Dragon Age: The Veilguard review

The Veilguard, eh? Sounds fancy, doesn't it? Well, it is and it isn't. You're tasked with saving the world from a pair of elven troublemakers with a god complex – because apparently, mere mortals just aren't challenging enough anymore. The story does have its moments, mind you. There are a few twists and turns that'll leave you gasping (though whether in shock or amusement is debatable). But the journey to those "oh snap!" moments are far and few in between.

Seriously, this game loves its lore. It's like someone force-fed a codex to a dragon and then told it to breathe fire on your brain. If you're a newcomer to the Dragon Age universe, like me, be prepared to feel like you've stumbled into a college lecture halfway through the semester. And even if you're a seasoned player, the constant info-dumps can be overwhelming.

And the dialogue? Oh dear. Imagine a conversation between a parrot and a broken record.  That's pretty much the level of wit and originality we're dealing with here. Characters announce their intentions repeatedly, then proceed to repeat themselves ad nauseam (see what I did there).  It's enough to make you wish you could cast a silence spell on the entire party. I played Red Dead Redemption on PC review, and even after 14 years, the dialogue is so good it sucks you right in, like reading your favourite book.

That said, side missions and companion quests are varied and interesting. Almost every mission feels interesting because of the different factions and races that add a layer of history and depth to the NPCs themselves. Picking the right dialogue doesn’t drastically change the outcome of a mission like it does in Baldur’s Gate 3. So if you’re looking for a space where choice really matters then Baldur’s Gate 3 is still the gold standard. I’d say this is somewhat better than Assasin’s Creed game’s choices but one where the outcome doesn’t spin your story on its head.

Now, before you reach for your pitchforks and torches, let me say this: the combat in Dragon Age: The Veilguard is actually pretty darn fun. Once you get past the initial awkwardness of the controls, you'll find yourself slicing, dicing, and spell-slinging with the best of them. The abilities are satisfying to use, and the location variety keeps things interesting. The skill tree branches off in multiple playstyles and you also get to control the abilities of the companions in a fight like the latest Final Fantasy Games. Combining companion abilities to unleash devastating AoE explosions is a lot of fun to do. Sadly, I can’t say the same for the enemy variety. It’s as basic as the Subway menu and even 10 hours in, you’ll see the same enemies. It feels like most of the art direction effort went into designing the foliage and environments.

Then there's the loot and materials. Oh, the materials. Mountains of it. Enough to make a dwarf blush. The problem is, that most of what you pick up from the environment is utterly pointless. You'll spend half your time wading through every nook and cranny, desperately trying to find something – anything – that's actually useful, only to go back to a merchant and sell all valuables in a single button press. Weapon and armour loot drops from treasure chests are generous enough but they don’t feel as rewarding as I’d like.

Level design and puzzles are also not as cohesive either. Even the God of War reboot which was supposed to be a bitesize RPG game has better puzzles and level design. Puzzles are pretty much pointless boring or simply wasting time. Your companions will constantly point out the bleeding obvious like we're incapable of figuring out how to open a door or pull a lever. The level design itself, although hella pretty looking, is a tad linear.

ALSO READ: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth review

Okay, let's give credit where credit is due. Dragon Age: The Veilguard looks stunning. The environments are breathtaking, the character models are detailed, and the special effects are dazzling. This is a game that truly showcases the power of current-gen consoles. If you're looking for a visual feast, The Veilguard will definitely satisfy your appetite.

We ran this on our testbench PC with an Nvidia 4080 Super got around 142FPS on 1440p resolution with graphics settings set to the highest quality and Frame Generation enabled. Like we’ve seen with most well-optimised games, this too has almost 2x frame rate increase with Frame Generation enabled and the denoising is done extremely well. There are never any frame drops, artefacts or anti-aliasing mishaps.

We even played this on our Lenovo Legion Go and the game ran at a cool 45FPS with AMD Frame Generation. However, this is a demanding title and the overall visual fidelity takes a backseat. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is best played on a 4K telly or an OLED screen.

ALSO READ: Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty review

So, is Dragon Age: The Veilguard worth your hard-earned gold?  Well, it's complicated. The combat is enjoyable, the graphics are gorgeous, and the story has its moments. But the overwhelming lore dumps, the repetitive dialogue, the pointless loot, and the constant hand-holding make it a frustrating experience at times. It's like a delicious cake that's been covered in a thick layer of icing made from pure frustration.

If you're a die-hard Dragon Age fan, you'll probably find enough to enjoy here. But if you're looking for a truly great RPG experience, you might want to look elsewhere. Or at the very least, wait for a sale.