"If you hate Dragon Age: The Veilguard's art direction, then you're wrong"

[Viconia DeVir]

"The truth is we don't like change but it's been twenty years since the last Triple-A Dragon Age game, Dragon Age: Inquisiton, and a lot has happened, both in terms of tastes, trends and technology. "

"Now, the thing is, I think Dragon Age: The Veilguard looks incredible, and a genuinely artistic evolution of a game series I played at launch in 2009 with the release of Dragon Age: Origins, and have been enjoying ever since. The breakaway from 'hyper realism' and further towards a curated, artistic direction that recall's Arkane's Dishonored series can only be a good thing"

"God forbid anything changes in TEN YEARS! People need to calm down and cheer up"
https://www.creativebloq.com/entertainment/gaming/if-you-hate-dragon-age-the-veilguard-s-art-direction-then-you-re-wrong

[Juice]

No. I am not wrong for my personal preference. I don't like it

[Vixziค็็็็็n]

Yeah sorry don't like it at all if I want cartoons I'll watch anime and the art there is far better than this kiddy crap.

[Renjiro]

You have missed the point by a mile.

[Renjiro]

Originally posted by Vixziค็็็็็n:

Yeah sorry don't like it at all if I want cartoons I'll watch anime and the art there is far better than this kiddy crap.

The older DA games look way darker. This doesn't seem like the same Bioware.

[Vixziค็็็็็n]

Originally posted by Kinky Markiplier:

Originally posted by Vixziค็็็็็n:

Yeah sorry don't like it at all if I want cartoons I'll watch anime and the art there is far better than this kiddy crap.

The older DA games look way darker. This doesn't seem like the same Bioware.

100% You nailed another great point. The overall tone does not match what the settings of the games in the past were about and since the story is still about defeating the darkspawn and demons etc. the tone of the story doesn't match the tone of the setting anymore.

Not sure how demons and darkspawn tells you to amplify the bloom and create neon color pallettes on a backdrop of purple fog. I guess it was the purple fog that was suppose to let us know this was "dark".

[pr1mus]

the fact the author called Dragon Age's previous art style "hyper realism" lets me know i do not have to take them seriously.

[Renjiro]

Originally posted by Wushiba:

If you want to improve the look of The Veilguard then squint your eyes.

No. Gouge them out of your eyesockets.

[SK]

This is why sports games are so popular. Gamers can depend upon the same product every single year with just a roster update.

Maybe AAA studios can learn something from NBA2K and FIFA and copy that strategy.

[Freak4Leeks]

I've been on both sides, When people complained about BG3 looking and being different I said did you really expect it to look like a 2 decade old game wtf?

But I haven't like the art direction since DAO, DA2 walked the line of good but still a bit weird in spots especially with the dark spawn and elves. DAI i just hated all around.

Neither are wrong can't helping liking/disliking what we like/dislike.

[AS9ARDIAN]

Personally I would have liked a Neoclassical, Medieval, Dark, Gory, Grounded Dragon Age. Basically a natural evolution of Origins.
Modern technology gives you so many opportunities in terms of gameplay, for instance with ambient lightening and stuff.
They could have really highlighted the most horror-esque aspects of the game, especially if they would have decided to mantain the old character design which to be honest was amazing. Think about the Harvester, Hunger or Desire demons with nowadays graphics.
The fact that they didn't do any of this is a bit disappointing, but in the end being VG the sequel of Inquisition I wasn't really expecting something much different from that.

The darkspawn in particular seems too much goofy tho, it reminds me a lot of alien's newborn xenomorph, which I'm not a big fan of.

[Juice]

Originally posted by AS9ARDIAN:

Personally I would have liked a Neoclassical, Medieval, Dark, Gory, Grounded Dragon Age. Basically a natural evolution of Origins.
Modern technology gives you so many opportunities in terms of gameplay, for instance with ambient lightening and stuff.
They could have really highlighted the most horror-esque aspects of the game, especially if they would have decided to mantain the old character design which to be honest was amazing. Think about the Harvester, Hunger or Desire demons with nowadays graphics.
The fact that they didn't do any of this is a bit disappointing, but in the end being VG the sequel of Inquisition I wasn't really expecting something much different from that.

The darkspawn in particular seems too much goofy tho, it reminds me a lot of alien's newborn xenomorph, which I'm not a big fan of.

It's the definition of safe, sanitized, shiny, and soft. A game for modern audiences!

[Vixziค็็็็็n]

Originally posted by Freak4Leeks:

I've been on both sides, When people complained about BG3 looking and being different I said did you really expect it to look like a 2 decade old game wtf?

But I haven't like the art direction since DAO, DA2 walked the line of good but still a bit weird in spots especially with the dark spawn and elves. DAI i just hated all around.

Neither are wrong can't helping liking/disliking what we like/dislike.

Totally fair points though. Nothing wrong with this take at all and I'm 100% with you on the conversations about BG3 and peoples expectations for it to look the same as BG2.

I will say that it's one thing though to change an art style especially going from something that basically had no art style...it was basically the same 90s 2000s gold box style D&D crpg style... and make it into a full blown breathable modern day expectation for characters and voice acting and interactions where art actually matters...isn't even a comparison to be making. It's apples to oranges. A game from 2000 made in 2023 vs. a game in 2011 and then 2014 to be made again in 2023. That's a huge difference.

So there's no excuse for changing DAV like this other than for the current team at Bioware to "reimagine" the setting from their own lens rather than from the lens of it's previous themes. And the other thing is that's one thing to do that it's another when your story and the theme doesn't match. No one is thinking darkspawn and demons and thinking hmmmm let's create these hyper bloomed purples and greens cuz nothing says dark like that.... no one does. Maybe kids or someone designing for kids.

[alekth]

Sounds written by a drunk AI.

[Freak4Leeks]

Originally posted by Vixziค็็็็็n:

I will say that it's one thing though to change an art style especially going from something that basically had no art style...it was basically the same 90s 2000s gold box style D&D crpg style... and make it into a full blown breathable modern day expectation for characters and voice acting and interactions where art actually matters...isn't even a comparison to be making. It's apples to oranges. A game from 2000 made in 2023 vs. a game in 2011 and then 2014 to be made again in 2023. That's a huge difference.

So there's no excuse for changing DAV like this other than for the current team at Bioware to "reimagine" the setting from their own lens rather than from the lens of it's previous themes. And the other thing is that's one thing to do that it's another when your story and the theme doesn't match. No one is thinking darkspawn and demons and thinking hmmmm let's create these hyper bloomed purples and greens cuz nothing says dark like that.... no one does. Maybe kids or someone designing for kids.

Yeah not untrue, there is definitely stylist choices in DAI that weren't even trying to emulate the old games which weren't that old when it was made and weren't the result of "technology is better that is why it's different".

Although with DAI I did hear that the characters look that way (shiny skin, weird facial expressions) because they were using the frostbite engine which was just not built for a RPG like DAI and was a ♥♥♥♥ show to work with.

Anyways ill see how it goes, maybe it will grow on me... but i doubt it.

[Elvi]

Hmm, the years confusion aside - something changes, but not everything has to. Ian should keep to what he knows - drawing tablets and Amazon deals.