Dragon Age’s Inconsistency Has Become Its Biggest Strength

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is almost here — the huge RPG that will either save or doom BioWare after the failures of Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem. Many are worried it looks a bit too different from past entries, but isn’t that one of Dragon Age’s defining traits?

Dragon Age: Origins (2009) was always meant to be this kind of new, modern fantasy game for enjoyers of past BioWare RPGs set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. It was free from the shackles of the Forgotten Realms and whatnot, yet its very soul and DNA were influenced by the studio’s previous efforts. Nowadays, most players will tell you it doesn’t play super well because it’s too old-fashioned, but many veteran fans maintain that it’s the series’ best due to its meaty, pre-streamlined RPG systems and uncompromisingly dark tone. I believe I still hold that opinion, but I’m also willing to admit the series’ rather unpredictable creative swings and fan-serving evolution are what have ultimately defined Dragon Age as a whole.

2011’s Dragon Age II is the type of sequel that happened too fast even by the PS3/360-era’s AAA development standards. Following the breakout success of Origins, BioWare was thrown into a rushed development that somehow didn’t end in disaster. Personally, I’m not a big fan of the second entry in the Dragon Age series, but it has a loyal following, and, I must admit, it ultimately works despite all its rough edges, much smaller scale, and egregious copy-pasted content. A ridiculous deadline didn’t bury BioWare’s solid character work and textured world-building, now squarely focused on the depressing city of Kirkwall.

Fast-forward to 2014 shortly after the arrival of shiny new hardware in the shape of PS4 and Xbox One, and Dragon Age: Inquisition managed to score a pretty big win, including several GOTY awards. The series’ scope was bigger than ever before, and BioWare had figured out that most of the growing fan base was more interested in memorable characters and epic fantasy vibes than the dark fantasy that other franchises were doing much better anyway. Of course, Inquisition isn’t a cheerful ride, but when compared to its two predecessors, the creative push toward making the universe a bit more welcoming was noticeable and partially shaped the actual gameplay.

Even before all the Dragon Age 4 (later subtitled Dreadwolf and now The Veilguard, which really isn’t a change for the better) behind-the-scenes drama began to happen, it was hard to argue with a straight face that Dragon Age was a creatively cohesive video game series. Sure, the lore and canon (Qunari visual rework aside) have always come together nicely, but Dragon Age is this weird beast that’s been metamorphosing with every iteration, whether out of need or genuine creative impulse.

We arrive at Dragon Age: The Veilguard roughly a decade after Inquisition, hoping for the best but also wary of the many changes it’s gone through over the years, some of them being the product of trend-chasing (it was once an online-oriented title). The final game appears to be doubling down on everything that made BioWare respectable in the first place, yet that divisive reveal trailer, which had big “hero shooter” vibes for no discernible reason, threatened to shoot our dreams down before the marketing really kicked off.

Thankfully, everything that’s been released afterward, including the release date trailer, has felt confident and fan-pleasing without coming across as a rehash. The visual style has been refreshed yet again; the combat system has dropped all pretense of being an RPG of the old BioWare (instead flowing closer to Mass Effect without the guns); and its companions are looking flavorful, to say the least. You may not like it at first glance, but The Veilguard very much feels like a new Dragon Age entry in that it’s unlike those before it on a practical and aesthetic level.

After three distinct games, Dragon Age has taught me to expect the unexpected. I also have both my favorite entry and that one entry I don’t really vibe with, but I’ll never pretend the series is as close-knit as Mass Effect. That’s just a lie. For better or worse, change and alteration are written into the Dragon Age series’ genetic code, and that’s why no alarms are being raised inside my head after looking at The Veilguard and all the promotional material released so far. The reality of the situation is that we won’t really know whether BioWare has missed the mark or knocked it out of the park until our copies of the fourquel come in. Back in 2009, we really thought Origins was going to be a massive grimdark adventure first and foremost, yet the actual release proved it also had a huge beating heart and lots of humor.

Looking at the bigger picture, we should be celebrating, as fantasy in video games — and RPGs more specifically — is currently enjoying a golden age. This year alone, Dragon’s Dogma 2 took some big swings; even if not all of them landed, it was a pretty unique action RPG. We’ve also had other killer releases such as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Unicorn Overlord, and Granblue Fantasy Relink. MMORPG enjoyers have also had two big FFXIV and The Elder Scrolls Online expansions, and Metaphor: ReFantazio seems like a lock for Atlus fanatics. On top of all those (and many more I won’t list here), we’re getting a new huge BioWare RPG! How cool is that? There will be plenty to discuss in depth after its October 31 launch, but right now I’m just excited to get my hands on BioWare’s “all or nothing” return to the gaming frontlines. I’ve missed this.

 Dragon Age: The Veilguard is set to release on October 31, 2024.