Ten years after Inquisition, the next chapter in Bioware's beloved RPG series releases on Halloween. Reviews dropped yesterday and there's an interesting range: perfect and near-perfect scores at the top end down to, essentially, 'good but not great'.
Selected reviews:
Eurogamer: 5/5: "A fantasy role-playing game of astonishing spectacle. This is the best Dragon Age, and perhaps BioWare, has ever been."
IGN: 9/10: "Refreshes and reinvigorates a storied series that stumbled through its middle years, and leaves no doubt that it deserves its place in the RPG pantheon"
GamesRadar: 4.5/5: "Dragon Age: The Veilguard is an approachable, expansive action-oriented RPG and feels like a true end to whatever the franchise was before."
MMORPG.com: 8.8/10: "Stumbles occasionally in its technical aspects, but its core makes it an easy recommendation for any RPG fan."
TheGamer: 4/5: "There is a stronger version of The Veilguard in here, but the one we’ve got is a worthy successor to Dragon Age: Inquisition, and a much-needed return to form for Bioware."
PC Gamer: 79/100: "A genuinely enjoyable, gorgeous action-RPG that lacks the storytelling nuance of previous Dragon Age games."
Gamespot: 7/10: "The Veilguard feels like a return to form for Bioware but issues keep it from being great."
VG247: 3/5: "Full of heart and soul and has some great ideas. But many of those ideas feel like they struggle to get out of first gear - and those that do find it harder still to make it to third."
VGC: 3/5: "Feels like Bioware playing it too safe. While it nails what it does best, like the excellent cast and interpersonal relationships, from a gameplay perspective it feels out of date."
The Guardian: 3/5: "There is lots to do in this huge and beautiful fantasy world, but inconsistent writing and muted combat dull its blade."
Kotaku: Unscored: "The long-awaited fourth entry in BioWare's fantasy series isn't just good, it's some of the studio's best work."
Rock Paper Shotgun: Unscored: "I'm not sure an hour passed when I didn't wish they'd handled something differently. Then, once the credits rolled after 50 hours, I started a second playthrough."
As someone who loves epic fantasy RPGs but doesn't have the time to commit to many of them, and only mildly enjoyed Inquisition, I was on the fence about Veilguard. I think these reviews have made me slightly more likely to pick it up - the breathless praise at the top end is notable, but clearly there are plenty of critics who were underwhelmed too.
Will you be returning to Thedas in two days' time? How have these reviews affected your decision?
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