ideal game for you!

The Story of Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Dragon Age: The Veilguard presents an enjoyable narrative that, while not reaching the heights of previous titles like Dragon Age: Origins e Mass Effect 2, still offers a solid story with several interesting moments. The plot keeps the player's interest with twists and character development throughout the game.

In the early stages, the pacing can feel a bit uneven, suggesting that BioWare had an easier time developing the middle and ending of the story. This initial disharmony gives the impression that the beginning of the game was not well planned, but the narrative stabilizes as the experience progresses, providing a satisfying conclusion.

Connection with previous games

the plot of The Veilguard works as a soft reboot for the franchise, incorporating several references to the Dragon Age: Inquisition, but leaving a lot of stuff from the other games out. The protagonist of Inquisition makes an appearance, and there are mentions of characters from previous games, creating a sense of continuity for fans.

However, many of the decisions from the previous three titles do not impact the current storyline, which can be frustrating for those hoping for more integration. This approach makes it easier for new players to jump in, but can cause a bit of a disconnect for longtime fans, as past choices have no significant relevance to the current story.

Characters

the characters of The Veilguard are charismatic and fun, with companions that interact faithfully with Smoke, the protagonist. Each character brings their own personality and contributes to the group's dynamics, enriching the narrative experience with interesting dialogues and developed relationships.

Naturally, some companions stand out more than others throughout the story, but the game manages to balance the presence of all of them well in main and secondary missions. This diversity allows the player to explore different interactions and delve deeper into the individual stories of each character, making the journey more engaging and varied, especially because some decisions to be made greatly impact the destiny and personality of some.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Dragon Age: The Veilguard continues the franchise's tradition of evolving significantly with each title, ensuring that each game offers a unique experience. The Veilguard introduces new mechanics that allow you to explore the gameplay in new ways, keeping the series fresh and dynamic. This approach may displease more conservative fans who prefer the consistency of previous titles.

Despite the changes, the gameplay loop remains engaging and fun. Essential elements such as character interaction and relationship development remain present, preserving the core that defines Dragon Age. However, some changes, such as simplifying choices in interactions, may reduce the depth of decisions, but do not compromise the essence of the narrative experience.

In addition, the companions now act more as support for Smoke, without their own hit points, which changes the dynamics of the party. They attack and use abilities on command, reducing strategic complexity but facilitating more fluid and accessible gameplay. This change reflects the series' evolution towards a more action-oriented style, adapting to the expectations of modern players.

New fight

The combat system of The Veilguard marks a significant evolution in the series, adopting a more direct and action-focused approach. Battles are fast-paced and dynamic, requiring quick reflexes and immediate strategies to overcome challenges. This change brings a more immersive and fast-paced experience for players, which may be a great fit for new players to the franchise.

While the combat is visually impressive and fluid, the transition from a CRPG (Computer Role-Playing Game), which is a subgenre of role-playing games focused on tactical elements, narrative exploration, and character management, as it was in Dragon Age: Origins, to a more action-oriented style results in the loss of some of those traditional tactical elements of the franchise that made many fans fall in love. The companions, for example, lose a bit of weight when putting together a composition, since they act more as secondary characters and do not have the same depth of personalization as in the past.

For fans who enjoy more strategic combat, The Veilguard may not fully satisfy your expectations. Simplifying party interactions reduces the complexity of battles, making them more accessible but less deep. However, this approach makes combat more streamlined and suitable for a contemporary audience looking for a more direct and exciting experience.

Performance and graphics

Dragon Age: The Veilguard presents a radical change in visual style, abandoning the realism of Inquisition in favor of a more cartoonish and stylized aesthetic. This transformation resulted in well-animated and charismatic characters, which bring life to the detailed and visually appealing environments. The new visual approach worked very well, giving the game a unique identity, and is perhaps one of its strongest points as a whole.

The game's setting opts for more closed environments that are dense in content, leaving aside the giant and semi-open maps. This makes exploration more enjoyable and balanced, preventing the player from feeling overwhelmed. The scenarios are carefully crafted, with memorable landscapes that enrich the experience, making each area distinct and visually striking, each with its own color palette and other artistic directions that make them unique.

In terms of performance, The Veilguard stands out by remaining stable throughout gameplay, even in more complex scenes with many elements on screen. The game runs smoothly thanks to efficient optimizations, allowing players to enjoy a visually stunning experience without interruptions. This robust performance contributes to a continuous and enjoyable immersion when exploring the rich world of Thedas.

Hardware Requirements

Requirements	Minima	Recommended
Operational system	64-bit Windows 10/11	64-bit Windows 10/11
Processor	Intel Core i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 3 3300X*	Intel Core i9-9900K / AMD Ryzen 7 3700X*
Memory	16 GB of RAM	16 GB of RAM
Video card	NVIDIA GTX 970/1650 / AMD Radeon R9 290X	NVIDIA RTX 2070 / AMD Radeon RX 5700XT
DirectX	12 Version	12 Version
Storage	100 GB of available space	100 GB of available space
Other Observations	SSD Preferred, HDD Supported;AMD AM4 CPUs on Windows 11 require AGESA V2 1.2.0.7 or newer	SSD Required;AMD AM4 CPUs on Windows 11 require AGESA V2 1.2.0.7 or n

Price and availability

Dragon Age: The Veilguard can be purchased in digital media at Steam for R$ 249,00 and in PS Store ou Xbox for R$ 349,00. In addition, you can also purchase the physical media of the game for PlayStation 5 on Amazon for R $ 352,10.

Conclusion

Although Dragon Age: The Veilguard While it has many satisfying aspects, it fails to fully preserve the legacy of the franchise. The game introduces new content and mechanics, deepens character relationships, and offers action-focused gameplay that may attract new players. However, it fails to maintain some elements that made the series so popular, resulting in deep characters like Varric or Morrigan being portrayed in a superficial way.

Additionally, many aspects of the game could be improved by returning to its CRPG roots. While this is a challenging task, recent titles like Baldur's Gate 3 demonstrate that it is possible to innovate without losing the essence of the genre. Dragon Age is still a robust franchise that can capture the attention of gamers, but replicating the same success requires a careful balance between innovation and tradition.

However, it's not all failures. While I prefer a different approach, there's no denying that The Veilguard has several qualities that will please many players. The combat is efficient and the narrative develops in an interesting way, although the story takes a few hours to become truly engaging. Thus, Dragon Age: The Veilguard It is worth playing, both for newcomers looking for something new and for veterans who will find enough elements to be satisfied with the result.

And you, what did you think of the new one? Dragon Age: The Veilguard? Tell us in the comments!

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