Fresh off the launch pad, Dragon Age: The Veilguard already scoring high sales on Steam and PS5 and received mostly positive critic reviews. But even before most players had a chance to start their first Walkthrough, this game became the latest target of “anti-woke” review bombing.
The reason? LGBTQ+ characters and themes that, apparently, just aren’t fantasy enough for some people.
What’s with All the Negative User Reviews?
Over on Metacritic, Veilguard’s user score is sitting at a low 3.9, while critics gave it a solid 84 (PS5 scores).
It doesn’t take long to spot the pattern: low scores with complaints about “wokeness” and “DEI” as if they’re hidden villains in this world of magic and dragons.
Honestly, if you’ve been around long enough, this feels like the same old playbook.
Remember Dragon Age: Origins? Back then, folks were grumbling about the “agenda” because of bisexual love interests. Or take Mass Effect—Fox News nearly had a meltdown when FemShep could romance Liara.
It’s the same story here, just a new chapter.
Some players are even drowning out legitimate discussions about the game’s themes, like its approach to gender identity.
Long-time Dragon Age fans will know that Bioware has never shied away from exploring complex, real-world issues in their games.
The recent inclusion of a non-binary character isn’t out of place in this world—it’s par for the course.
Meanwhile, Over on Steam… The review bombing hasn’t quite taken off.
There, Veilguard has a majority of positive reviews.
Yes, few folks say it doesn’t feel exactly like a Dragon Age game, but they still seem to think it’s a solid experience overall.
Sure, this game isn’t without its faults. The writing doesn’t quite hit the mark compared to previous Dragon Age titles, and there are moments when the story falls flat.
Some players are also voicing concerns about a lack of player agency, feeling like Bioware is playing it too safe with this installment.
But being progressive isn’t one of the issues on the table.
