The first hour of Dragon Age: The Veilguard looks more fun than that trailer

It’s powerful to be a Dragon Age fan in 2024. It’s been 10 years since Dragon Age: Inquisition, and BioWare has modified loads since then, having made a really completely different sort of recreation in Anthem that had followers (and former staffers) fretting that studio had turned away from its give attention to narrative-centric video games. That could be why, once I noticed the primary hour of Dragon Age: The Veilguard in a hands-off demonstration at Summer time Recreation Fest, the sport’s artistic director John Epler stated the phrase “narrative” to me at the least a dozen instances, as if attempting to reassure me this recreation wouldn’t let me down on that rating. I ate it up each time, grinning and nodding like a bobblehead. As a result of, actually? That’s all I really need Dragon Age: The Veilguard to be, and I don’t suppose I’m alone.

The primary hour of the sport drops your participant character proper within the midst an actual unhealthy state of affairs. As we all know from Inquisition, Solas has determined it’s time to destroy the Veil, a assemble that he himself created way back that separates the bodily realm of Thedas from the magical, metaphysical realm known as the Fade. Method again within the day, these two worlds weren’t separated, however Solas separated them as a result of he thought it will be useful to his fellow elves, and it kinda was, besides it additionally brought on a variety of different issues.

Sadly, destroying the Veil will additionally trigger a variety of issues, like ghostly spirits and demonic entities coursing out of the Fade and attacking the harmless residents of Thedas. That large, sparkly battle is how the sport begins, together with your character (a newcomer of your personal customization) getting thrown in with Dragon Age stalwarts like Varric and secondary character Harding, who has been promoted to celebration member standing in The Veilguard.

Picture: BioWare/Digital Arts

Character customization could be very in depth right here; you may select from the 4 races (human, elf, Qunari, or dwarf) after which select a preventing class (rogue, mage, or warrior). You then select from a number of backstories that inform what sort of particular person you had been earlier than you confirmed up within the midst of the high-octane motion sequence at first of the sport. The character creator has plenty of sliders for physique components and total form, none of that are tied to the voice or pronouns (she/her, he/him, or they/them, a brand new addition to the sequence) that you just select. Fortunately, you may take a look at your character in numerous lighting upon designing them to make certain you’ll really like their customized look. Epler took particular care to indicate off the in depth curly and textured hair choices within the recreation, together with a number of variations of braids and locs, noting that rising these choices particularly was essential to the crew. You possibly can change your character’s bodily look at any time in the course of the recreation, however not their class or backstory.

After designing a rogue character, we caught up with Varric and friends. I used to be so excited to see Varric and listen to him telling jokes; he’s my favourite character. This was round once I requested Epler about dating-sim mechanics within the recreation, to which he merely laughed and refused to reply in specifics. (BioWare common supervisor Gary McKay advised IGN earlier this month that gamers can “romance the companions [they] need,” which has led most individuals to imagine that this Dragon Age is completely different from Inquisition, by which all of the companions had particular sexual orientations.) Epler did guarantee me that the participant character’s selections will improve or lower the opposite characters’ estimation of them over the course of the sport.

From what I noticed, the fight within the recreation appears to be like thrilling and interesting, though it could disappoint those that had been hoping to have full management of each companion. You management your personal character in real-time, third-person motion fight — mild and heavy assaults, parries, and dodges. You may also “pause” every little thing by pulling up a capability wheel to pick additional fight talents, together with combo assaults together with your companions. Epler emphasised that the completely different fight courses ought to make it potential for each participant to have a strategy to take pleasure in fight in line with how they like to have interaction with it. Every particular person class has some variability, too; even the mage class has some up-close-and-personal assaults, since a mage participant character might nonetheless conceivably have an murderer backstory and would subsequently have to have some assaults to accommodate that kind of profession path.

For the individuals who don’t care a lot concerning the fight and who will solely be desirous about these longed-for narrative parts, Epler additionally advised me the sport does have a straightforward mode, and that there’s even a setting which makes it unattainable on your participant character to die in battle.

Picture: BioWare/Digital Arts

The Veilguard begins proper in the midst of the motion. Solas is already within the midst of his ritual to destroy the Veil, and also you and your brand-new mates are going to do your finest to cease him earlier than he completes it. The town of Minrathous — which appears to be like beautiful, by the way in which, with neon magic illuminating outlets and homes somewhat than electrical energy — has already been overrun with demonic entities and spirits which can be attacking the populace. You and your friends struggle your manner by means of these baddies; finally you run into Neve Gallus, a personal investigator with impeccable trend sense (she’s from the Dragon Age comics and in addition seems in a Dragon Age quick story anthology, Epler advised me). She joins up with you, Varric, and Harding, and also you all maintain preventing your strategy to Solas himself.

Epler defined to me that the crew wished this opening hour to really feel virtually just like the climactic ending of a special recreation. It undoubtedly does — it’s certain not the sluggish begin that another Dragon Age video games have had (I’m referring right here to the Hinterlands in Inquisition). Once you and your celebration lastly attain Solas, Varric decides to attempt to speak him down somewhat than cost in with violence. I cherished this part; as the remainder of the crew was preventing off spirits, we might sometimes overhear bits of Varric and Solas’ tense, emotional dialog. Naturally, it’s not that simple to speak Solas out of his plan. The confrontation does end in his ritual being interrupted, however it undoubtedly doesn’t seem to be we’ve modified Solas’ thoughts.

After we wrapped up the hour of play, Epler turned to me to emphasise, as soon as once more, the sport’s narrative. The sport, he stated, is admittedly about every of the companions, every of whom may have their very own storylines and arcs. I noticed a variety of fight sequences in that first hour, however I additionally heard a variety of snappy dialogue. I left excited and even optimistic about attending to know my new group of friends. In spite of everything, it’s Dragon Age — and it’s about narrative, folks! That’s what they advised me, and in order that’s what I’m going to maintain on being enthusiastic about taking part in when Dragon Age: The Veilguard is lastly launched. For now, the discharge date is fall 2024 (though that’s all we’ve received, nonetheless no precise date), and it’s coming to PlayStation 5, Home windows PC, and Xbox Collection X.