Dragon Age: The Veilguard Is Expected to Look Impressive Even 15 Years from Now. BioWare Is Open to Criticism Knowing They Can't Satisfy All Fans
The developers of Dragon Age: The Veilguard explained why they abandoned the Keep system, carrying over choices from previous installments in the series, and how they approach satisfying players and inspiring by DLC.
Update (September 20)
A 20-minute video about Dragon Age: The Veilguard was released on the Xbox YouTube channel. It includes an interview with the game developers and many gameplay fragments.
Original news (September 19)
The fourth installment of the Dragon Age series is approaching quickly, and BioWare studio is regularly discussing the various aspects of the upcoming release. Recently, the devs also invited the media, so their representatives could test a specially prepared demo of the game. Based on these reports and conversations between journalists and the creators of The Veilguard, we learned more details about this title.
Problem of DA Keep
For many Dragon Age fans, an important issue is the ability to make choices and carry them over from previous installments (after all, such a system is characteristic of the studio's games). Unfortunately, for quite some time now, we've been aware that the Dragon Age Keep app, which allowed for the transfer and customization of choices between the three installments of the series (as well as seeing their consequences), won't be working in The Veilguard. The developers explained why they decided to make such a move:
- the action of The Veilguard is set to take place mainly in Tevinter, a further corner of Thedas, which we haven't had the opportunity to explore so far - the choices made by the Inquisitor or the Hero of Ferelden in the south, including in Orlais, would therefore not have such a significant impact on this region;
- players may not remember their decisions anyway, so the devs will allow them to manually choose the most important events at the beginning of the game.
The developers' explanation could simply be a well-crafted excuse, as adapting choices from three-decades-old games and implementing their consequences in the latest installment would likely require a substantial effort that would ultimately be unprofitable for the studio.
We can take comfort in the fact that in the fourth installment, we will have the option to transfer the appearance of our Inquisitor from DA: Inquisition or create a new one. The character creator is said to be very extensive, and developers are still considering making it available before the game's release, similar to what Capcom did with the creator from Dragon's Dogma 2.
Our editor had the opportunity to play the discussed demo of Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Is it impossible to please everyone?
Dragon Age: The Veilguard will differ significantly from the previous installment in the series, not only in terms of gameplay mechanics but also in its unique, colorful graphics that many fans didn't like. Shinobi602 shared a few new screenshots from the game on X – some of which you can see below. However, the creative director of the game, John Epler, explains (via Eurogamer) that:
It's still going to look striking in 10 years, 15 years [thanks to the graphic style]. I mean obviously people have their thoughts. [...] There's always going to be some people who aren't happy with one element or another, and that's true of anything that you create.
The developer believes it is not possible to please all players. He also claims that the more one wants to reach a larger audience, the more often one makes certain compromises and ultimately doesn't make anyone happy. For this reason, BioWare studio has opted for specific solutions in The Veilguard - such as the action RPG subgenre, a smaller world compared to Inquisition, and increased linearity.
There's always going to be someone who's unhappy. But ultimately it's about making the best version of the game that you believe, said John Epler.
The devs of DA: The Veilguard also mentioned that in terms of the narrative, they drew a lot of inspiration from expansions to previous BioWare games, including Trespasser (DA: Inquisition) or Citadel (Mass Effect 3). Like these DLC, the fourth installment will offer a fairly contained experience, which is expected to have a positive impact on the story being uncovered.
When it comes to romances, we can form a relationship with any companion (even just a party member), regardless of their gender and race. Corinne Busche, the director of The Veilguard, however, points out that despite everything, individual characters have their canonical preferences and don't adapt to Rook:
These are fully fleshed out characters that have their own romantic histories, preferences, backgrounds, and that doesn't change based on who you, the player character, are.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard will be released on October 31 for PS5, XSX/S, and PC.
X, @shinobi602
X, @shinobi602
X, @shinobi602
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Author: Zuzanna Domeradzka
An introvert since birth, she has been interested in video games for as long as she can remember. She joined Gamepressure.com in 2022, first writing for the gaming newsroom and later helping with guides. She is an enthusiast of FPS and RPG games and a big fan of the Dragon Age, Five Nights at Freddy's, and Assassin's Creed series. She also enjoys watching movies, most often returning to Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean. She tries to spend her free time actively, riding a bike or skateboard (or platinuming the next installments of the Just Dance series).
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