By Ronald Gordon 

Dragon Age: Inquisition was a fantastic game I played back in my high school days, and one for which I still have fond memories. It took months, if not years, of my time, thanks to its characters, its story, and the world of Thedas drawing me in. I still have recent playthroughs that I haven’t finished – yet. In the 10 years of enjoyment I’ve gotten out of Inquisition, it’s only recently with Dragon Age: The Veilguard that I realize how much more to the world of Thedas there truly is. 

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the fourth installment in a series of Fantasy RPG games that have been around since 2009. You return to the world of Thedas some time after the events of Inquisition, where the war against Corypheus has subsided and the Breach has been closed permanently. The ancient Elven mage known as the Dread Wolf, which many will recognize as Solas, is finally putting his plan into motion, he must destroy the Veil altogether to restore his Elven people to the way they were before he ever created it. Your character is known as The Rook (whom I had made to replicate a female mage from a story I’m writing). He and many others disagree with his plan as it could mean the end of Thedas due to everything being overrun by demons. In The Rook’s attempt to stop him, you end up unleashing something far worse than demons: a pair of ancient and evil Elven Gods who want nothing more than to enslave the world and its people, whether they’re Elves like them or not. 

I’m not going to lie and say that Veilguard isn’t one of the prettiest games I’ve seen out of 2024’s roster. The awe inspiring locales of Thedas shine through with a pristine glow as the graphics don’t shy away from showing you every light and detail they can. Two of my favorite examples are Minrathous and the Crossroads, with Minrathous being a dinghy dock town that’s jam packed with people, stalls, and scaffolds. It’s no wonder that a guild such as the Shadow Dragons, which are basically born to be thieves, call it their home. There’s no better place to hide away than in clutter. Meanwhile, the Crossroads is the main area you travel through, a beautiful and ethereal realm of sky islands and deep forests that connects each locale you’ve been or will be through ancient magic mirrors known as Eluvians. The characters look more alive than ever, and the most noticeable aspect of this is each of the 88 hair models, most of which have realistic physics that replicate real hair in motion. The music is a thrumming orchestra of emotion that changes with every moment, the battles are hard hitting and remind me of action movies, while the softer moments are serene and light.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is different from other titles in the Dragon Age series. It’s a lot more hands-on than I was expecting. Rather than the strategic combat that I had grown accustomed to in Inquisition, Veilguard focuses heavily on real-time action packed battles of epic proportions. You can now not only dodge any and all attacks coming your way, but even block and sometimes parry attacks. Not only does this change up the flow of combat, it also makes you feel more in tune with everything around you as attacks can come at any time and it’s all up to you whether you parry for a chance at a riposte or dodge to change up your placement in the battle. Yet, this doesn’t mean that Veilguard is easier because of these new ways to avoid and redirect damage. It’s quite the opposite as these new methods only help to mitigate the damage of countless attacks from various enemies. Even as I reach Level 10 in the game, I still find myself struggling to keep my health at a certain point because of the few moments where I slip up and end up getting hit thrice in two seconds by incoming attacks. 

Another aspect of Veilguard that changes, much to my dismay, is party size which leaves you with only two choices regarding who to bring with you (rather than three like before). While this may not seem like much of a difference, I assure you it means a lot when it comes to party composition and combat potential. Take my situation as an example: I’m not the greatest at dodging or blocking and oftentimes need more healing than I know what to do with to stay in the fight. There are only two characters with skills that can heal in the beginning, those being Scout Harding and Bellara, who are both rangers. Picking one of them ensures I have an extra bit of healing in dire situations. But it also means that I lose out on characters that could have interesting interactions with the task at hand or that I wish to elevate my bonds with. This also makes every team choice unique, as each of the members of the Veilguard have their own strengths, weaknesses, and special abilities to utilize in traversal or during missions, some even having attacks that combo well if used together. While the team is smaller than other games, they’re just as mighty if not even more so than that of other crews within Thedas. 

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is something new, something I’m enjoying, and something I think fans would like because of what it brings to the table. Much like every Dragon Age, there are new characters and new places to explore, yet there’s something different about this journey compared to ones such as Origins and Inquisition, mainly to do with the main character. While I do love Inquisition and the Inquisitor’s story, the Rook feels more like a foot soldier than a demi-god, and I’m enjoying that aspect more. When supported by a cast of characters who all want to save the world as much as you do, it’s hard not to get attached to everyone you come across, and that in and of itself is one of the key aspects of Dragon Age. 

Ronald Gordon is a New York Videogame Critics Circle Member & Mentor. He was the first of our writers – or any intern anywhere – to complete an internship at Rockstar Games.

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