Over the course of nearly ten years, BioWare dedicated itself to developing Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the latest chapter in its beloved Dragon Age series. Since its release last year, it has sparked considerable debate and stands as one of the most talked-about titles of 2024. Following a string of disappointments with games like Anthem and Mass Effect: Andromeda, fans eagerly anticipated BioWare’s return to form with this new RPG adventure. Despite receiving commendable reviews from critics that surpassed expectations for recent BioWare titles, the response from players has been lukewarm.
Presently, Dragon Age: The Veilguard holds a “Mixed” rating of 69% from users on Steam, a score that doesn’t quite measure up to earlier entries in the series. Sales figures from publisher EA reveal that the game shifted approximately 1.5 million copies, falling short of the anticipated mark by 50%. Among the many criticisms leveled at The Veilguard are its constrained player choices and inconsistent writing quality. However, one glaring issue seems to be its unfriendliness to newcomers—a problem conspicuously absent in other RPGs like Avowed and the much-anticipated The Elder Scrolls 6.
The return of dormant franchises has been a noteworthy trend, with Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Avowed, and The Elder Scrolls 6 each breathing new life into beloved universes. After about a decade, The Veilguard follows Dragon Age: Inquisition. Meanwhile, Avowed introduces itself around seven years post-Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, inhabiting the same universe. Though The Elder Scrolls 6 is yet to launch, fans anticipate its arrival over 14 years after Skyrim’s release.
A key challenge for these revivals lies in catering to a fresh audience, particularly in narrative-heavy games. Avowed, and tentatively The Elder Scrolls 6, manage to sidestep this issue. Avowed stands independently, requiring no previous Pillars of Eternity knowledge for full enjoyment. It brings a helpful in-game glossary, easing players into its world during dialogues. It’s expected The Elder Scrolls 6 will treat continuity similarly, likely presenting a fresh story untethered to its predecessor, consistent with the series’ tradition of standalone narratives.
Conversely, Dragon Age: The Veilguard leans heavily on its ancestry. As a direct sequel to Dragon Age: Inquisition, its storyline—set a decade later—makes much more sense to those familiar with the earlier game. The absence of a guiding tool like Avowed’s glossary, paired with its embedded connections to past entries, may have alienated newcomers, subsequently affecting its overall reception and success.
Dive into the world of Thedas, a domain rich with dense forests, treacherous passages, and dazzling urban sprawls, where the ancient deities have finally emerged from their long-held prisons to wreak havoc. Stand as Rook, the new hero tasked with assembling a band of seven unique companions, each bringing their own stories and strengths to the increasingly desperate battle of The Veilguard. Released on October 31, 2024, and rated M for Mature for its themes and content, Dragon Age: The Veilguard challenges players not just to save the world from godly chaos, but also to navigate the fragmented legacy of its own storied franchise history.
