by Dragon Age: The Veilguard is finally here, and a lot of people are liking it. And someone who is very publicly liking it is the outspoken publishing director of Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian, Michael Douse – who praised BioWare’s new RPG, calling it, among other things, “the first Dragon Age game that really knows what it wants to be .”
Of course, Douse isn’t one to shy away from sharing his opinions on social media, having recently fired shots at Ubisoft following the underperformance of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. [people] sad,” and spoke candidly about the current layoff culture in the games industry, noting, “None of these companies are at risk of going bankrupt… they’re just at risk of pissing off shareholders.” But after the launch of Dragon Age : The Veilguard, Douse sings a more positive tune.
“I played Dragon Age: The Veilguard in complete secrecy (behind my backpack in the office, in front of a giant window, in the kitchen),” he wrote on which is compatible with my experience during BG3′, so I’ll tackle it from that perspective. It’s a heavy, nine-season show that is a well-crafted, character-driven, binge-worthy Netflix series. It has a good sense of propulsion and forward momentum. The combat system is honestly brilliant (for me, a mix of Xenoblade and Hogwarts, which is a giant-brained genius, and it knows when it needs a tentpole story moment). know when to play with your class and exploit some of its stronger elements.”
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“More importantly,” Douse added, “to me it feels like the first Dragon Age game that really knows what it wants to be… If you want a character-driven romp with a strong combat system in a universe you know, I love, or I’ve heard of it, it’s much better than the average action game, and much less demanding than the massive RPGs that can be intimidating at times: it’s fun!”
“I will always be one [Dragon Age: Origins] dude,” Douse continued in a follow-up post, “and that’s not that. But at least it’s something it wants to be, and not a hodgepodge of everything. I respect that. I like action games, like RPGs, I like them crashing into each other. I like shooting bad guys with magical magic. Your mileage may vary!”
It’s a positive view of The Veilguard, shared by Eurogamer’s Robert Purchese, who awarded Dragon Age’s latest outing with five shiny gold stars in his enthusiastic review. “What BioWare has managed to achieve here,” he wrote, “in light of all the pressure it has faced since Dragon Age: Inquisition came out a decade ago, is extraordinary. From top to bottom, wing to wing, The Veilguard is exquisitely realized and full of sophistication in all systems and stories. It’s warm and welcoming, funny and hopeful, gentle when it needs to be, and of course it’s epic – epic in a way that I think will set the bar high for more than just BioWare in the years to come. come, but for role-playing games in general, this is one of the very best.”
But back to Douse for a final comment: “I’m extremely happy that BioWare can – presumably – continue to exist in these uncertain times (due to idiotic corporate greed),” he concluded. “[The Veilguard is] an existential game, and a fun one at that.”
