Personal review from me

[Spajk]

First of all, there will not be hate on someone. This is personal my feelings against this game what I got. Nothing more, nothing less. If you love this game. I'm happy for you. And I will be happy to see your opinions :)

And I'm aware that my english is not great so I hope that you survive it :D

Introduction:

To begin, I’d like to say that Dragon Age already captured my heart and love when it was first released. It was something absolutely amazing, and another game I was playing back then was The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. What fascinated me about this world was its depth. Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Qunari. Back then, they were more like large, angry strange people, improved with horns in the second game. The complexity of the world, where elves were the oppressed race everywhere, still recalling long-forgotten times when they ruled over Thedas. Dwarves, who strictly followed their rules and handled political opponents as mercilessly as they did on the battlefield. Then there were the mages, who were separated from everyone else due to their power and were practically prisoners under the watch of the church and the templars. In short, it was something I absolutely loved, and I soaked up every bit of information.

Then came Dragon Age II. The quality dropped considerably, but it still excelled in its story and placed emphasis on companions and the protagonist’s personality. Hawke, Isabela, Varric, Merrill, Anders, Fenris, Sebastian, Aveline—each character was unique. And because of that, you could either fall in love with them or hate them. Personally, my favorite trio was Varric, Isabela, and Aveline. Their dialogues still make me laugh today. It came out during a time when developers and studios focused on stories, world-building, and really poured their hearts into it. Sure, not everything was perfect—like the same Kirkwall locations in Dragon Age II being really overused, and enemy discovery feeling repetitive—but the positives always outweighed the negatives. And most importantly, the characters had personalities, and it was clear they belonged in that world. Isabela was fantastic in Origins and Dragon Age II. A cheeky, greedy, playful pirate who lived for the moment. Fenris was constantly mired in depression and anger. Merrill, who was naively sweet to the point of breaking.

Then came Inquisition. Here, it was clear that the quality had dropped significantly in all areas. Story-wise, the Inquisition still added many interesting ideas, but when it came to companions and their behavior? Or even intelligence? No, it was more of a punishment. The world felt more like offline MMORPG servers rather than a vibrant world of Thedas, Ferelden, and Orlais. Even in the dialogues, it was obvious the developers were playing it safer, not daring to take the risks they had in Dragon Age II or Origins. But even with all this, it was still a respectable product. And now... after ten years, we have Veilguard, and everything could have gone off the rails.

Everywhere we hear terms like "woke," "bad," "evil," "colorful..." But is it really like that? I myself gave an early review after just a few hours, which I won’t delete, and it’s still up there. I didn’t like the combat, the dialogues felt awful, and the woke videos weren’t to my taste. In short, I was so disappointed I wrote that first review. But then I kept playing, until I finished the game. I wanted to confirm if it was really just a bad joke at the start, and I wanted to be fair to BioWare and Dragon Age. So I literally combed through every rock, did every side quest, and carefully read through the story and the purpose of the side tasks... And the result? Is this game really Dragon Age? A worthy successor to the franchise? The answer is YES... and NO. I’ll explain. The game really has its potential killed, but on the other hand, it has some fantastic moments where I genuinely had fun and felt like I was back in the days of Origins and Dragon Age II. I’ll elaborate more on this later in the pros and cons.

1) Pros and Great Moments of the Game:

First, I should warn about spoilers, which I’ll probably be unable to avoid. I don’t want to spoil too much because it wouldn’t make much sense without context, but I’ll try to keep them minimal.

The absolute highlight of this game for me was the locations and their detail. I’m not talking about the grass moving under your feet as you walk. No, I constantly play Origins, Gothic 1 & 2, or Risen, so realistic graphics like Crysis are not something I expect. But back to the point. Locations like the Arlathan Forest became one of my favorites. Whether just gazing into the distance or exploring that specific area, where the game takes place, it felt incredibly immersive. Similarly, the vast necropolises of Nevarra, Trevisco, Minrathous, and other places were also beautiful. The developers’ decision to return to the square-style locations was a big plus. These areas were really well designed, and I had a great time exploring them, taking in the beauty around me. You could tell the developers put a lot of effort into it.

Another plus I’d give to this game is the combat system, which I initially cursed. And don’t get me wrong, it still only works halfway for me. As a warrior or rogue, I still feel something’s wrong, but as a mage? I truly enjoyed it. The way the magic combined with companion abilities really excited me, much like the feeling I had in Mass Effect with the companions. Unlike Inquisition, they actually knew how to take care of themselves in battle within their limits. Also, the combo of spells with their unique skills was a lot of fun. I also gradually warmed up to the warrior and rogue playstyles once I stopped thinking about real-life sword fighting lessons.

Another great part of the game is the variety of side content. The main story is fine but not outstanding. It’s rather mediocre, but the side quests in the Fade, such as the one where I explored Solas’s past, or companion side quests involving Harding, Davrin, Assan, Lucanis, and Emmrich, were fantastic. I truly enjoyed them and couldn’t wait for the next quests.

I also enjoyed faction-related side quests. The quality varied depending on the faction. For example, I loved the quests for the Grey Wardens and the Veil Jumpers, but the Necropolis Nevarra missions felt like "find and destroy" with little substance. The Lords of Fortune quests were downright lazy. The Antivan Crows felt like a joke—an assassin guild that doesn’t actually kill anyone. But I’ll address that more later.

If we consider only these elements, we have more than a respectable game that deserves its place in the Dragon Age series. But unfortunately, this is where the positives practically end, and the negatives begin.

[Spajk]

2) The Negatives, and Honestly, the Person Responsible Should Be Fired.

I want to emphasize once again that I finished the game, and it’s not my goal to bash it just because it has a woke character. I played through it with a romance option with Taash, and yet there are so many negatives that at times I felt like crying.

The World Lacks Personality and Everything Is Too Pink, Even When the World Is On the Brink of Destruction.
I know how this sounds, but I honestly can’t describe it better. The world of Thedas was dark, brutal, with the Blight and the Darkspawn. And here, it’s like a flick of the wrist, and all that darkness has disappeared. Where did the cruel Magisters who ruled Tevinter go? Where did the Dalish Elves go, who would send an arrow through your eye just for stepping on their "land"? Where did the fear of mages go? Or the Templars? Or that ever-present depression? In the positives, I mentioned how much I liked the Minrathous location, and that’s true. But there’s no sign of slaves, or elves despairing. No, there’s nothing of the sort. The Antivan Crows, the legendary guild of assassins who kill even kings, here they’re no more than... nice uncles and aunts. The world felt friendly, welcoming, everyone got along. And that’s a stark contrast to the lore we got in previous installments.

It’s been emotionally drained of everything dark, and that’s a huge minus for the entire game. It’s glaringly obvious. And unfortunately, this is just the beginning.

2) Rook and Companions Are One Big Family, Whether You Like It or Not.

Another major negative of this game is your main character, Rook, and your companions. In Origins, if you were evil (say, leaving Connor to the demon, helping Bhelen, allowing mages to be executed, or even killing Wynne, Leliana, or being heretical by destroying Andraste's ashes), it had consequences. But here? Not a chance. Forget about being a jerk. Forget about being a ruthless and arrogant Rook who pursues their goal regardless of others’ feelings. Here, Rook is literally a therapist, a support character who always responds positively. Something like "No, I don't care about that." You won’t get any of that, and everyone sticks together from the beginning, even if it doesn’t make sense. During my entire playthrough, I only experienced one real argument and half of another. And that was between Davrin and Lucanis in the story, and then in dialogues between Emmrich and Taash.

3) The Dialogues Themselves and Rook's Responses Are Often One Big Cringe

In the previous point, I mentioned that Rook never goes against you and is always the one who agrees with you. Unfortunately, this also affects the dialogues. Because of this, Rook is practically a clown with no distinctive personality. You can respond positively, humorously, a little roughly, or angrily… but when Rook speaks? Nothing. I’m not saying this happens all the time, but when I selected the response as the Grey Warden telling the First Warden to "shut up," I expected Rook to be angry and give him a good verbal bashing. Instead, I got something along the lines of a mild reprimand or something completely different. The dialogue choices say one thing, but Rook responds kindly and friendlily most of the time—something completely different. How else can you explain it when I want to say to the First Warden "Listen here, you idiot..." and Rook just widens his eyes and says, "Do you really mean that?" This is constant. And the so-called funny responses are a whole chapter on their own. You know how many times I laughed at Rook's so-called humorous choices? In 60 hours? Maybe ten times. Or twenty. And even that was more like a chuckle. Someone might say that sarcastic Hawke was bad, but compared to this, he was a master.

The dialogues themselves are often truly absurd. I’ll never believe that the developers didn’t use artificial intelligence to help with them. These dialogues are set up in such a way that the game treats you like an dumb person. It constantly explains everything over and over again. And what's worse, there's often way too much unnecessary text. And what's more, it’s often badly written. Others have mentioned this, but I have to highlight it too. Sometimes, less is more, and it's better to show emotions than to have long, unnecessary dialogues.

When it comes to emotions and how the dialogues affect the game, it's also one big disaster. At one point in the main story, you end up fighting a dragon… What would it have cost the developers to have the characters at least try to take cover? Or act as if they’re being attacked by a dragon? Instead, they happily stand out in the open and talk about how bad it is that the dragon is attacking them. This is absolute rubbish and laziness. What’s even worse is that within the story, someone can die. I’m being vague on purpose, but when you find out about someone's death, no one really reacts. You’d expect Rook to be at least a little sad or angry that this or that happened. Not just shortly after someone’s death, you’re all happy again, like that character never existed. Just… WTF?

4) Races, or Even the Past, Are Irrelevant Unless You're an Elf

This kind of makes sense because the game revolves around Solas and the elven gods. But in essence, it’s all about them. Originally, we were given the option to create any character and have it have some significance. The problem is that if you’re not an elf, it practically has no significance, and even if you are an elf, it’s only minimal. As a Qunari, you’ll sometimes respond to questions about the Qunari; as a Dwarf, you’ll talk about dwarves—but it’s mostly only in the context of a side quest. And no matter what race you are, everyone treats you equally, without prejudice. And prejudice is at the core of Thedas. If you're an elf, you’re constantly dealing with jabs about your pointy ears. If you’re a dwarf, being on the surface doesn’t make you a dwarf. Or Qunari being called ox-like, and so on. The dislike of communicating with you based on your race is all gone, in this modern society where everyone has their place in the world, and everything is rosy and happy… and that kills Dragon Age.

We learn more about the history of the elves, but how do the dwarves react to this? Or the Qunari or humans? Actually, almost not at all. In a side quest, only Harding reacts angrily to it. To sum it up, race choice has no impact on gameplay, apart from a few dialogue options, and you never feel like it makes you stand out. It’s a shame because I still felt that in Inquisition.

The past is only a set of bonuses and a few extra dialogue choices. The most I noticed were in the Grey Wardens’ quests. But even here, it doesn’t really affect anything. In the story, it’s simply better to be a Veil Jumper or a Grey Warden.

5) The Main Story, Villains, Decisions, and Consequences:

If you’re expecting a game that gives you choices, go play games by Obsidian like Pillars of Eternity, or by Larian like Baldur’s Gate or Divinity: Original Sin. Or older Dragon Age games. Forget about that here. There’s absolutely none of that.

Maybe I should explain this in more detail. Let’s start with the story. The story revolves around you trying to stop Solas, who tried to destroy the Fade. But things go wrong, and suddenly we have two other gods: Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain, who are the bad ones. What happened to the others? They won’t tell you. Although in a side quest where you uncover Solas’s past, you might figure out what happened to them. But back to these gods. One might think, okay, we have Solas, and now these two as well. They could tell us more about them… Nope. You really don’t learn anything about them. Only some history of their fight against Solas and their motives. But that's it. Motivation? To take over the world. That's enough. There’s no deeper explanation about these gods. For instance, I’d really like to know how the Goddess of Animals and Halla, beautiful creatures, ended up in such a state in the game. At least give us a little more about her reasons. But no, we get evil gods, and that’s the end of the discussion.

The game just leads you from point A to point B. Imagine you’re walking into a store, and no matter whether you go right or left, you’ll end up leaving through the same exit. That’s exactly how the game behaves. The so-called decisions are such a transparent illusion that it’s a shame. These decisions don’t affect the game. The only real decision is at the very end, whether your companions live or die. That’s it. Plus, at the end of the game, you get some decisions that actually do something, like where to send your companions. It’s basically a copy of Mass Effect 2 with the Collectors' base.

In the middle of the game, you paradoxically get another decision with consequences… But none of them actually matter. You just choose which city you want to save, and which of your companions will be more upset about it. What’s even more ridiculous is that no matter what you pick, it all leads to the same outcome in the end.

And as I said earlier, this game is stripped of all those darker elements, and that’s evident in the story as well. Again, I’ll say that the game has some great moments in the main story, but most of the time, you’ll find yourself shaking your head and wondering who came up with this nonsense.

6) The Modern Situation in the World Needs to Be in the Game Too

As you’ve probably noticed, throughout all the points where I’ve highlighted the pros and cons, I haven’t mentioned woke topics or Taash. And there’s a reason for that. Over the course of playing, I realized that this is actually quite irrelevant. When it comes to trans and non-binary characters, you’ve made your choice at the beginning. Or, at least, in one dialogue with the mirror as a gift from Varric. If you’re a woman, they treat you like a woman. If you’re a man, you’re treated like a man. Nowhere throughout the game, except with Taash, did anyone mention they were non-binary or tell me about it. Basically, nothing like this was there until later in the story, when you’re doing quests with Taash.

At first, it actually seemed fine, and I was surprised. Taash came across as a bit of a reserved character who wasn’t afraid to throw a punch. But the deeper you get into her story and the main plot, the worse it gets. If it had been the case that Taash didn’t feel like a man or a woman within the Qun, I couldn’t really have said anything. Roles in the Qun were always more complex, and they didn’t really focus on gender, or they only focused on it in terms of what you could or couldn’t do. If Taash had simply lamented that she didn’t feel like a woman because it was a problem and she couldn’t kill, that would have been much better than what we got. But no, in a dark medieval world full of racism, prejudice, etc., we’re getting modern standards and non-binariness. This completely destroyed her character. What’s worse is that this happens right after we’ve just been dealt a blow in the main story, and the end of the world is on the horizon. Suddenly, you’re supposed to care about Taash’s non-binary issues. It doesn’t make sense; it feels like it’s forced into the game at a time when you should be focused on saving the world, not discussing someone’s gender.

So yeah, this is another big minus. Taash seemed like a very interesting character at first, but they ruined her with this forced inclusivity. And yet, there’s Emmrich. If you don’t romance him, he’ll have a romance with one of the NPCs who belong to a particular faction. And I didn’t even pause to consider that it was a homosexual couple. It felt natural, and I actually liked the story and the dialogue surrounding it. Did you see any criticism of homosexuality? No, and I won’t start any either. However, I could point out that making every character romanceable is also a problem. This worked well in Dragon Age: Origins and even Mass Effect. You couldn’t romance everyone, and that made each character’s personality more vivid. Take Leliana and Zevran, for example. Both assassins, one with the Crows, the other with the Bards. It makes perfect sense that neither of them would have prejudice. Alistair, raised by Templars, probably wouldn’t have any thoughts about men, and the same goes for Morrigan. Wynne has long moved past these things, and so on. It shapes the character. And honestly, the idea that every character falls in love with you just feels unrealistic or strange.

So yes, modern standards are killing this game. Not just because they’re there, but because they’re done in such a stupid and poorly executed way, and you can clearly feel that the management is standing behind you saying, "Hmm, we won’t include this, but let’s highlight that."

Conclusion:

If I were to be brutally honest, I’d rate this game a 4 out of 10. But I’m not. The game does have its strengths, and at times it’s truly magical, fun, and makes me feel like I’m in the Dragon Age world. However, the modern nonsense, or the rule of making the game for everyone, completely ruined it. If this were an expansion for Inquisition for 30 euros, I wouldn’t have any problem and would say it’s an 8 out of 10 DLC that focuses on elven history and Solas, and it’s actually quite good. But like this? At 60 euros? And with lies about choices, possibilities for decision-making, and so on? No, this game doesn’t deserve more than a 5 or 6 out of 10. It’s an average action adventure. Yes, I’m calling it an adventure because this RPG really isn’t one. Feel free to comment and say that because I get experience points to level up my character, it’s RPG... But it’s just not. It’s an adventure from point A to point B, very limited and designed for everyone, so naturally, it doesn’t excel in anything. And that’s a shame. But if you just want to relax, switch off, and enjoy a fun battle as a mage, this game will entertain you. But as a Dragon Age fan, I'm more sad than happy

[Spajk]

Publicado originalmente por Ezir:

This is quite a grand wall of text.... but I agree with you OP

Yeah, I'm aware of that. And I'm sorry for that. I just thought that saying simple pros and cons was woefully inadequate. And I didn't want to sound like someone who hates the game for little things, or loves it for the bare minimum. I just want to say everything The good and the bad. And so we have a wall of text. :D

[DaisyRay]

I haven't read all of it, but from what I read I agree with some things, This is the kind of critique I like. It's very clear you had your own experience in the game and formed your own opinion rather than just regurgitating what most people are saying.

I give it a 7 out of 10 for myself and I agree, it's not really in the category of rpg, but it is a fun adventure game in the dragon age world. The ending alone might push this to an 8 for me, it was the best ending of any game and did a fantastic job or wrapping it up.

I think what really sold me on a second playthrough despite knowing not much will change are the companions, the lore, and Solas.

[DeRossa]

I did read the wall of text and i share the same sentiment, good review.

4/10 is still too harsh tho, it is a solid 6/10, an incredible waste of an opportunity, im very sad of what this game could have been.

[RottenBoy]

Very well-written review, and I completely agree with your points. For me, the strongest moment in the game was when they actually let you punch the First Warden—that was brilliant. Unfortunately, everything else, despite the game’s beautiful graphics, feels like it’s lost the soul and purpose of the original lore. Even the enemies come across as oddly friendly at times. My biggest gripe, though, was the boss fights—they’re incredibly repetitive, all following the same predictable move patterns and that super annoying teleporting.

I’m really trying to force myself to finish the game because I like the handsome character I created, but honestly, it sometimes feels like torture to keep going.

[DaisyRay]

Publicado originalmente por Nikalykos:

TL;DR. Just joking of course. You lost me on Bhelen being evil and all... But overall, good review! Props to you! :regenerate:

Bhelen was evil, but a necessary one. Unfortunately in war, sometimes you need the people who don't mind being unethical. It couldn't be me.

[Spajk]

Publicado originalmente por Nikalykos:

TL;DR. Just joking of course. You lost me on Bhelen being evil and all... But overall, good review! Props to you! :regenerate:

Well yeah. Bhelen just let kill his oldest brother and do the things that his older brother end in Deep Roads. I don't know but this don't do the good guy :D :D But agreed I should say lesser evil like Bhelen. Because even how big bad guy it is Orzammar will be better than with Harrowmont.

[Spajk]

Publicado originalmente por Nikalykos:

Publicado originalmente por Spajk:

Well yeah. Bhelen just let kill his oldest brother and do the things that his older brother end in Deep Roads. I don't know but this don't do the good guy :D :D But agreed I should say lesser evil like Bhelen. Because even how big bad guy it is Orzammar will be better than with Harrowmont.

What can I say? Orzammar politics... *shrug*

Amen :D

[JerBeware]

Thanks for sharing! Glad you at least found some enjoyable moments in your play through :)

[DaisyRay]

Publicado originalmente por Nikalykos:

Publicado originalmente por DaisyRay:

Bhelen was evil, but a necessary one. Unfortunately in war, sometimes you need the people who don't mind being unethical. It couldn't be me.

I can't say he's evil. Morally questionable? Yes. But there was good heart behind this ruthless and cunning facade. He's the only one who tried to give a chance to casteless dwarves after all.

Okay you have a point. I always chose him, but it always hurt seeing what he does to his opponent. :(

[JaySay]

I did not like it and I returned it. They destroyed all the previous mechanics. You can't play as yourself, you can only play rook and cannot switch between characters. There is no tactical combat. They also shove social politics down your throat. If you are expecting the old Dragon Age series, you will be disappointed.