Dragon Age: The Veilguard got a 20-minute gameplay reveal today, and it looks like BioWare is going for familiarity amongst all the chaos with Mass Effect-style combat and DA2 dialogue systems. And I, for one, am not at all mad about it at a time when plenty of new franchise launches are going for open-world, live-service soup.
The newest Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay reveal showcases combat, traversal, dialogue choices, and the dynamics of some of the party in a high-action adventure through the city of Minrathous. Already, there’s been plenty of comparisons to BioWare’s other heavy hitter franchise, Mass Effect – and for good reason.
The combat in Dragon Age: The Veilguard leans more heavily into real-time character action, but you’ll still be able to slow down and pause the chaos of battle to choose your next move if you need to. This comes in the form of a combat wheel that’s reminiscent of Mass Effect’s own, with the option to pick abilities and their targets while taking a moment to think things through.
Based on what we saw in the trailer, you’ll be able to view all ability slots as well as see your enemies and their weaknesses or resistances if known – but we’ll likely see more of this combat wheel in future previews. It appears you’ll also no longer have three party members with you like in the first three titles. Just to really amp up the Mass Effect vibes of the upcoming Dragon Age game, The Veilguard seems to instead let you have two companions by your side, much like BioWare’s sci-fi action RPG.
When it comes to mechanics in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, there’s also plenty of the franchise’s roots peeking through. We got a closer look during the trailer at the dialogue system, which is reminiscent of Dragon Age 2: you’ll be given three tone-based options to choose from which will shape your character’s personality and often, your relationships with your companions. Based on what we’ve seen, the upcoming game’s dialogue will give you the choice between being helpful, humorous, or direct (or some variation of these) in conversations much like DA2, as well as Inquisition (although Inquisition’s was decidedly a bit more nuanced).
All this is to say that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is shaping up based on trailer impressions to bring players a familiar but altogether new experience in Thedas. Thank god for that. For a franchise with such devoted fans, familiarity is a comfort that often is difficult to find as developers seek to innovate on previous iterations and sometimes steer way too far off the beaten track.
We’re, of course, going to see some big changes (and small ones) in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, given it’s been a decade since the last franchise entry launched. However, I’ll take comfort in the fact that it doesn’t look like we’re about to get slop forced into an ill-formed simulacrum of its predecessors. And in the fact that it’s not another damn live-service game.
What was your favourite part of the Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay trailer? What didn’t you like the look of? Let us know in the comments.
Image: BioWare
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