“Dragon Age” is one of the premier fantasy RPGs of all time. Its cultural influence isn’t as large as “Final Fantasy” or the “Elder Scrolls”, but it’s one of the greats. Starting with the humble “Dragon Age: Origins” that was released in 2009, “Dragon Age” has cemented itself as a cornerstone of fantasy media.

Despite complaints and even a massive review bombing, “Dragon Age: Veilguard” has been successful. The Thunderword has covered the review bombing and the toxic discourse surrounding the game previously, so that will not be touched on further in this review.

***Be warned, spoilers wait ahead.***

“Veilguard” is a new stab at the “Dragon Age” universe that attempts to change the player’s perspective. Instead of being this well established character with a lengthy backstory that you either take part in or barely remember due to its lack of relevance, you have one defining event that sets up your connection to the main story.

Unlike before, the player character is essentially a nobody thrust into the leadership role due to tragedy. In the prologue, your character is being led by fan favorite, Varric Tethras on a dangerous mission to stop the ‘Elven God of Lies’, Solas, from destroying the barrier between the real world, and the Fade, which is the spirit realm.

This barrier, known as the Veil, was his creation and greatest mistake as he claims, and led to the destruction of his people. Despite how they’re referred to, the Elven gods are anything but deities. They are powerful mages beyond comprehension, and while that sounds pretty close to godhood, they’re not immortal.

Of course, the mission goes horribly wrong and Varric is left critically wounded, forcing you to step up to the plate to make things right. Oh, and two of those Elven “gods” were freed. So what right? If you played the previous entry, “Inquisition”, stop reading the article and play “Veilguard” already! It explains what happens next better than I will.

Moving on, the Elven gods were absolutely horrid warlords that enslaved and tortured their people with disgraceful experiments and magic horrors. One such horror is the Blight, a horrific plague that mutates the infected into Darkspawn, if it doesn’t outright kill them first.

Thanks to the player character’s team interrupting Solas, two of the Elven gods are freed. These powerful mages known as the Evanuris, are trying to release the Blight into the world in order to conquer the world and reshape it in their own image.

There’s a lot more to the story, but that’s a whole another shelf filled with cans of worms. The story is impeccable with twists and turns at every step. While every entry so far has raised questions, like whether or not the monotheistic religion known as Andrastianism is rooted in reality, or where the Darkspawn and Blight actually came from, “Veilguard” answers them.

It’s refreshing to finally get answers, but in a way that doesn’t just point them out and completely kill the mystery. Even the answers have an air of mystery to them. Then of course, the stakes feel real. (I remember the Siege of Weisshaupt mission making my heart race a little as I had a sense of dread over its outcome.)

Of course, what is a game without meaningful characters? The cast is varied with characters that defy expectations and tackle well-known story tropes in a fun way. For example, the team’s assassin, Lucanis, seems like the edgy pick, what with a demon sealed inside him, but he’s actually quite sweet and formal.

Then you have the naive but well meaning elf mage, Bellara, who is talented but seemingly reckless and naive. Despite her demeanor, she is quite thoughtful, and is an expert at quelling dangerous magical artifacts.

Every companion has an interesting quirk to them, but they all still feel realistic because despite their powers, they struggle with serious issues. For example, the team’s resident dragon hunter, Taash, struggles with their identity as a person and their connection to two vastly different cultures.

The player has the opportunity to either encourage them to pursue the culture of their new land and accept their identity, or stick to their former homeland’s culture. These have different effects on how they view the world, and how they speak to you.

In fact, a lot of choices in the game actually have effects on scenarios down the line. If you encourage a companion to be a certain way, they’ll tackle their issues with that in mind. For example, Neve Gallus is a Tevinter detective who’s unsure whether she should be a symbol of hope, or a shadowy champion of the downtrodden.

If you encourage one of these paths throughout your conversations with her, she’ll keep this in mind and will even suggest solutions to problems based on said path. When she faces off against her cultist nemesis, Aelia, she can choose to kill her and stop her crimes forever, or restrain her and have her publicly arrested so the people of Tevinter can hope that their corrupt city can change after all.

Both have their benefits, and it’s up to the player to decide what type of world they want to see when the main conflict ends. One of the best features the game has is the opportunity to have hangout sessions with each companion so you can not only get to know them better, but so you can flesh out your relationship with them.

The chats feel natural as they’re often about mundane things. Each companion has a number of mini-quests where you just go for a stroll and either tackle their inner demons, or simply ponder their place in the world they live in.

Now two critiques toward “Veilguard” are the delivery of certain dialogue (specifically some of Taash’s conversations can feel a little stilted), and the suddenness of the ending. While the ending is satisfying, it kind of happens abruptly after a grueling and costly battle. It’s not a bad ending, but it could use some more fleshing out.

Of course, the game teases a new threat on the horizon (literally), so perhaps they merely want to avoid cementing a finalized world state so they can have more freedom with future entries. Regardless, “Veilguard” was a pleasant experience that had me quite literally on the edge of my seat. 

Despite the toxicity around its release, I wholeheartedly enjoyed and recommend this game to anyone who’s interested in “Dragon Age” or fantasy as a whole.