Games Happy

This previous weekend at Summer time Recreation Fest Play Days, I had an opportunity to attend a behind-closed-doors superior presentation the place the staff at BioWare confirmed off Dragon Age: The Veilguard for the primary time.

Whereas the newly revealed public gameplay for The Veilguard exhibits 20 minutes of the sport’s opening act, RPG Web site and different attendees to Summer time Recreation Fest 2024 received to see an prolonged hour-long demonstration, which included the identical part of the sport.

What’s most instantly evident upon seeing The Veilguard is that it visually matches the half. It makes use of EA’s Frostbite engine, similar to Dragon Age: Inquisition, and a decade of technological enhancements and know-how enable the most recent Dragon Age to be a visible spectacle. The demo we have been proven begins in Minrathous, the capital of the Tevinter Imperium, the place Varric seeks out the situation of Solas as he completes his ritual to take away the Veil defending Thedas from The Fade. There is a slight stylization to the artwork model in order that characters are usually not fairly photorealistic, and the way you are taking to it would solely be as much as private desire.

The non-public demo we noticed opened up with a personality creator — a element that BioWare very clearly put quite a lot of effort into. In actual fact, in our demo, we have been informed that one of many three key pillars of the sport was ‘Be Who You Need To Be.’ The creator is definitely probably the most versatile and strong that BioWare has ever had in a sport earlier than, providing quite a few picks for all kinds of physique varieties & pores and skin tones. BioWare appeared particularly happy with each the hair-style selection and ‘strand’ know-how used to render it in order that it appears pretty much as good as potential and behaves correctly within the atmosphere. 

When you set your look, you choose a base class of Warrior, Rogue, or Mage similar to in traditional Dragon Age, and every class has three specializations that may be chosen to additional customise your playstyle. You choose certainly one of six Factions on your participant character (named Rook) to be a member of, which incorporates the Gray Wardens, Antivan Crows, or new factions just like the Shadow Dragons and Veil Jumpers. As you may anticipate, sure backgrounds will result in some extra dialogue at sure factors within the sport. In our demo, Rook was a Shadow Dragon.

After going by the character creator, the demo begins up in a bar as Varric and player-character Rook search out Neve Gallus, a mage and member of the Shadow Dragons in Tevinter. The bar proprietor clearly had data we wanted, however was unwilling to share it freely. We have been instantly given a selection within the bar to both settle issues diplomatically or by preventing. In any case, we selected to struggle, which led to a struggle scene (not an precise fight encounter) together with a popup noting that Varric paid consideration to your selection. It is tough to say if the opposite possibility would have been meaningfully totally different, though it looks like Varric’s opinion of you is primarily what’s at stake right here.

After the bar sequence, we observe Rook & Varric as they transfer linearly by Minrathous, simply as within the gameplay reveal posted immediately. They first run into Harding — now a celebration companion character —and later the Shadow Dragon they have been on the lookout for in Neve Gallus. Since our Rook was additionally a Shadow Dragon, there was somewhat bit of additional dialogue right here, however at this level, it was tough to inform if it meaningfully modified something in regards to the character encounter, or if it was merely for somewhat little bit of taste.

As you make your method to Solas and his ritual web site, there are a number of extra moments alongside the linear path the place you may select affable, irreverent, or robust dialogue picks relating to the state of town, which is at the moment seeing demons seem from the Fade as Solas’ ritual will get nearer and nearer to completion. As soon as once more, the dialogue picks primarily appear to be put in place to determine which companion character Rook most aligns with, fairly than altering the trail the mission would take, though it is tough to discern.

As RPG Web site, we regularly place further emphasis on role-playing elements and the way they’re integrated into the video games we cowl. “Alternative and Consequence” is usually thought of a major factor in RPGs, particularly western-styled ones. In BioWare’s new press launch for Veilguard, they really listing out this explicitly, describing this Alternative & Consequence as: “The bonds you create and the relationships you forge might be affected by your selections made all through your journey.”

To me, this reads extra centered on character relationships fairly than, say, quest-focused choices which will play an element on the planet or storyline in any other case, and the demo appears to strengthen that. It’s extremely clear that BioWare is placing quite a lot of emphasis on its character forged and the relationships there. That is really the second of three pillars that BioWare declared through the demo: ‘Encourage A Workforce Of Unforgettable Heroes’.

As your newly-formed get together strikes nearer to Solas throughout this cinematic tutorial mission, you encounter a number of spectral demons at sure designated sections alongside the trail. It is instantly evident that The Veilguard is leaning much more into action-based fight, as our roguish Rook began attacking demons with brief blades up shut and a bow from afar. The fight right here is pretty up-paced, with Rook usually dodging round with flips and jumps harking back to Arkham-style movement. There are parry-tells and all of the whereas popups on the decrease proper of the display every time gold was picked up, which was somewhat distracting.

You can pause the motion at any time to deliver up a skill-selection menu, which exhibits Rook’s three geared up talents on the backside, with three talents for every companion on the left or proper of the interface. BioWare veterans could acknowledge this as one thing much like Mass Impact, by which when you do not management companion characters instantly, you may get them organized to make sure actions by this interface. Whereas there are lots of greater than three abilities obtainable for every class, you may solely equip three at a time that can be utilized in fight.

Sadly, since this was so early within the sport, just one ability was obtainable on the menu, which was additionally proven within the public reveal. Moreover, it was indirectly proven in our demo, however there appears to be a mechanic in place the place sure abilities from members of your get together can combo with others.

Whereas most demons seemed to have a typical crimson well being bar, some have an orange armor bar that’s finest taken down with heavy assaults, and a few demons have a blue barrier bar, which is finest taken down with vary assaults. This, too, feels barely much like Mass Impact in how some enemies had blue ‘Protect’ bars that have been higher depleted utilizing sure kinds of assaults over others.

My largest singular takeaway from the demo we have been proven is that I want we have been in a position to see a gameplay part extra in the midst of the sport fairly than the very opening intro. To begin with, being so early within the sport, the enemies proven have been fundamental, and a degree 1 Rook solely had a singular ability at his disposal. Whereas what I noticed was very linear and guided, I discover that may be appropriate when working as a tutorial for alleviating gamers into the sport whereas organising participating stakes of the story. Nonetheless, it leaves me unsure if it is really a superb illustration of what the majority of the particular sport will play like, and it would not give a lot perception into the bigger construction of the sport.

As a small apart, alongside this linear path are massive brilliant, conspicuous inexperienced vases that give Rook a potion when damaged, and these are additionally seen within the public gameplay reveal. These vases are dotted in quite a few locations alongside the trail, they usually nearly really feel like well being checkpoints that you just may discover in a stage-based motion sport, or one thing related. Even a small addition like this makes me marvel in regards to the presence of role-playing components, similar to useful resource administration if, say, all phases within the sport equally have these inexperienced vases to high you off on well being partway by a mission.

Lots of my friends at Summer time Recreation Fest additionally had an identical level of comparability as all of us mentioned the presentation in numerous demo periods over the weekend: Ultimate Fantasy XVI. It is a wise comparability to make, primarily based on what we noticed. A linear cinematic expertise with a concentrate on characters and motion fight and just some gentle RPG trappings, we do not know sufficient to say whether or not this comparability will maintain water after launch. As for now although, I see the resemblance.

All through our demo, BioWare stored describing the sport as a handmade story-driven expertise whereas additionally implying the sport is closely mission-based — a element extra instantly acknowledged in an interview with IGN. In the identical interview, sport director Corinne Busche states that the mission model construction is put in place to have “the most effective narrative expertise, the most effective moment-to-moment expertise”, whereas additionally stating some missions may have extra exploration than others, and there might be alternate branches, secrets and techniques, and optionally available content material.

I solely have BioWare’s phrase and this brief demo to go off of, however to me, the concentrate on a ‘curated’ expertise (to make use of Bushe’s phrases) nearly looks like it’s in response to some reactions in direction of Dragon Age: Inquisition ten years in the past, the place many criticisms pointed to the sport’s meandering world and points with its open construction. Whether or not what you’re listening to in regards to the sport’s construction is elevating crimson flags or inexperienced flags for you personally will seemingly rely in your historical past with BioWare video games, or extra broadly what expertise you’re in search of from the most recent Dragon Age.

This notion of a handmade expertise is one more element highlighted in immediately’s press launch. Though we didn’t get to see this instantly, BioWare states that a spot often known as The Lighthouse will function a “central place” of relaxation and companion interplay. From right here, you’ll head to the Crossroads to traverse “separate explorable areas of the world along with your companions.” BioWare identify drops Rivain, Weisshaupt, Arlathan, Minrathous, and the Deep Roads as a number of the locations explored by the sport. This focus really contains BioWare’s third of three pillars highlighted all through the demo: “A World Value Saving”.

Though I’ve loads of reservations about The Veilguard primarily based on its debut, that is to not say the sport cannot be nice regardless. Many of those elements — the concentrate on a mission-based construction, the category and ability programs, the character focus & dialogue selections — all these really feel harking back to Mass Impact 2, an RPG that was the primary 10/10 ever given on RPG Web site. Regardless of our excessive reward for that exact sport, there is not any scarcity of gamers who lament ME2’s changes to frequent role-playing staples, and I really feel Dragon Age: The Veilguard could have an identical divide amongst followers.

For now, we’ll simply have to attend and see what BioWare exhibits subsequent.