Dragon Age: The Veilguard Full Review - I See Things Differently...

[@SlanderedGaming]

Looking forward to the dialogue! Ways to Support: Patreon: www.patreon.com/c/slanderedgaming KZbin Membership: kzbin.info/door/3PJvcCevmx7cz2DniPI1Hgjoin Twitch: www.twitch.tv/slanderedgaming Merch: slandered-gaming.myspreadshop.com/ Tips: streamelements.com/slanderedgaming/tip Socials: Discord Server: discord.gg/zKYyVV65BM Subscribe: kzbin.info Twitter: twitter.com/SlanderedOne Business Inquiries: [e-mail]

[@WolfheartFPS]

Damn great vid Slandered. I think the length of your review for this particular game is good. Many of these topics require more nuanced discussions to fully understand where someone is coming from. Even with the more "controversial" topics that you discussed, you laid them out in a way to where someone can walk away from this review, agreeing or disagreeing, & still have at least an understanding of how you have arrived at your conclusions. In my opinion, that's the most important thing to look for in a good reviewer!

[@SlanderedGaming]

Thank you Wolf! I appreciate the positive feedback!

[@xbmarx]

"It's written like a CW show" Along with Skillup's "Dialog is like HR is in the room" this is absolutely one of the truest things said about this game lol

[@LungDrago]

Bioware used to be an unbelievably talented game development studio. There is a very strong, baffling legacy of excellent titles on their belt even before DA:O came out. A part of what made DA:O stand out among that strong lineup of games is the fact that they went "dark". Baldur's Gate probably came the closest to containing adult themes and commentary, but overall I think their RPGs could be considered family friendly. It was a very deliberate choice to change that course in Origins. I imagine the devs themselves wanted their new IP to be different, to be a bit spicier after all the colorful fantasy they've done. They've been making those for years, so it makes sense to me why they would want change things up this way. And it paid off. Origins had its issues, but the world, storytelling and the tone aren't on that list. Unfortunately these qualities that made Origins stand out got continually whittled down until we are now left with Veilguard, which is just so censored, policed and toothless. The Dragon Age franchise is in a very weird place, now. With Veilguard I've come to really question what Dragon Age means to me and have come to realize I'm not the target audience anymore.

[@CurtOntheRadio]

Same. Only I tapped out on DA2. Nevermind, plenty of other good titles out there. ;)

[@PlanetaryPluto]

36:35 Dwarves were definitely shafted. All their lore stuff was basically forced into Harding's character, and they both suffered for it. Which is a shame because to me, dwarven lore was far more interesting than elven lore. Which throughout the series always seemed to be the main focus. Especially so in veilguard.

[@SlanderedGaming]

It's so odd that Dwarves are AMAZING and then for the next three games we mainly deal with surface dwarves. Maybe the next game will focus more on their culture with the blight having been dealt with.

[@lordmarwolaeth4570]

@@SlanderedGaming Yeah, going back to Origins replaying Dwarf Noble ahh the political intrigue, the backstabbing I missed it all!

[@PhoenixRizing25]

The #1 thing I agree with that you pointed out is the inconsistencies with the lore regarding elves and their treatment. That could’ve been handled much better.

[@kharacon]

Thoughts on what could have elevated the adultness, lore lines through Veilguard: Having the Crows be the darker faction for the renegade Sh.. erm at all costs Rook. Having the darkness / bigotry of Tevinter on display with an opportunity for redemption via the Shadow Dragons. Making the First Warden and dwarves focused on troubles below due to stirring archdemons instead of vague hidden gods. Having meaningful groups of elves torn between supporting the gods (alongside Antaam), Solas or the Shadow Dragons & Veil Jumpers. Being able to save Dalish alongside enslaved Venatori city elves would be a great time to win those skeptics over. Seeing the gods potentially using the vallaslin or mentally reaching out to elf Rook would make them stand out vs. Corypheus.

[@SlanderedGaming]

ALL GREAT OPTIONS.

[@tiensuperstar]

is some i never think of until you mention, but ya - having anti-slavery group in game with no slavery or barely mention of it is odd...just like having (multiple) mafias, without any mafia stuff

[@m3divh]

The problem with the main story is that large parts of it are taken directly from Dragon Age Lore Reddit. At first I though the fans just got a large part correct, except the writers of this game copy pasted the poem directly from the reddit page. -_- Also your point about blood mages would make sense... In Orlay and Ferelden... Veilguard takes mainly place in Tevinter and Arlathan which is also a part of Tevinter... Tevinter blood mages are not illegal, in ruling sociate they are mandatory. Here you go, official lore on Tevinter blood Magic: "...mages who practice it are quietly acknowledged as the most proficient dreamers and diviners and it remains widely practiced. Since most heroes of Tevinter folklore used or benefited from blood magic, the practice does not carry as much stigma as it does elsewhere. The traditions of blood magic are quietly passed from master to apprentice and even the most devout mage knows at least a little blood magic."

[@arkuspendragon]

Neve has ice magic and the rook as well… the problem with the companions, they may look different but the use is basically the same.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Whoops I got that wrong thanks for calling it out.

[@arkuspendragon]

@ I can say one thing even if she is a boring companion with a weak questline, Neve is the best companion for most builds, because of the frozen in detonation

[@phatymcdaddy]

I like how they just killed off the old games with the inquisitor telling you everything is dead then organization 13 stepping away from Kingdom hearts at the end to tell you your choices in the old games meant nothing

[@HeartoftheWinter]

In the end the Devs were the evil Gods who sought to destroy Thedas.

[@CurtOntheRadio]

It's such a terrible and lame treatment. I can't imagine how they thought that was fitting.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Honestly I would love the next game to be like a standalone DLC where we play as someone in the South fighting back against the blight. It would be a GREAT way to let players import their choices and give a different flavor of the lore updates.

[@JKXYGolden]

only about 50 minutes in, but i really appreciate your commentary about how this game treats the elves. i've enjoyed veilguard as a whole despite many of the frustrations you've described, but one thing that completely took me out was the bellara conversation where she mentions she feels incredibly guilty for what the evanuris did to the dwarves... even though as solas demonstrates, the evanuris were tyrants who oppressed her own elven ancestors, and dwarves actually have it far better than elves in modern thedas! a later line from titan-harding asking "why should the elves thrive while we have suffered?" made it feel even more like the game was somehow holding the elven people as a whole responsible for solas and the evanuris tranquilizing the titans. the bellara conversation especially felt like a writer trying to work through white guilt... through a character who is a part of the most oppressed race in the setting??? i also wholeheartedly agree with your critiques on taash, you make a lot of excellent points. one thing i've seen a lot of nonwhite trans people critique how even though their final quest decision isn't letting the player choose their gender identity... it perplexingly still has the player decide their cultural identity? taash's personal quest takes the very strange perspective that a person with a multicultural background ultimately has to choose one culture to prioritize. i personally picked the rivaini option in my first playthrough, and was incredibly weirded out by taash telling their mother things like "we live in rivain, we should eat like rivainis." i was basically just watching an immigrant child tell her mother that they have to completely reject their cultural heritage to fit into their new country, which could have been an interesting story if the game allowed for nuance and moral greyness. but given that veilguard... does NOT do that... the game just seems to be expecting the player to agree, the way it expects the player to agree with everything now that it's made the world as morally uncomplicated as possible. (for extra irony: it's kind of funny that after all the time the game spends discussing how gender doesn't have to be a binary identity for taash, it then presents you with a different binary decision to make about their identity.)

[@bexrex97]

I heard similar commentary about Taash and I think the Qun/Rivaini exploration was meant to serve as a parallel to the gender journey they go through. I personally think that would still work within a Dragon Age game. And I would have loved to have an indepth discussion about culture/identity/personal autonomy (I think that's the right word). The building blocks are there but it suffers from not having the time to delve into it.

[@JKXYGolden]

@@bexrex97 i agree. i was actually really excited at the beginning of taash's personal quest, because it was new insight into qunari culture that we hadn't really had before. and there were still parts i really enjoyed (i thought taash's mother was pretty interesting as our first onscreen tamassran). probably part of the problem is just the framework? as slandered points out, a lot of taash's arc is spent on a coming out story that would have been bettered served to have happened before the game, and then an arc that's supposed to be about personal autonomy ends with the player making a different identity-based decision for taash. i saw in the artbook that at one point in development (in a way different stage of the project) the qunari companion that became taash could betray the player in favor the qunari. i wonder if the qun-rivaini element in taash's quest is some kind of leftover from this? i think it was a good idea to not go this route, because that's just... the same quest that iron bull had in dai... but what we have would make sense if following the qun or not was originally a larger part of taash's character.

[@quintec45]

Want to bring some positive history by mentioning a very well written nonbinary character that predates Veilguard by a longshot. Sakura Wars V, a tactical RPG for the PS2 released in 2005, has a main protagonist, Subaru Kujou, who identifies as nonbinary. They are certain of this fact well before the main character meets them but the MC can still ask them about their identity to which they give firm and educational answers that feel genuine rather than pandering. "I am Subaru. Nothing More, Nothing Less." Their actual arc deals with their perfectionist personality, ferocious battle tendencies caused by years fighting in a war, giving out overly harsh criticism, and inability to take criticism themselves. Subaru, like many other members of the party, is also romancable. An RPG released in 2005, with an American release 2010 on PS2 and Wii was able to produce an extremely quality character that represented the nonbinary experience decades before Bioware even considered it and other good examples exist. The credit should certainly go to these actual trailblazers who tackled the topic when it wasn't even in the cultural zeitgeist and did so with more care, respect, nuance and depth than Bioware is able to produce today.

[@kevo300]

1:04:43 Metaphor Refantazio actually dealt with all those issues and then some really well. I remember you playing the game before.

[@kyrias9391]

Yeah Metaphor just managed to tell a adult story with heavy topics and good character growth true out. Veilguard on the other hand ... well there is missing the boat then there is being afraid of the sea and building it on a playground instead.

[@SlanderedGaming]

I played all of Metaphor and LOVED it.

[@Smok3yR1der]

Slandered put more thought into the review than BioWare did into the game lol

[@MyTomServo]

Also, Tevinter was a good opportunity to delve into Dwarves more Tevinter has places that are considered part of the Stone like Orzimar, so we finally had an opportunity to see what another dwarven city was like.

[@robovinefilms1811]

They lost me at the Action RPG reveal, so many these days after the soulslike/diablolike phase we're still in. The writing is one thing, but DA:V also looks like they had the GoW 2018 game trope gumbo effect of trying to appeal to everyone and I just thought at least Dragon Age being tactical light was part of its identity. Bioware would have been able to capitalize on the current CRPG craving the market wants. Baldur's Gate 3 is STILL peaking players, it's crazy.

[@CurtOntheRadio]

I guess Bioware were already well along their trajectory when BG3 proved it so misdirected. Bioware didn't seem to get the popularity of XCom2 etc so lord knows if they will notice BG3. The "action" aspect isn't what I was after with DA (I don't much care for GoW either).

[@SlanderedGaming]

When this game was being developed NOBODY thought BG3 would be the smash hit it turned into.

[@EM-vw7im]

I'm glad some people enjoyed the game and don't want to completely trash the game. I myself though can't bring myself to like the game, don't like being preached to, as an rpg fan, reader and lover of fantasy I need my writing to be good. And average gameplay and combat isn't enough to save it in my eyes. The worst sin for me, though, is what they did to the lore and some of the established characters. IF the game was a standalone game separate from dragon age, I might have played it on large discount.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup I talked about that in the review. Some of the directions this game goes are very frustrating to watch for long time players.

[@tiensuperstar]

@@SlanderedGaming the lack of racism in massively racist place is huge disappointment - especially when they having good excuse for having lots, with elf gods causing all issues...also lack of slavery in main place slavery is done is weird.

[@phantomvulpe791]

There's a meme going on with Taash saying they're non binary with the "who the fuck starts a conversation like that? I just sat down."

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup. Cringe as all hell.

[@phantomvulpe791]

@SlanderedGaming I honestly wouldn't mind them being non binary if they didn't act like a fucking 4 year old

[@Kammereer]

Re: Character Creation I was very dissatisfied with the character creation, and especially hair styles. All hair styles have a very glam model look, like Rook just left the salon. I wasn't able to make the character that I wanted to make, because there are no short/medium hairstyles which just look "normal" or unkempt.

[@SlanderedGaming]

You can make an ugly character but it's hard to make a battle worn looking character because everything is so shiny and pops. That's doesn't bother me but I can definitely see it being an issue for some.

[@BodaciousDerb]

Yeah i usually give my male characters medium length hair but there was only like 2 medium length options and both were horrible so i ended up having to use long hair. Dont even get me started on the sliders that dont do anything

[@sethcaplan859]

I thin my singular biggest complaint about this game is that it just answers too many questions. it has the origin of the blight, the truth of the old gods, and the fate of the titans. but it doesn't raise any new questions, its like closing the book the all of the greatest mysteries the setting has and leaving nothing left to explore (except the executers). Combined with the loss of the politics in Theadas and the world simply sterile and dead, not like the living world of previous games.

[@cybersurf5]

First off I’m subscribed but typically just dip in and out of your content depending on the game being discussed. But this review reminds me of why I subbed in the first place. This is literally the best review I think I’ve ever watched on this game or any other for that matter. It addresses all the major themes of any good game review in a deep but entertaining manner and deftly confronts the controversies surrounding the game and proffers a mature as well as sensitive analysis. I was struggling to articulate the concerns with Tash (to myself if no one else) in a respectful manner as I know this is a character that a certain community may hold dear-for good reason considering their trailblazing status. But you took my ill formed thoughts and put them into well crafted words. And I’ve been so tired of the shrill voices on both sides of this debate, though I have much less sympathy for the hyperbolic reactionaries out there than those being too exuberant about the manner of Tash’s inclusion. The latter are just craving representation let’s remember. I was skeptical as to whether I could sit through over an hour of this review but my doubt was misplaced. Excellent content. More of this please 😉

[@VadimPakhutkin]

Great review! And I really love your point regarding the elvent crisis and plight of the elves in general. You should make this a separate video, or a short! Otherwise it's kinda hard to single it out in your review. Also, it's such a wasted opportunity on the part of Bioware: they could have given us this choice even as a simple typical "pick it right at the end" kind of deal, and it would still be amazing, but only if you also have some foreshadowing throughout the game: plant the seed of doubt in Rook's head by exposing them to certain elf-related encounters or characters or even texts. So it wouldn't even require a massive restructuring of the narrative flow of the game!

[@rickybrooks2971]

By far the most well spoken and well intentioned critique of Taash. Thank you sir.

[@aclulaidannuvera6588]

Went to play Origins cause of you. On steam, at least, everything is an unshaded mess but a few minutes into the starting female city elf storyline and.....holy shit fuck the noble's son. I was laughing at Vaughan for how cartoonishly evil he was but by the end I was trying to ignore all his dialogue options cause i wanted him dead so much.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup he was a pretty despicable character.

[@annmester2740]

City Elf Female was such a good origin story

[@Dragon_Lair]

And THAT is the staying power of Origins. It was not afraid to go into the dark, the dirt, get dirty, and explore horrible things for the sake of roleplaying, and then letting the players make their choices.

[@richardknieriem4060]

I played as an archer rouge and had a ton of fun with the combat. Slowing down time to get headshots never got old! That said, fighting against Dragons got old fast.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup the mechanics can be really fun it's just you use the same ones the whole game.

[@sweargaming666]

This is probably the best and most nuanced commentary I've seen yet on the game, although I skipped around a bit so as to skip spoilers. I am particularly unhappy with the cameo situations, which I couldn't resist spoiling, but everything else is reinforcing the wisdom of my earlier choice to wait for a sale on this title. Still pretty locked in to playing it, tho

[@connorsimpson9423]

Excellent review. Really fair and balanced, which is refreshing given the overblown reaction this game has gotten. I mostly align with your position on the game myself. I had a good time with VG even though it does have its share of issues. Certainly not an all time great or anything, but solid fun. Was a lot of fun watching your streams for the game. Congratulations on all the viewership during those and I hope it carries over to future content!

[@arkuspendragon]

I played the game since the first with a collector edition, the veilguard writing is the weakest of the 4 games, the Taash quest line is horrible, the secret ending diminish all the previous games. The character for the most part have weak dialogue with the personal quests having weak endings as well. And worse of all all we did in the other games didn’t matter we have no choice.

[@IMBREISGAU]

In fairness, -all- you've done in one of the game, wouldn't really matter in the next game except for marvel-esque cameos at best, or usually: codex. It wasn't Mass Effect, the games doesn't designed to be a trilogy and created every 2 years with practically the same engine with little to no improvement (like ME trilogy was). Was it matter that you spare the Architect in DAO? Fifth Blight always happened and the Archdemon always killed. Was it matter whether you spare or kill Anders? the Chantry will always blown up and starting Mage v. Conflict. Was it matter which one of Orlais leader you pick as King/Queen? Orlais going to have a leader anyway.

[@arkuspendragon]

@ the not only completely ignored years of the players and fans playing the other games, but the secret ending diminish completely what happened like Loghain in the first game. Another thing we don’t have much agency in our decisions.

[@toniviskari417]

The secret ending is just... It is so bad. It is atrocious. It completely dilutes the previous games while the Bioware why it doesn't is just idiotic. To those who haven't seen it, the director of the claim stated that the wording guided is very intentional as everyone still acted of their own free will. Which is such a baffling explanation as yeah, most people who are manipulated into doing things are still acting of their own free will. But deciding that what was missing in those deeply human decisions in the previous games that led countless tragedies was a little bit of Illuminati whispering in the background is just mindboggling. As is the seeming inability to see why that might be causing issues with people liking the previous games. However, as if that wasn't bad enough, for some reason the scenes they chose are utterly inexplicable. The Loghain betrayal does work, I give them that, as you can see how someone feeding to his paranoia would be able to affect things. But the Red Lyrium theft? Like how would that make sense to anyone who played Dragon Age 2? Especially because it could have been the act of seeing that the artifact ended up with Meredith, which still would have been awful from the story perspective, but at least would have felt practically possible. And not even touching the Inquisition scene.

[@arkuspendragon]

@ they only reason they would do that was to find a villain for a fifth game, they are brave to think they will have another shot… and what does it matter according to the letters from the inquisitor the the south is a waste now

[@SlanderedGaming]

The secret ending doesn't really matter but I agree with the other points.

[@annmester2740]

I agree with much of what you said. The music was basically nonexistent. All the other DA games had haunting themes that often had me in tears. Nothing in this game.. totally forgettable music. I loved the Solas story arch and some of the companion arcs, but the writing itself was pedestrian. I missed having Elf politics, as you mentioned, and I thought the Qunari culture was also neglected . While I really enjoyed Harding's story line, I missed seeing more of the dwarven culture. And despite the focus on Tevinter, I NEVER felt as if I really saw the city, other than the underworld of the docks. I really wanted to see into the whole political system of a mage-run culture, and that was totally missing. Still, focusing on what the game was, I enjoyed it and was able to get the best ending. Now I am playing an Anti-Solas rook for my second game, to see what another ending is like.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Nice I hope you enjoy the anti-solas ending. :)

[@robertthebard]

Well, the limiting of the choices from the previous titles put this game firmly in the "I won't even buy it on sale" category. Listening through your commentary on the writing, it seems like they decided to sanitize the setting, in order to not hurt anyone's feelings. I'm taking bets on the rationale behind firing the staff you mentioned revolved around this sanitization, and maybe, just maybe they disagreed with it, and their severance packages were withheld as punishment. After your review, my decision is solidified. This won't be a DA 2 scenario, where I allowed the BSN to adversely affect my decision, only to find out a year or so later that while it wasn't great, it wasn't as bad as the BSN painted it out to be.

[@Rex_Sierra]

I don't think we should be afraid or shy away for conversations about characters like taash and their quality. I really appreciate you talking about the character and their story, the only way things in gaming get better for everyone is if we have discussions about them. Because if something is bad it needs to be addressed, especially if it reinforces untrue or exaggerated information. We cant be afraid to talk about bad aspects of a game because things about it make people uncomfortable or easily get them defensive.

[@Botruc]

Interesting video! At the end of the day, personnally I enjoyed the game even though I can totally see the same problems as you! I loved the exploration aspect of the game, loved these environments which provided the escapism I needed. I totally agree that it feels like the Veilguard was designed for a younger audience. I wonder if more games are going to follow this trend in the future and if there will be a point in time when I will feel like I'm too old for gaming.

[@SlanderedGaming]

The trend is definitely make games appeal to a younger audience because that gives you a wider customer base. The games that are clearly geared towards adults will slowly become fewer and fewer.

[@CurtOntheRadio]

I don't think games will get younger. Or not exclusively, at least. Yes, games are by nature pretty trivial and largely in the exclusive realm of 'entertainment' which gives it quite a youth bent but the audience now is throughout age groups - my peers still spend on it and we're in our fifties, having started out on Pong, Space Invaders and PacMan. So, why not? There's likely always going to be mature demand for historical wargames, strategy, travelogue and contemplation, even if crazed button-mashing sells better. It's now part of the culture? Very few people in generations older than mine "play games" but very many of my generation do. Why would we stop spending?

[@SPSteve]

Very thorough, well done. Characters have always been the cornerstone of Dragon Age. These characters seem to fall far short of previous games.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Thanks glad you enjoyed the review.

[@ElGrompho666]

I completely agree with you regarding your stance on Taash and their storyline and applaud you for your mindful, well-balanced approach to the topic. I actually really liked Veilguard and was able to overlook many of its flaws despite being a fan of the series since DA:O. Taash's questline repeatedly ruined my immersion though, not because it was in there but due to the way it was handled. I think the comparison to Dorian is spot on and just like you said, Taash should have been handled in a similar fashion and most importantly, as the grown-up person they are. The way Bioware handled Taash's storyline would have better fit into something like Life Is Strange or as you said, a game that doesn't give you any agency anyway.

[@marionettens]

Great video with solid takes! I think what's really frustrating about Veilguard for me is that there are glimpses of greatness but in the end it's all eclipsed by all these horrible corporate decisions and writing stifled by trying so hard not to offend anyone. The tone is also all over the place going from dark fantasy to Disney as if the game is unsure if it should appeal to adults or children.

[@davedujour1]

"Is this a Dragon Age game?" That's a dumb question. Obviously it is because that's the title the creators put on game. The fans of a property don't have control to say something is or isn't part of that property. "Does this game meet my expectations of what Dragon Age games mean to me?" or "Is this game 'worthy' of the Dragon Age name?" Those are more relevant questions that fans can answer. And all the answers are valid because those are very personal opinions. For me (and my watching of this and other reviews), this doesn't feel like the world of Thedas that I know from the other Dragon Age games. The Veilguard doesn't feel like the dark fantasy world with BIG adult themes from the previous games. The whitewashing of the elves in Veilguard is a prime example.

[@Joshemilio-j2i]

I appreciate you made an hour long video, it looks like you had alot to say, can't wait to listen to this when i can! Thank you! ❤

[@StoneAgeWarfare]

I appreciate the input as well as your overall review. Veilguard has been a really strange experience for me, personally. That's not to say I don't like it, but there's something about it that causes me to burn out really fast. I can only play it in spurts. That being said, like I said, I do appreciate the perspective you bring to the community and the overall fandom. Keep it up!

[@toniviskari417]

Really fun, thorough review. I already came to the conclusion beforehand that this wasn't a game for me, but still it excellent to get such measured perspectives on the product to consider if I see this on sale a year from now. Also I do find this release fascinating for a lot of reasons, even if I at the same time have come to see the flaws are such that they would hit me hard. To add something positive here, I've seen a lot of discussion on how lacking Rook is as a player character and it has truly made me appreciate Hawke even more. Don't get me wrong, I already love Dragon Age 2 and it is on my list of favorite games of all time, but seeing the examples with Rook has made me realize how easily Hawke could have become like this instead of the fantastic character the player could influence.

[@SlanderedGaming]

I have DEFINITELY come to appreciate DA2 more over time.

[@xbmarx]

You have the most fair and reasonable review I've seen thus far, thanks.

[@Summy128]

Great review! It was not too long. I dont think any of the points felt too long.

[@Sammit00]

Hey for real thanks for talking through the logic about top surgery in this game and generally having been so levelheaded about trans/non-binary representation in Veilguard, it means a lot 🏳️‍⚧️

[@SlanderedGaming]

It's absolutely my pleasure. :)

[@jamesmorton7852]

I love that they used Varric as the narrator. Not quite the unreliable narrator he was in DA2, which had some good comedic moments, were he tells tall tales about Hawke and gets pulled up for it by Cassandra & Leliana. In terms of lore, I am not that much of an expert but if Solas put up the veil and trapped the so called "Elven Gods" I do wonder how real the Maker is. Corypheus said "I have seen the seat of the Gods and it is empty" I wonder how much of the human religion is based on barely remembered half truths and myths from the Elves. I suspect you know a little more about the lore than me so feel free to correct me 😁

[@MelissaW1103]

It was amazing watching all of your streams. As you know I'm in the UK so it takes a very special streamer to get me stay up. I've been waiting for this review.

[@SlanderedGaming]

I appreciate you joining in!

[@CurtOntheRadio]

Fabulous intro - what a warm and joyful soul you are. Seems very fair review. Enjoyed the live streams, thanks! I want to see you take on DarkSouls III. I really like it but I can't even get past the first proper boss (not the tutorial one). It makes me scream. I want to see if it destroys your jolliness and calm. I want to see if you unravel. lol Thanks!

[@SlanderedGaming]

One day I'll take a full year and play nothing but Dark Souls games. LOL

[@CurtOntheRadio]

​@@SlanderedGaming .....and you'll still be stuck on the first boss! I wanted to add agreement with your take on the social commentary in DATV, re Elves and Taash etc. The writers really aren't up to it. Strange and jarring that they have such pretensions of sophistication in addressing what they try to when the actual execution is so bad. It seems immature being both superficial and heavy-handed. Yours is perfect proof a review can be critical of it without at all risking descent into bigotry. Good job, thanks!

[@yomogami4561]

glad to see you sam i was a little worried after staying up to midnight a few days to see if you were doing the play through for WOTR gold dragon don't twitch sadly

[@SlanderedGaming]

I decided to buckle down and get this done. We will be back to streaming WotR on Saturday.

[@sots7128]

IT FINALLY DROPPED!!!

[@SlanderedGaming]

Took a while but it's done!

[@scandelsavage]

Really great review, I enjoyed the longer form content ☺️

[@bexrex97]

13:30 For all it's flaws, the end was truly something💜

[@SlanderedGaming]

It was AMAZING.

[@spellandshield]

Damn...working now but looking forward to this!

[@SlanderedGaming]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@Outmind01]

Just chiming in to say that I watched the entire review and appreciate how thorough it is. You provide a balanced view on what is clearly a polarizing and somewhat flawed game. It's also admirable that you chose to address the game-adjacent controversies in a way that acknowledges people's (overblown) reactions without disrespecting anyone. As someone who, like yourself, played DAO when it came out, the series' continued departure from that game means it's unlikely I'll play this in the near to mid-term future. Thank you for pointing out exactly why it's off-putting for someone like myself who was drawn to the original due to mature themes, well-written companions, and a tactical combat system that didn't reward button mashing or single timed button presses. Here's hoping you'll do an updated overall impressions video for Rogue Trader once its final DLC drops, and I can't wait to see what you'll do with Avowed & Bloodlines 2.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Thank you! I'll absolutely be putting out more Rogue Trader content. :)

[@tiensuperstar]

@@SlanderedGaming RT is one of best game out recently

[@TheZealo]

This is hands down the best review of this game. I agree with nearly everything you said, except the combat part that I enjoyed (maybe I got lucky on the build I chose).

[@konzokomo8488]

Been looking forward to your review!

[@barcaone9548]

Great review very well thought out and fully explains the pros and cons. Writing killed this game

[@TheRetifox]

Now that's a big boy reivew, I love it!

[@SlanderedGaming]

Thank you!

[@paStLife463]

Congradulations. Best critique of the game I ve seen online. You should be proud. I agree with most of it. Thank you for your sensitivity and maturity. Thank you for trying to be as objective as humanly possible. Got a new huge fan 😀 As a gay man , myself, I agree wholeheartidly with everything concerning the Taash situation but one thing which adds, imo. to the 'reinforcing negative stereotypes ' part: Taash's situation is a choice. They choose to be non binary, they choose to go through that 'phase' as you point out. And by making Taash a teenager in spirit and unsure on top of that, shows that Bioware itself is unsure of the validity of non binary culture. And they damage it in the end. Unlike Dorian, and ALL queer people world wide who we DO NOT CHOOSE to be gay. Dorian's dilemma was if he should deny his NATURE, lie to himself and others and force himself to a life of misery, acting like something he isn't. Non binary SHOULD NOT , and must not be equated with sexual orientation which is not a phase or a choice. We do not define ourselves as gay. We are born gay and will die as such 🙂 EDIT: And to make it clearer : sexual orientation is not up to debate or dependant on an opinion, of the main character's or anyother. It's not an identity. Dorian did not and should not have asked of anyone's opinion because it is who he is. He has no choice. Like me. Hence the negative stereotype that Taash's situation leads to...That everything diverging from the 'norm' is up for debate and a choice in a dialogue wheel....

[@SlanderedGaming]

Thank you so much!! I really hope Bioware takes some lessons from the feedback and does a better job with pride representation in Mass Effect.

[@tiensuperstar]

I think all issue is of horrible writing, no one would care if taash was non-binary if taash wasn't awful and somehow bland at same time. I get ppl say she act as teenager - but maybe is different in Asia, you cannot act like this as teenager, you are expected to begin showing at least some maturity, she act as spoiled rich tween who has no personality.

[@paStLife463]

@tiensuperstar I mainly used Taash though in my party because I liked them as a character. They were ,indeed ,the funniest. I lol d a lot. And almost made me cry as well at the end of their personal quest. The scream when a certain event took place..still haunts me..

[@tiensuperstar]

@@paStLife463 maybe is different in english language version, because they were just basically hypocritical emptyness in japanese - for example: their mother point out some that is similar cept of her culture and they flip out because is not preferred title - but Emmerich ask nicely for them not call him a death mage, and they ignore it and act jerky still - this is biggest issue, everyone in party is bland but decent, cept taash, who is bland and completely narcissistic, which can be okay if not bland, bland remain the worst part.

[@paStLife463]

@tiensuperstar She has her moments. If she travels with Emmric they get along excellent. And I found funny how blunt or straightforward she is. I think you have to travel with her enough to see that 😃

[@alexandrewildfire6405]

They did not want to make a dragon age game, they wanted to make a fantasy flavored plataform for their views and slapped some dragon age bits to help sell. Pointed in this video, they ignore the previous lore. They want solas to be fully in the wrong with zero chance to agree with, so elfs are no longer opressed. They want Tash to be both a poor opressed flower that is not like the other girls, so they sweep the fact that was pre established terms for non gender conforming people in the qun, and magic that allows one to change gender. And there is a lot of lore changes that make no sense, but there are probably better places to read them than a youtube coment. To compare, Dorian was better representation. His problem with his dad is not that he is gay, is that he refuses to play the part he is suposed to, to get into an arranged marriage and have children with someone he does not love or even is atract to. Dorian is a tevinter mage that wants to prove that not all tevinter mages are monsters, and so happens to be gay

[@amypetty5013]

Point of order: no, there is no word in the Qun for Taash being nonbinary. What you are thinking of is a word that refers to someone in the Qun living as a different gender than what they are. This has nothing to do with how the person identifies. It is an identity forced onto you if the role to which you are assigned does not align with your biological sex, due to the Qun’s rigid linking of gender to specific professions. This has NOTHING to do with Taash being nonbinary.

[@JockoJonson17]

1 hour review hell yeah. 👍

[@SlanderedGaming]

I hope you like it!

[@JockoJonson17]

​@@SlanderedGamingDamn this was the most thorough review of the game I seen. 👍

[@wilfdbd]

Finallyyy, i’ve been waiting for this FANTASTIC VIDEO

[@dave3076]

Very thorough. Thanks for the review.

[@essdoubleyou1799]

Excellent review. I thought you made a great point about the game falling short when it comes to keeping the same energy with other social-issue allegories (eleven slavery) as it does with the gender issue. I hadn't thought about that because I didn't know the elf lore - but it's one note that does make the gender stuff feel very designed, instead of being part of a more generally progressive whole.

[@HeartoftheWinter]

You should try playing it as Lords of Fortune, there is almost no reactivity at all.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup that's what I heard. 😂

[@GodwynDi]

Going to have to wait on this one for me. I was thinking about it, then Gold Dragon patch dropped.

[@ETG021]

Greatest review you have done, and this game have gotten to this date(!!), from one of my new favourite KZbin-channels! Great work 🤙

[@jgj75]

This is by far the best review I have seen of this game. I sincerely hope that this review gets seen by BioWare because I genuinely believe that this new team can make a much better game if they learn from their mistakes.

[@julilla1]

They said they were open to constructive criticism, and I think this is. It's respectful and it acknowledges what is good about the game as well as what he didn't like. It's amazing what can happen if you aren't screeching and hate farming.

[@SeventhheavenDK]

Excellent review, to be honest it was on point. And let met tell you, I totally disliked the game, i finished at 90 hours, but I felt it as a matter of duty as a Dragon Age fan instead of because I was enjoying. The more I advanced in the game, the more disappointed I became. Even so, I enjoyed your review a lot. Also, what they did to the south was just a insult in my opinion as a Dragon Age fan. There is only ONE thing that I, PERSONALLY, disagree with your review. To me this wasn't a Dragon Age at all, most of the time I felt disconnected, most of the time I felt I wasn't playing a Dragon Age game. The only moments I felt it was a Dragon Age game was during Solas' scenes, and the scene where Morrigan tells you her secret. That's all. Never again I felt I was playing Dragon Age. Also, I don't know if it was because of spoilers, but you missed another cameo, that also was VERY disappointing, Shaper Valta.

[@MRW-kt2gt]

I swore off Bioware games after ME3, so don't much have a dog in this fight. Having said that, there's 2 big questions: 1. Did you play enough of the game to give it a fair chance? And 2. Did you enjoy the game? Sounds like the answer to both in your case is yes, and I'm happy to hear it. All us gamers know the pain of putting time into something only to have it disappoint. Glad this wasn't the case for you.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup that's why I wanted to make that clear up front. Too many people speaking on things they don't actually understand.

[@MrEek11]

excellent objective review. this game reminds me a lot of DA2 writing. excellent narrative writing with cringe dialog and meh sidequests. totally agree on the dagger, probably my biggest complaint outside of the hr manager conflict/resolution dialog.

[@tribalstyle138]

After watching this- and also a day 1 Origins player- damn you did good! we are on the same page exactly- likes/ dislikes. I'd love to talk to you about Star Trek. Anyway. great takes. Finally a level headed talk!

[@SlanderedGaming]

Thank you!

[@mpbros207]

I have only started up your video, I just want to lay out that even though I dropped this game with in 3 hours. I hated the art style, the combat, and disliked the dialogue. I lost heart when I was told you just have to get to the end game it gets really good then. I didn’t want to slog through all that just to enjoy the last bit. I’m glad you actually played through. I’m glad you’re making your story (ha) head and putting your thoughts forward.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup I think a lot of players did the same unfortunately.

[@awaken6760]

Been waiting for this one!

[@SlanderedGaming]

I hope you enjoy it!

[@warrend2880]

Amazing and indepth review, Ive only played a few hours with my nephew and havent bought the game myself. I wasn't impressed initally with the game as the Pixar comments seemed to fit, but Im now digesting your take on the game to see if it might be worth picking up. Origins is one of my all time favorite games and this one looks the most different, and not in a good way...

[@SlanderedGaming]

it has some pluses but definitely not close to Origins.

[@Vagran]

A thoughtful review as always.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Thank you I appreciate it!

[@wineguides]

solid review I do feel like the Evrionments section could have been seperated from the level layout section but that is a personal thing I do agree with most of what you said I am more neutral on the Crows than you but well done! Not too long at all I enjoy someone who is actually trying to make their thoughts clear and not just shit on everything.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Great thank you for the feedback Wine.

[@jermainegrays]

I loved the in-depth analysis

[@leebradshaw8854]

Hopefully the tone and other such CW show writing is more of a result of the development hell the game went through. Fingers crossed they listen to all the feedback when working on the next Mass Effect game. If that one's a stinker, then I'm probably done with Bioware for good.

[@Ausgrave]

Fantastic review -- very comprehensive and balanced

[@SlanderedGaming]

Thank you!

[@quarter2793]

Overall enjoying the game at about 60 hours in. A lot of the writing is cringe, but that's juxtaposed with things like the solas reliefs, which are great. I've enjoyed the combat because i like to constantly tinker after getting new items so it remains fresh. I love games that give you that easy access to respec. It still seems like a shallow, "junk food" esque dip into an ARPG rather than something to be savored and enjoyed again and again. I had plans to hop back in was a warrior after my spellblade playthrough, but this might be a once through and done. We'll see if they close out well enough for me to want to go through again or if they fall flat like Eberflus😂

[@bexrex97]

Definitely don't want to trust a Blood Mage, yep😂

[@SlanderedGaming]

😂😂

[@lordmarwolaeth4570]

You should definitively check the artbook, I think you'll be pretty mad at the missed opportunities.

[@julilla1]

This was amazingly thorough, and I agree with you on most parts. I did Emmrich's romance and I found it very sweet. In fact, he's a breath of fresh air because I don't think we've ever had a character who is just genuinely kind in the way that he is. I was also sobbing at the end of the game, it felt really relentless and the game just shined during all of that. For me, the ending really nailed it. It was intense, it felt heroic, and redeeming Solas was absolutely heartbreaking and cathartic. It is *is* DA. It might not be some people's favorite, and that's ok. I hope they do more than a few things differently next time, but I have to say that I still loved it.

[@tiensuperstar]

the issue is - every single character is genuinely kind in every way, cept for the one person who act like spoiled rich tween and nothing else - they have no personality overall, even the demon possessed assassin is basically nice all the time - ignore his town, ignore his requests, act like a jerk to him - he is still super nice and nothing but. Oh, his demon comes out - nope, still nice. Story possible very dark, especially playing as an elf consider who is causing all the issues - nothing. Maybe because I don't play english version, but there is nothing there, when play it I really hated seeing convo symbol on map because i knew it would be really bad and cringy. The combat was good, rest of game is very, very bad/lazy/awful, especially compare to Baldur's Gate and others which have actual companions and story and things. Is too bad, the story should have been amazing, is amazing idea, is brutal failure of execution.

[@CurtOntheRadio]

I think yours is the most enthused view I've come across. Sounds like you had a good time. ;)

[@julilla1]

@@tiensuperstar not gonna lie, I liked everyone being decent human beings in general. In Origins, I didn't take Morrigan anywhere once I got a full party. I could not stand the way she talked to other party members. I know that's a hot take for a lot of people, but honestly, DAV felt like how most adults would act in a world ending scenario. Taash is coded too young and would have been better as an adult with an established identity. I think a lot of dialogue was cut, and I can't fathom why except for lack of money. I miss talking to companions and getting more in depth into their characters for sure, I feel like each of them needed more. And yes, Lucanis actually has a very dark story line, which seems to have been just cut. They needed more reactivity and deeper back stories but I'm not sure what could be salvaged after basically two reboots of the project. That said, however, I still think the game accomplished quite a bit. They were able to move combat forward and they were able to give us answers about things that fans have been speculating about for 15 years. I found the ending absolutely amazing. No DA ending has ever made me feel that intensely for such a long period of time.

[@SlanderedGaming]

I agree the ending was INCREDIBLE and I've heard good things about Emmrich's romance. I flirted with all of the party members before settling on Neve and the content just didn't come of as impressive to me.

[@tiensuperstar]

@@julilla1 i dont mind decent human being, i mind bland/empty/hollow even with what should be amazing backstories (mostly, even taash, i am born china but i am vietnamese, so be born in land of totally different culture is some i can understand), so is all amazing ideas, story is amazing idea, solas is actually pretty well done and all backstory part with statues very interesting, but execution horrible compare to other games (with much, much smaller budgets done by much, much smaller studios) like rogue trader (you might dislike this one, all companions in it are horrible, but interesting people) or baldur's gate III Also, compare to those 2 game is one bigger issue: is story driven RPG with zero character development, all companion are exactly the same first time you meeting them to final goodbye stuff.

[@gregoryshinn9805]

Thanks for the video

[@SlanderedGaming]

My pleasure thanks for the support!

[@tribalstyle138]

Honestly this game hits way different for Solas romancers (always female Inquisitors) vs others. I didn't, I rom Cullen, but if I'd had basically a whole followup game on Cullen- Maker. Solas lovers are getting an enviable think. Geez imagine if Larian made an Astarion focused game omg I'd die. Yeah its mostly men critiquing the game that don't have this perspective so its nice hearing you be level headed.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Absolutely they did an amazing job completing his arc.

[@Yodalemos]

The entire Like section I was just disagreeing with everything you said. They absolutely did not respect Solas' character; they took away his agency and intelligence. And the idea that an organization would pony up for your top surgery when it would likely cost millions, considering the absolute lack of non-magical healing in Thedas, I also found ludicrous. Moreover, conventional healing would be used in the operation if only just to close wounds. Its very clear they didn't put an ounce of thought into trans representation when you also take into account the way they couldn't even be bothered to add in-world lore or language to support it and instead lazily used modern terminology; Language that is derived from coding!

[@XxW4RB0RNxX]

Been waiting for this im pretty sure we finished this game around the same time 😊

[@SlanderedGaming]

Nice! Let's compare notes. :)

[@chekitatheanimatedskeptic6314]

That section that starts in 34:10 about the elves is really important. What I'm really disappointed is more about the gamers than this game. Honestly I never expected they would deliver a great RPG after all the problems they had in the development, such as we see happening for Bloodlines 2, for example. All in all, at least they delivered something that had some strenghts and some kind of vision to it. It is by no means a great game, but it is possible to enjoy it, and I did (at least 120h of the game playing solely on Nighmare for 2 runs). My disappointment with the gamers is because I expected more people to be less biased with the reception of Veilguard and actually play the game for what it is, such as it happened for D2 and DAI that one way or the other have their public, and specially Inquisition was actually well received. Instead this game was met with a lot of exaggeration from reviewers and people parroting them like a broken record. People were way too biased comparing the writing of this game to possibly one of THE best games of our time in terms of writing such as BG3, when IF you actually look at most games from way back and even now, have the same level of sanatized and mediocre writing you experience in this game and those games don't receive the same level of backlash. To make a comparison, how many people spend hours without end in games that are called RPGs such as MMOs and Gatcha games with certainly much less quality than what we find in Veilguard and there is no backlash (even when it is recognized as terrible writing and delivery, such as First Descendant). So, in my opinion, IF this game was gooner friendly, there would be pretty much zero discussion about politics and the HUGE problems of this game on the part of "impartial" reviewers out there. All in all, great review.

[@dagonofthedepths]

Was wondering how you felt about this game but never got a chance to see you stream it. Sorry I missed it. This is kind of nitpicky but there have been non-binary characters in games way before Taash. Off the top of my head Testament from Guilty Gear has always been non-binary. Also going off of Acrsys games and just trans characters in general, they also have Bridget, Latdiva, Cagliostro, and Mai Natsume. Really though I think Testament and Bridget are the only ones that had the discussion, and all of these are fighting games so it's really a story that has been spread out over like 20 years, I think. But Bridget's arc was always stuggling with her gender. I feel the conclusion was rushed and Guilty Gear lore is, well, insane but she's simply written better as a whole. Also blanking on her name but the spymaster from WotR. But yeah still rare.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Nope it's not nitpicky and I should've been more clear. I am not trying to say they are the first non-binary character in gaming I am saying they are the first non-binary COMPANION we have received where their identity is a major focus. Other characters they might mention off hand that they are non-binary and then it never gets brought up again.

[@quintec45]

@@SlanderedGaming Already left a comment with the example but Subaru Kujou, a main party member in Sakura Wars V, a tactical rpg, is nonbinary and the topic is core to their character and their romance arc as well. The game was released in 2005 in Japan and 2010 in the US. I understand that for mainstream AAA titles it's different, and I don't expect people to know every niche JRPG, but thought you would be happy to know it's been done before and better and really close to how you described wanting it done.

[@CaptainLungi]

Wow this is really good review and thorough review - Super based. I enjoyed first playthrough and 2nd playthrough made me vehemently angry - part of me is glad that this game came out and other part is not happy what many story details (thanks for covering those nucances). I am subbed

[@christopherclanton5961]

I was so mixed with this game. There are things i loved and things i hated. I also played all the other games many many times dragon age was among my favorite game series and i hate and love vielguard. O 100% veilguard and beat it on nightmare for context. Overall I was left with a ton of questions and mixed feelings that the whole time i thought needed to be addressed like what happened to the other gods ya their archdemons were killed but we are shown it doesnt kill the god but makes them mortal. They are never mentioned but emploed they are somehow all dead or still trapped. Also felt it super odd that the whole game we are trying to stop the old gods from releasing the blight that also was sealed with them behind the veil. Solas admits in good ending that he couldnt stop the blight as it was not somthing he could cure, yet he still wanted to bring down the veil that would still release the worst of the blight. The blight was still dagerous without the gods and the ancient elves could not get rid of it. He had a plan for the gods and the demons but never mentioned what the heck he would do with blight. Originally he might have moved blight with gods but at end game he was just going to rip it down... Also hated that no choices were carried over that should have mattered. Also had no idea why things were worse in the south than in the north where the gods activly were. Also what was the reconing that flemeth said the world would have and deserved. This game utterly chanhed flemeth/mythal in a way that i both liked and hated felt we missed somthing. And where were the magesters that (archetect and others) who would undoubtedly should have been bosses that served these gods. I could go on so much potential overall felt that most of the issues with veilguard were related to its very rocky back and fourth development and the multiplayer elements were still very much part of this game tho stipped back. The writing was all over the place and the tone was baffling. This is the first bioware game where i activly hated one of my companions. Lookong at you taash. Its not even the controversial topic they try and explore with her its how they did it. Bioware has always had chatacters like taash in previous games but this was the worst portrayal of it. If corporations want to add this stuff to games (persoanlly i wish they didnt) they need to do so with better writing. However overall i liked the game more than dragon age 2 but it falls short of inquisition and origins. With how poorly it seems to be selling i fear its the kast bioware game or at least last dragon age and thats a sad thing to think. With a more focused development and more of a focus on writinf i think bioware could be bioware again i saw elements in vielguard that was better or as good as previous games.

[@AzraelSoulHunter]

Very good video that is a fair and balanced take. Respect you for that. I can tell this is a game for people who liked Inquisition direction probably as it seems to lean all into it while Origin players are probably left even more in the dust. Eh. At least I still have Origins. Also from what I heard of this game... I HATE how apparently Elves now are even more of a center of the world where almost everything now resolves around them. Also.... That group teased at the end is probably some dumb elf off shoot. Dark Elves? Because why not? Seriously. This is BAD way to do your lore for your entire world where only one race matters. Origins had a GREAT balance of those. Here... nah. Just nah. I knew this would happen since Inquisition, but come on. Dwarf bros... we keep being shafted. Hard.

[@tribalstyle138]

I am still in Act 1 but so far I love Taash. I almost switched from Davrin to Taash bc they are so funny and brash. Though I can see some not great things slipping in. Taash should have been like Krill- solid in their identity. But otherwise I love Taash's personality. Taash and Davrin are my party favorites.

[@bexrex97]

I also adore Taash and Davrin's friendship😭❤️

[@TheFictionic]

I largely agree with your review, but my main problem with the feel of the game next to the fact that all the edge has been filed off to the point of creating a ball from a brick, is Rook. Rook is basically Hawke, but with somehow even less agency from the player. Yeah, the world reacts to your previous allegiance, but that's it. You are this soft little teddybear of a person regardless. And to top off that passive, scared to properly interact nature of Rooks dialogue is the fact that Rook has absolutely nothing interesting about them. You can't even become interesting, all "power-ups" or changes of status are relegated to companions, Hardin gets magic as a dwarf and Emmerich can become a lich, you get your macguffin dagger that is basically a bandaid fix for exploration. In a game where you could be a prick you probably could have become a blood mage or maybe even steal lichdom from Emmerich. And the Varric reveal was dumb, how in the hell does it not get mentioned once before "the reveal", when they speak about everything else so openly?

[@SlanderedGaming]

I liked the Varric reveal but I think it needs to happen much earlier. It's especially odd that neither the Inquisitor, Isabella nor Dorian really bring it up.

[@TheFictionic]

@@SlanderedGaming The idea is not bad, to do a good execution of it, is just pretty much impossible with this cast of characters. However, I agree, it happening earlier would have been better.

[@MDXVT]

El'ganon looks like Ivan Ooze from the power ranger movie

[@Kruszcontrol]

Best review

[@toniviskari417]

While I appreciated the review in a lot of ways, there is a comment there I wish to push against even if I think it wasn't intended to come across as negative. I've seen the YA description used a lot for this, especially when discussing how it doesn't handle adult themes, which to me is both dismissive and somewhat misunderstanding what YA is. Like there are several really popular YA series that are really dark and handle adult themes, after all. Funnily, even with that statement, I do think there is something to that comparison, but rather more as an examination of how Veilguard writing fails to function within its chosen approach. As I've watched scenes and discussion on the game, the comparison with the writing I personally keep coming to isn't the previous DA games, but actually the Horizon series. More specifically Horizon Forbidden West. Now that is a game that could be very easily and fairly be described as YA, but it is incredibly dark and deals with complex character interactions/motivations. For me, and again this is a questionable analysis due to my limited exposure to Veilguard, the core difference is that in HFW the writing feels like they considered how would these young characters react and behave when placed in that horrible situation considering their backgrounds. While Veilguard feels like the writing edited there was done by an overprotective parent who has a lot of opinions.

[@DaBase333]

DA2 combat is not like Origins. Inquisition combat is not like Origins. And then they cry Veilguard combat isn't like Origins. Hello??? It hasn't been for a while!!

[@ArturoGonzalez-st7xj]

Great review, just one thing, IDK if it's your positive personality or if you were trying to justify playing the entirety this vastly different entry into the DA series, but the neutral points seem pretty negative.

[@SlanderedGaming]

The Neutral section are usually points that are borderline negative or borderline positive but something holds them back. Agreed that most of them were borderline negative.

[@TheGismono]

The character creator is awful. At least when i, a woman, wanted to make myself. There is simply no way of making a nice feminine looking PC, every one turns into looking as a masculine farmer type. I have heard this from plenty of others as well. Whatever the reason for this, It simply removes any kind of applause the character creation could get. The awful writing and dialogue does nothing help someone get into the the RP of the RPG, even to the point of making the person playing angry when the game talks down to you, like you a child getting lectured.

[@SlanderedGaming]

You might be right, I can only speak from the perspective of creating a man.

[@mjw3877]

Didn´t like the style, the dialogue and the modern politics in the game. Maybe I will give it a chance when it costs 20$.

[@tiensuperstar]

As to "pixar feel", lol no. I agree with you it not having this for different reasons. Pixar can making you care deeply/cry for/love a robot who clean trash for living and can barely speak...and who has significantly more impactful romance with another type of robot...Pixar has amazing writing, there is nothing similar here. Is more like writing of bad/low quality manga company (and i live in Japan lol, trust me, i know of bad manga company)