🤮The Absurdity of Breaking Objects for Resources🤮

Absolutely, I couldn’t agree morethis game feels like it’s designed for a child, yet it awkwardly tackles mature themes like sexuality and identity. The disconnect is absurd. How can they simplify gameplay to the point where locked doors just magically vanish because you started a companion quest, while also expecting us to take the story’s deep themes seriously? It’s like teaching a toddler about philosophy while they mash buttons.

Then there’s the dialogue. Even the most intense-looking options result in polite, sanitized responses. It’s as if they’re terrified of offending anyone, completely undermining the gritty, morally complex choices that Dragon Age is known for. And if everything’s so "safe," why even bother addressing complex topics?

This incoherence is the real issue. Is this a thought-provoking RPG for adults or a simplified kids’ game? You can’t have both, and the result is a bizarre, identity-confused mess that fails to challenge or satisfy either audience.

Ah, the epic "door puzzle" in Dragon Age: Veilguard. Ten years of development culminating in a challenge so complex it defies the limits of human comprehension: looking up. 🙄

I can just imagine the developers' final meeting after a decade of hard work🙊:

Creative Director: "Gentlemen, we need a puzzle that will be the cherry on top, something that will make players question their very existence."
Designer 1: "How about a four-dimensional labyrinth that shifts over time?"
Designer 2: "Or maybe a riddle that requires knowledge of theoretical physics and ancient philosophy?"
Lead Director: "What if... we put the three symbols to unlock the door right above it?"
A deathly silence fills the room.
Creative Director, tears in his eyes: "This. This is simply… brilliant!"

And thus, the supreme challenge was born: tilting your head. Because who could have guessed that, after ten years, the key to progressing in the game would be using that neglected joint between your neck and your brain?

It’s almost a transcendental experience. You traverse dark forests, battle mythical creatures, collect legendary artifacts, but nothing-nothing-prepares you for the moment when you need to look up and click on the symbols exactly as they’re drawn on the wall. It’s as if the developers were saying: "Congratulations for making it this far. Now prove you know how to use the basic camera function."

Perhaps it’s a profound critique of modern society, always looking down at the screens of our devices and forgetting to appreciate what’s above. Or maybe it’s just creative laziness after a decade of trying to think of something innovative.

I can already picture the promotional trailer:

"After 10 years in production, we present the ultimate challenge. A puzzle that will test the limits of your perception. Get ready for... THE GREAT HEAD TILT!"

🤑💲💰   🤥🤥🤥And the beta testers?🤥🤥🤥  🤑💲💰 

Tester 1: "I solved the puzzle in 5 seconds."
Developer, whispering: "Shh, don’t ruin this. It’s a disguised IQ test."

In the end, perhaps the real puzzle is understanding how this game took ten years to make and this was the best idea they came up with to challenge players. But hey, who are we to judge? Maybe in the next title, they’ll take twenty years, and the challenge will be to press the "Start" button.

Ultimately, I have to thank the developers for this unforgettable moment. It’s not every day you get to experience a puzzle that redefines the meaning of simplicity. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare my neck for the next revolutionary challenge: looking down.

👌😆

Hahahahaha that's true 

Some of it IS really inappropriate. When you accompany Emmrich through the Necropolis he asks you to be respectful, literally as Rook is rolling through all the urns. And he doesn't have a word to say about it, at all. No one in the cities even notices you rolling or slashing or flinging spells all over the place. 

My biggest gripe is how awkward it is with movement. The PC stops short, doesn't have real control, it feels like halfway through they thought they wanted to make a Hack-n-Slash, which I like and think could work, but the design of this engine is so clunky that every movement stops you short and leaves the experience very disjointed. It's no Diablo\Torchlight\BaldursGate\insert any other Hack-n-Slash of your choice. 

Honestly, I find it fun, even if it breaks some of the immersion. It’s an RPG. In my game, I’m role playing as a rogue that loves to practice her moves and break stuff wherever she goes.

You make an excellent point, Seasoned Scout, and I’d like to expand on what you’ve brought up. The scenario with Emmrich in the Necropolis is emblematic of the disconnect between narrative and gameplay. The game sets up a tone of respect and reverence for the environment, only to undercut it entirely by incentivizing the player to smash everything in sight for resources. This lack of consistency doesn’t just break immersion – it outright dismantles it. It’s hard to feel engaged with a world when the game itself doesn’t seem to respect its own rules.

Your critique of the movement and combat mechanics is equally valid. The clunky, stop-and-go pacing of movement makes exploration and combat feel like a chore. This is especially frustrating in a game that seems to flirt with Hack-n-Slash elements, where fluidity and responsiveness are paramount. Titles like Diablo and Torchlight excel in this genre because they understand that smooth mechanics and seamless transitions are essential for player satisfaction. By comparison, this game feels as though it’s stuck in a perpetual identity crisis, not confident enough to be a true RPG, and not polished enough to be a proper action game.

Adding to that, the resource-breaking mechanic feels like a relic from an older era of game design, where smashing pots and crates was an amusing distraction rather than a core mechanic. But here, it’s not only overused; it’s completely at odds with the supposed narrative and thematic tone. Beyond the Necropolis example, it’s jarring to see this mechanic persist in environments where destruction feels inappropriate or downright illogical. Why would a hero stop to destroy every vase in a town square? Why would NPCs turn a blind eye to such chaotic behavior?

Finally, the reliance on these mechanics highlights a deeper flaw: a lack of meaningful progression systems. If players are constantly breaking objects for resources, it suggests the game didn’t implement better ways to reward exploration or incentivize engagement. Games like Baldur’s Gate or even The Witcher manage to tie exploration, story, and mechanics together in ways that feel natural and rewarding. Here, the resource-breaking feels like busywork; a symptom of design choices that prioritize filler content over meaningful player interaction.

In the end, this game tries to be everything at once and ends up excelling at none of it. Whether it’s the awkward movement, the incoherent mechanics, or the disjointed narrative elements, the experience feels less like a cohesive RPG and more like a patchwork of outdated ideas thrown together without a clear vision." ( ⚠️ This is nothing short of an absolute hack job ⚒️ – an embarrassingly poor effort 🤢 that reeks of amateurism and incompetence 🚫👎)

Interesting perspective, Mkaybellene. The idea of role-playing as a rogue who smashes everything in her path might seem like a creative justification for the mechanics at first glance. However, it's important to recognize that this is an extremely specific and isolated interpretation, conveniently tailored to make the flawed mechanic seem acceptable. The reality is that game mechanics should accommodate a wide range of characters and narratives; not just this one hyper-specific scenario of a chaos-driven rogue.

If we apply this mechanic to other archetypes (such as an intellectual mage, a devout cleric, or an honorable warrior), it completely falls apart. None of these characters would logically engage in wanton destruction. This makes the mechanic inherently incompatible with the majority of role-playing possibilities an RPG is supposed to offer.

Aligning your interpretation with the mechanic doesn’t validate the mechanic itself. Instead, it merely highlights how shallow and poorly thought-out it is. A well-designed RPG mechanic should support immersion across diverse playstyles. It should not force players into a specific mold that defies logic and breaks immersion. This design, unfortunately, feels like it was created for a generic action game with little regard for narrative depth or consistency.

Which brings us to a larger issue: the game was marketed as an RPG 🎭. Yet it feels more like a generic hack-and-slash 🗡️ lost in its own confusion 🤔. It’s almost as if the developers had no clear vision of their audience or their goals 🎯. The result is a product that’s neither an immersive RPG for those who value storytelling 📖 nor a competent action game for those seeking fluid, satisfying gameplay 🎮. Instead, it’s a hybrid that stumbles awkwardly through both 💩💩.

So, attempting to justify a disconnected and limited mechanic with such a narrow and convenient example doesn’t fix the problem. It just highlights how far this game has strayed from the core principles of an RPG. After all, a game that sacrifices logic, coherence, and consistency for superficial, lazy design isn’t an RPG. It’s just a poorly executed action game in denial.

And let’s be honest: trying to frame this as 'role-playing' is almost as convincing as claiming smashing urns in the Necropolis is a respectful cultural tribute. Amusing to imagine, but completely illogical.

They didn't even really pioneer this idea. Elder Scrolls did this exact thing, but Bethesda had the grace to not make the symbols a neon sign right above the door.

Technically, you don’t have to smash things if you don’t want to. The loot usually isn’t anything spectacular. Some heartwood here and there, maybe a pot or vase that you can sell.

I’m not trying to justify the mechanic. It’s silly and clunky. But if you can allow yourself to suspend belief for a moment, it can be fun to smash a bunch of crates.