Dragon Age is back. Ten years on from the last major game in the series, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: The Veilguard has arrived. And it’s right up there with the original, according to Metacritic.
This is a hefty 40- to 60-hour title. But is it worth investing that much energy in, when Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dragon’s Dogma 2 may also be competing for your time?
Despite the strong 84 per cent Metacritic score, which positions it just below the original Dragon Age: Origins from 2009, there are some observations from critics that may put some of you off.
There are mixed reports on the Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s story and writing, the repetitiveness of combat and the non-player character designs.
Here’s a look at reviews from some of the bigger review publications. We’ll start with the strongest out there, and then dig into other assessments from reviewers who weren’t entirely won over by Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Dragon Age: The best Veilguard reviews...
Eurogamer: “The Veilguard is exquisitely realised and full of sophistication across systems and storytelling. It's warm and welcoming, funny and hopeful, gentle when it needs to be, and, of course, it's epic.”
IGN: Dragon Age: “The Veilguard refreshes and reinvigorates a storied series that stumbled through its middle years, and leaves no doubt that it deserves its place in the RPG pantheon. The next Mass Effect is going to have a very tough act to follow.”
9/10
XBoxEra: “Dragon Age: The Veilguard isn’t just in my Game of the Year rankings, it’s in my Best Games of All Time.”
GamesRadar: “An approachable, expansive, action-oriented RPG and feels like a true end to whatever the franchise was before. The book's not finished, but a significant chapter has closed.”
4.5/5
... and the less favourable reviews
The Guardian: “The writing, the heart of previous games, is surprisingly mediocre, while the new combat style gets repetitive fairly quickly.”
3/5
VGC: “We found our shoulders slumping every time we entered an area to find another roadblock that was solved by literally just following a red line. This is part of an overall lack of variety throughout the game. You’re only ever fighting around three or four enemy types, so fights eventually become overly familiar.”
3/5
Inverse: “The Veilguard mostly succeeds... even if the growing pains of its new combat system and an uneven story keep it from being truly great.”
7/10
It’s a critical hit, then, but much like previous entries in the series has not escaped some criticism.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is available for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S and X. You can’t play it through Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus yet.
The game is released on Thursday, October 31. This time the Deluxe edition of the game does not offer early access.
