Critical reception for this game was mostly positive. One of the few prominent review channels that was really negative was SkillUp, and I noticed that a lot of Reddit users were just repeating the talking points of the SkillUp review verbatim without adding a personal critique, which made me suspect, as you already indicated, that they hadn't actually played the game themselves.
I saw one user on Reddit criticise a certain character story because he felt it shouldn't end on a happy note. His description of that storyline was the opposite of what really happened. He then admitted he hadn't actually played it, because "why would I play a bad game", and that he was basing his opinion on what he "was led to believe".
I think this may just be because of a culture shift due to live streaming where people now experience gaming the same way they experience sports: As a viewer instead of an active participant.
I definitely think there are valid criticism of this game. I think it's regrettable that with each new entry this series has moved further away from Dragon Age: Origins (in my opinion the best one). Overall I really liked it, but I would have preferred a return to tactical combat instead of the same dodge - parry - light attack - heavy attack mechanics that seem to be in every other AAA action game nowadays. I also missed the crafting system from Inquisition, and I thought randomised loot was very unsatisfying. For me, the highlights of the game were Bellara's personal storyline as well as everything to do with Solas.
