There came a point while playing The Veilguard where frustration turned into outright disbelief. The so-called "puzzles" feel like they were designed for children, yet this is a game rated for a 16+ audience. The dialogues are shallow, the themes simplistic, and the gameplay panders to the player with no sense of challenge or consequence. The game seems terrified of hurting anyone’s feelings, and if I had children, I wouldn’t let them play it. Why? Because in the real world, actions have consequences. Dragon Age used to embody this philosophy. This? It’s a poor imitation.
Do you remember Dragon Age: Inquisition? The puzzles were engaging, and every decision you made carried weight. The game respected its audience and trusted players to rise to the occasion. By contrast, The Veilguard is an insult to fans who have invested years into this franchise. Yes, to answer the lingering question—it does close the open threads left by Inquisition. But that’s about the only thing it managed to do. If they had left those threads unresolved, I wouldn’t even consider buying the next installment.
Until BioWare places competent leadership in charge—someone aligned with the values and quality standards of the previous titles—I will not purchase another game.
If they want to change a franchise so drastically, they should start a new one, targeted specifically at their intended audience. But to alter a beloved, long-established series with a dedicated fanbase? That’s reckless. To put it plainly: it’s foolish. Building a loyal community takes years, but destroying it can happen in an instant. And the destruction is inevitable when someone is chosen to lead based on ideological alignment rather than their actual competence to create a high-quality product.
At first, The Veilguard might seem passable. But give it time. Soon, you’ll start noticing things that feel “off.” Like locked doors with answers practically spoon-fed to you. Or realizing that no matter what dialogue option you choose, every character agrees with you and pats you on the back. Or the repetitive grind of smashing objects in the environment to collect materials, which quickly grows tiresome.
Even for those who aren’t long-time fans of the series, the decline in quality is glaringly obvious. For those of us who’ve been here since the beginning, it’s simply heartbreaking. If this was meant to be the series’ grand finale, they should’ve taken another 10 years to deliver a masterpiece worthy of their legacy—something to make both BioWare and its fanbase proud.
If I were BioWare, I’d follow CD Projekt Red’s example with Cyberpunk 2077. They acknowledged the game’s flaws, apologized, and committed to fixing it. That was a dignified approach. If The Veilguard is to recover from this disaster, BioWare’s only option is to take ownership of its failures, apologize to its loyal fans, and remake the game in the spirit of its predecessors. They could even rebrand The Veilguard as a new franchise, tailored for the specific audience they seemed to target. That might appease both sides, although I doubt the Veilguard audience would be large enough to sustain an entirely new series.
So, here’s my recommendation: if you haven’t played the earlier Dragon Age games, go back and experience them. They were extraordinary. A true testament to what RPGs can achieve when handled with care and respect for their audience.
My feedback is directed respectfully and sincerely to BioWare:
choose competent, experienced leadership to helm the next games,
ORRR prepare to say goodbye to the loyal Dragon Age fanbase—and to the Mass Effect community as well.
