The internet was wrong to jump the gun on Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Terminally online gamers quickly jumped the gun when the next Dragon Age reemerged. With a new title, The Veilguard, and the first cinematic, backlash was quick to pile up from irate fans. But we should use this as an example of where patience pays off. Rather than rushing to conclusions, fans would have been better off waiting for proper gameplay impressions, as the demo we saw over Summer Game Fest looked tremendous.

Dragon Age fans have had no choice but to practice patience for quite some time, but it appears that patience has worn thin. Inquisition launched 12 years ago and we’ve all been awaiting any further details following on from the sequel’s proper reveal at The Game Awards in 2018.

At long last, prayers were answered during Summer Game Fest 2024, as BioWare finally lifted the veil on the new entry in the beloved series — though not in a way fans were expecting. Ditching the Dreadwolf moniker, the new sequel is now known as Dragon Age: The Veilguard, an admittedly dull name. Alongside this news came a cinematic trailer that set the internet ablaze for all the wrong reasons.

Dragon Age fans, and much of social media at large, were furious with this re-reveal of sorts. From its visual style to its tone, thousands vented their frustrations online, ensuring EA heard their cries. Dislikes on the YouTube video alone are staggering. But did this criticism come too early? For my money, yes, far too early.

As and when the full game arrives, if you still hold these views after playing for yourself, that’s obviously fair enough. But to judge a game years in the making over an initial reveal trailer, without seeing gameplay, watching it in motion, understanding its changes and new additions, all seems rather foolish. And backing up that stance, I saw Dragon Age: The Veilguard behind closed doors during Summer Game Fest — and what I was shown was utterly electric.

Starting with a bang

Jumping right into the game’s first mission, the new Dragon Age starts on fire, quite literally. As our demo lead explained, the developers wanted to start The Veilguard as though we were playing the end of a different game. It drops you right into the action.

The situation is tense as Solas looks to be enacting his grand designs. It’s up to you and a few familiar faces to stop him before it’s too late.

Traveling across a city magically hoisted into the sky, there was chaos all around as we navigated this bombastic opening sequence. Structures crumbling, NPCs fleeing in terror as demons chase them, it’s all so visually striking from the jump.

In terms of presentation, The Veilguard is dazzling. Graphical fidelity is one thing, but even a newly revamped UI system looks gorgeous too, somehow giving you room to map nine abilities without looking like a jumbled mess of icons and spell blurbs.

It’s a wonderful presentation and one clearly utilizing new-gen hardware to its benefit. So, to try to quash concerns around its look, while it may not be photorealistic and push the envelope in that sense, it’s incredibly stylish in its own right. Not every game has to be a Last of Us-style feast for the senses with otherworldly attention to detail. Sometimes, with the right approach, you can captivate an audience in other ways.

Don’t let the brief cinematic trailer fool you. Seeing the game in motion with your own eyes is a completely different experience.

More action, less tactician

When it comes to moment-to-moment gameplay, there have been some more understandable concerns. Dragon Age is known for its more measured approach to combat, having you manipulate the battlefield with multiple party members and their raft of unique abilities. Inquisition started moving away from this formula to a degree, but it was still very much at the core of the experience. The same can be said for The Veilguard.

While it’s admittedly looking like a more action-oriented title, with real-time hacking and slashing, I wouldn’t take this early glimpse as a representation of the full game. With just one ability unlocked in this early demonstration, we know for certain things are going to ramp up in a big way. By the time we have a full party firing on all cylinders, it’s no doubt going to be good old-fashioned Dragon Age magic once more.

As for why BioWare opted to showcase this particular section of the game first and foremost is certainly an intriguing question and one I couldn’t get a straight answer to during a Q&A with devs. But rest assured, on the road to launch we’re bound to see plenty more footage from all angles to quash any concerns.

During said Q&A, I did learn one thing of importance, however. Devs confirmed the game is effectively finished. The Veilguard is content complete and has been for some time. All that remains is bug fixing and polishing in the lead-up to its Fall 2024 release. Thus, it’s clear devs have been keeping their heads down, working hard, and waiting for the right moment to reemerge.

While its development has been troubled, multiple iterations, including a multiplayer project, have all been reported at various points in time, The Veilguard is finally on track, and for my money, it looks to be another stellar Dragon Age experience well worth the wait.