As a lifelong Dragon Age fan, my hype for Veilguard was off the charts. I mean, after the rich storytelling, complex characters, and satisfying combat in Inquisition, I was more than ready to get lost in Thedas again and see what magic Bioware had conjured up this time.
But, after logging a solid 42 hours—I was more deflated than enchanted.
That gut punch of realizing a game you’ve waited years for doesn’t live up? It stings. And don’t get me wrong, Veilguard is a beauty. It runs flawlessly, which, hey, in the age of Day-One-Disasters, deserves a round of applause.
But looks aren’t everything.
What I Liked in This Game
Veilguard does have its high points, and it’s not all doom and gloom. For example game runs beautifully. The performance is top-notch, I didn’t encounter a single bug, stutter, or frame drop during my entire gameplay.
Everything felt buttery smooth, which, let’s be real, is a huge win considering most of AAA games in few past years launched with large number of bugs and glitches.
Speaking of those environments—wow. The level design is where Veilguard really shines. The world feels massive, and the atmosphere is electric with apocalyptic tension.
These environments aren’t just big; they make you feel small in the best possible way. There’s something about the scale and the way the world is designed that really pulls you in. You can tell the developers were aiming for grandeur, and they nailed it.
The set pieces are jaw-dropping, with every turn offering a fresh, visually stunning view.
Then there’s character creation—the system is solid with tons of customization options, especially when it comes to the way your character looks.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time tweaking my character’s features, and let me tell you: the hair looks real.
It’s a small detail, but it’s one of those things that adds a lot of polish to your overall gaming experience.
What I Didn’t Like in This Game
As much as Veilguard nails the visuals and performance, the combat system is a serious letdown.
In Inquisition, combat was an engaging, tactical experience—there was strategy, there was teamwork, there was a sense of depth.
But Here? Not so much.
The flashy animations might look cool at first, but the overall system quickly feels shallow.
The combat is repetitive, and I found myself cranking down the difficulty just to get through it more quickly.
It’s a prime example of a dumbed down system that sacrifices depth for accessibility—and it just doesn’t have the same punch.
Then there’s the story , the part that make or break any RPG.
On paper the story should be compelling. There are secrets to be revealed, tough decisions to make, and moral ambiguity to wrestle with.
But in reality, the narrative feels like it’s been stripped down and simplified to the point of feeling almost childish.
Developers of Veilguard took a rich, gritty RPG plot and turned it into a generic Marvel movie (and not the good ones).
In simple words It doesn’t have the weight or depth that Dragon Age fans crave.
As a player, You have absolutely zero agency in how the story unfolds. You’re stuck on one linear path, with no choices or consequences to alter the course of events. For an RPG, that’s a major misstep.
And another letdown is companions in this game.
Companions are one of the things Dragon Age is best known for. But here, the companion system feels more like a checkbox than a meaningful feature.
You don’t get to choose who joins your team. You’re forced to recruit everyone, and once they’re in, you’re stuck with them. Want to kick someone out or even give them a little attitude? Too bad.
The companions feel more like lifeless dolls than actual characters you can bond with. It’s a stark contrast to the relationships and rivalries that made previous Dragon Age games so memorable.
What I Truly Hate in This Game
The characters and dialogue are the real gut punch here. This is Bioware we’re talking about—the studio that gave us some of the most compelling, well-written characters in RPG history.
But in Veilguard? It’s like they forgot how to write interesting dialogue. The characters, while having some potential, come off as flat and uninspired.
The dialogue is stiff, awkward, and borderline cringey.
Honestly, I found myself zoning out during most of the conversations, because it felt like I was listening to a first draft, not fully realized characters.
Take Solas, for example. He’s one of the few characters with any real depth, but even his story arc here doesn’t do him justice.
It feels more like the remnants of what we saw in Inquisition, but without the same emotional weight. It’s just not enough to make him, or anyone else, stand out.
I never felt the same connection to my team that I did in previous games. At the end of the day, they’re just… there. If they were any less developed, they’d be cardboard cutouts.
Conclusion
After grinding through 42 hours of Veilguard, I can’t lie—I feel a bit betrayed. I waited almost a decade, hoping for something legendary, and instead, I got a shallow, repetitive experience that doesn’t even come close to its predecessors. The combat’s a snooze, the story’s watered down, and the characters? Let’s just say, if they had any less life, they’d be NPCs.
This is a game that promises a lot but fails to deliver, leaving you with a hollow feeling as you move from one uninspired quest to the next.
So if you’re debating whether to pick up Veilguard, here’s my advice: save yourself the disappointment. Maybe grab it on a heavy discount or just watch the story on YouTube—it’s faster, and you’re not missing much by skipping the gameplay.
