The folks at BioWare are likely letting out a collective sigh of relief now thatDragon Age: The Veilguardhas become its first critical success since 2014. Reviews are glowing, touting it as a refreshing adventure, and fans are heaping praise upon it too. It’s going pretty well for BioWare andThe Veilguard, which is always a great sign. It hopefully means that the long-anticipatedMass Effect 5will finally come to fruition after fans have waited far too long for it.
Of course, afterAnthembecame one of theworst-reviewed games, BioWare absolutely needed the win. However, whileDragon Age: The Veilguardoffers fans a fun and engaging story, it comes at a cost. Going forward,BioWare needs to be aware of ditching too much of its original identity in order to create safe bets, as this is exactly what has happened withThe Veilguard.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Has Saved BioWare
It’s A Return To Form For The Developer
Dragon Age: The Veilguardhas proven to be a critical success for BioWare, something that it has desperately needed since thedisastrous launch ofAnthem. Fans and critics alike have hailed it as a return to form for the developer after it suffered low review scores for its last two major releases.For many, it felt like BioWare had lost its luster, especially with the likes ofBaldur’s Gate 3and developer Spiders' games - includingThe TechnomancerandGreedfall- offering BioWare-esque experiences that far surpass its current efforts.
There is a lot that BioWare sacrificed in the production ofThe Veilguardthat should be restored in its next title.
It was no small feat forDragon Age: The Veilguardto restore BioWare’s reputation as significantly as it has. Its last game to score above 70 on Metacritic wasDragon Age: Inquisition, which launched all the way back in 2014. That means, at least since thenotorious launch ofMass Effect: Andromedain 2017,BioWare has struggled to release something that has been generally warmly received by its fanbase. This naturally led to a lot of fans worrying that EA would unceremoniously shut down BioWare, something that was initiallyshut down by developers.
However, not only isEA notorious for laying off major developers, but the gaming industry is currently rife with critically acclaimed studios being shut down for simply not generating enough revenue. Arkane Austin, the folks behindRedfallandPreywere shut down by Microsoft, as too were the developers ofHi-Fi Rush, Tango Gameworks - although they were luckily bought by Krafton.It wouldn’t have been particularly surprising to have seen EA shut down BioWare, especially ifDragon Age: The Veilguardhad proven to be a critical and commercial flop.
Luckily, it seems like BioWare is safe and can continue to develop games. In fact, it is alreadymoving on fromDragon Age: The Veilguard, which is great news for fans looking for future BioWare titles. However, whileDragon Age: The Veilguardhas served as a life raft of sorts for the developer, it shouldn’t influence its future games.There is a lot that BioWare sacrificed in the production ofThe Veilguardthat should be restored in its next title.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Shouldn’t Be The Blueprint For Future BioWare Games
It Lacks A Lot From Previous Entries
It’s hard to argue thatDragon Age: The Veilguardis a bad game, especially asreviews are calling it a masterpiece. However, while it offers a fun and exciting new adventure, there is a lot that’s different from earlier games in the series. Most importantly,The Veilguardditches the darker tone BioWare is known for in favor of a more lighthearted one. For many, this is best reflected in the game’s visuals, although, frankly,The Veilguard’sstyle is actually a highlight. Rather, the change in tone often negatively impacts the dialogue choices and overall decisions.
For example,Rook’s dialogue options are rarely overly aggressive, which makes playing as a villainous or morally ambiguous character rather difficult. The variouswonderful companions inThe Veilguardare also often treated like children by Rook, with the protagonist talking down to them whenever resolving their spats. These companions also never have any major disagreements that carry on throughout the game, and should the player attempt to romance everyone, it has no effect on the other characters when they finally settle down with their special someone.
Essentially,there’s no bite toDragon Age: The Veilguard. That’s not inherently an issue, even despite the fact that the series has traditionally been far darker and grittier in tone. The more lighthearted approach and attempts to imitate popular media such asGuardians of the Galaxymake sense as it is safer and appeals to a wider audience than a more somber experience. After all, it’s easier to get on board with a group of extremely likable characters than a group of morally ambiguous or downright unlikable ones.
It’s worth noting thatDragon Age: The Veilguardfeatures a “Hardened” mechanic for companions, which happens when their approval rating of Rook decreases substantially. This means that they’ll no longer buff or heal Rook during combat, but their attacks are more powerful. However, getting the majority of companions into this “Hardened” state is practically impossible, and even if they enter it, they can still be romanced. It only really affects combat.
This isn’t to say thatDragon Age: The Veilguardis badly written. The writing is pretty spectacular for the tone that the game is going for. Characters are memorable and there is some strong banter between Rook and their companions, something thatThe Veilguarddoes better than otherDAgames. However,it is sad to see BioWare sacrifice a lot of the violence, rough-edges, and even sex that it is known for. While this shift in tone has helped it get its foot back in the door, it shouldn’t forget what made its games so amazing in the first place.
BioWare Should Use The Veilguard’s Success To Return To Its Roots
Now thatDragon Age: The Veilguardhas proven to be a success for BioWare, it should return to its roots and begin making games like it used to. That’s not to say that BioWare should ditch the Dinsey-ified tone forever, as there is absolutely a place for high-fantasy adventures that don’t devolve into the overly bleak atmospheres that the majority of modern fantasy games typically adore. However,its nextMass Effectand evenDragon Agegame should restore a lot of the features that were cut fromThe Veilguard.
Namely,BioWare should give players more meaningful and challenging choices, put a larger emphasis on its companion disapproval and approval rating, allow players to be more evil and aggressive in conversations, give consequences for messing love interests around, and, most importantly, make the companions feel less like bickering children during fights and more like the adults they are. Luckily, BioWare has stated thatMass Effectwill never look likeThe Veilguard, which is a step in the right direction.
Every Dragon Age: The Veilguard Romance Option, Ranked
The emotional connections formed with NPCs in games like Dragon Age: The Veilguard can significantly enhance the immersion and depth of the game.
However, whether it sticks to this more lighthearted tone and watered-down dialogue mechanics remains to be seen. BioWare games have always had their fair share of goofiness, over-the-top characters, and humorous sequences. All of that should remain in its future titles, as it not only adds brevity to the darker moments but makes the experience more memorable. However,Dragon Age: The Veilguard’soverly sweet tone should be dropped in future BioWare titles in favor of the grittier one the developer is so well known for crafting.
