When Mastery Betrays You on Your Journey
Mastery always kept me grounded. Whether in life or in virtual realms, I showed up and tackled anything that had the promise of a good challenge, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard was no different. I knew for a fact that the game would compel me to think strategically and push my limits in my favorite form of sadistic agony: constructing builds and easily outwitting outsmartable enemies. However, achievement does not fill the void caused by betrayal.
Mastery also included focusing on micromechanical dynamics, in this case, the artistry of Dragon Age. Visionary illusions, as As Rook, kept my immersion alive. While tearing through demon armies with a blade, spell-crafting, backstabbing, and flanking, I experience that unrivaled euphoria that only the best games could trigger. My hands moved ahead of my thoughts, my brain humming like no other. The timing of my counters made otherwise overwhelming bouts become intoxicating.
Let me put this frankly so all players who buy PS5 adventure games will understand: "The hand has been thrown, so to speak," clues that several gaming sessions and boiling blood await.
Characters with Legacy Chests: What Capcom did with Street Fighter
Morrigan appeared alongside Isabela. It was gut-wrenching not being able to experience chunks from the world that were built clearly for one to adore.
They weren't them. They were not the vibrant, jagged forces of nature that had once impacted my journey, my conquests, my setbacks. They were shades, shadows twisted into mockeries of their former selves, existing only to drape nostalgia like a tattered cloth over broken promises.
If there is a head I'm putting my heart on the line for, it cannot be for a hollowed-out heart. Every time I spotted one of them, it broke my immersion. Reminded me that no matter how many hours I invested in this world, the past was permanently out of reach.
That's not just mismanagement. That is undoing what is there. That is treachery.
Yet, The Fight Continues
In spite of the pain, in spite of the anger that whitewashed me every time, from the moment a legacy character walked onto the stage in what felt like a terrible act. I used to revel in, I kept on fighting.
How else was I supposed to state my desire to battle? The challenges were legitimate. The foes were savage. The Veil fracturing, demons bursting forth, and sometimes even the map feeling like it was trying to murder me? That is real. And genuine challenges call for meri-worthy respect.
In a world of one-dimensional characters, Solas stood out as an intricate and puzzling character. His side quests—dense, painful, fascinating—left a different kind of scar. A villain crafted to refuse to wear the simple mask of evil. The older concepts of every side in a conflict gave me the philosophy of warfare that I had been looking for.
The new so-called gods, what do you even call these cartoonish villains with their mustache-twirling evil plans? They were fodder for the cannon. They might have been entertaining from the gameplay perspective but on an emotional and intellectual level. Completely devoid.
Rook And Varric: A Fragile Thread
At least there was Varric in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Varric, who carries the world's fatigue on his face, is worn like a badge. The bond I had with Rook was genuine, holistic, felt to me and me. He was like rotten glue, keeping all these fragmented pieces from falling apart.
Not only did he choose your favorite dialogue options profoundly, but the bond he had with Rook felt real. Earned through blood, fragile hope, enduring regret, ruthless, stubborn conditioning, and unrelenting survival.
Rook wasn't a character for me. I owned my Rook, and so vividly knew with staring relentless self-sacrifice at a broken world void of the proper conduct of the battle to a whirlpool of stagnant, hopeless waters. My Rook had made the decision to keep fighting when every spark of hope had nearly gone out.
Mastery comes from meaning. The very reason you begin playing in a world on fire crumbling all around you comes from skill.
Celebration Can Be Well Avoided in this Context
My playthrough of the game took a total of 120 hours. Do I recommend you buy Dragon Age: The Veilguard? Yes! I completed it, advanced Rook precision incarnate, and powerfully mastered him. I outsmarted just about every foe, pushed past the mechanical limits set by the game, and even destroyed gods.
To my surprise, I did not receive a sense of victory when the credits rolled. Instead, I felt an overwhelming wave of grief.
While The Veilguard has some of the most satisfying gameplay moments in the series, it still remains locked behind a broken legacy. It's a great game, but the amount of love and enjoyment it brings could have been better. Easier than DA II and sharper than Inquisition, it still leaves a lot to be desired.
As for the rating, it is four out of five because even though the game industry has sunk so deep, it continues to bring joy through fierce combat that feels satisfying.
Pros:
- Companions with Meaningful Relationships: Bonds and romances with companions go as far as deeply engaging with them.
- Lore and world-building still add to the already established universe of Dragon Age, so it is growing.
- Expands on Dragon Age lore and world-building.
- Systemic Choices: Players make decisions that shape the narrative and character relationships.
- Longstanding Plotlines Closure: Fulfills the lingering story arcs, notably the tale of Solas.
Cons:
- Narrative Pacing Problems: Several players reported inconsistent pacing during different acts.
- Companion "Safety": Companions are less likely to exit or strongly disapprove of chosen actions.
- Class/ Race Impact Minimal (Potentially): Backgrounds do exist, but how much they truly matter is yet to be determined in post-release evaluation.
- Possible 'Marvel' Tone: A portion of the audience detects a shift in focus to a more lighthearted/Superheroish approach.
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