It is safe to say that there has been a lot of buzz aroundDragon Age: The Veilguard, a game that’s been a major talking point since its release. For some fans, it might be one of the best games that BioWare has made sinceMass Effect 3,while others could consider it well below the standard of BioWare’s work. As is often the case for extreme conflicting opinions, the truth is likely somewhere in the middle, and it’s good to see BioWare release a game that hasn’t immediately fallen on its face likeAnthem.
With BioWare bringing back theDragon Agefranchise, and theStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicremake allegedly still being in development, it makes sense for another famous IP made by the studio to re-emerge.TheMass Effectseries hasn’t had a game sinceAndromedain 2017, excluding the remaster of the original trilogy, and it feels like the natural next step for a new BioWare project. If BioWare, which was once considered the pinnacle of RPG developers, wants to bringMass Effectback with a bang, there’s a lesson it needs to learn fromThe Veilguardfirst.
Mass Effect 4 Must Learn From Dragon Age: The Veilguard
BioWare Cannot Forget Its Roots
Even though BioWare isn’t the same studio it was back in its heyday in terms of staff, that doesn’t mean that it should forget what made it so great. Although the opinions aroundVeilguardhave been so polarizing,a common consensus with reviewers who didn’t like the game is how it feels likeDragon Agehas lost its identitywith this new title. The game can come across as generic, from its action-based gameplay to itsMarvel-esque dialogue, and that seems to be somewhat of a conscious choice by BioWare.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Continues One Of The Series' Biggest Problems
While Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a revival of the series after a 10-year wait, it also manages to repeat one of the flaws of the previous games.
Although itwent against the norm with its stylized aesthetic, which was almost as controversial as the game itself, the rest of the game didn’t seem as adventurous. Of course, this wouldmake it more appealing to a wider audience, at least in theory, which is probably why BioWare chose to double down on the action gameplay ofInquisitionwhile adding more quips and quick comedy to the dialogue. Traditionally, this has been a model that would sell well, butDragon Agewas a unique IP whenOriginshit shelves in 2009.
Despite taking the leap withVeilguard’s stylized aesthetic,BioWare will not be stylizingMass Effectmoving forward.
One problemDragon Agedoes have is that there aren’t too many games in the series despite its age, andBioWare didn’t double down on the tactical, thought-provoking nature ofDragon Age: Origins. There aren’t enough titles to solidify whatDragon Ageis really about, andOriginsremains the sole true source for what the series should be like. Straying too far from what made the initial games a success was always going to be a problem forDragon Age, and BioWare needs to be careful not to let the same thing happen with thenextMass Effecttitle.
The Veilguard’s Player Numbers Don’t Compare To The Best
And BioWare Should Be Competing With The Best
AlthoughDragon Age: The Veilguardhasn’t done badly by any means, but when compared to some of the biggest games in the same genre, it does fall short, at least according to charts onSteamDB.Compared to RPG giants and Game of the Year winners, likeBaldur’s Gate 3andElden Ring, its respectable peak of 89,418 players seems quite feeble.BG3had a peak of 875,343 players on Steam, whileElden Ringpulled 953,426 players at its peak. It may seem unfair to compareVeilguardto this standard, but this is where BioWare should be based on its reputation.
Dragon Age: The Veilguardis Steam native and does not require EA Play.
There was once a time when BioWare and Bethesdawere on top of the RPG genre, but ever since the start of the Xbox One and PS4 generation and the releases ofDA: InquisitionandFallout 4, both studios have struggled with releasing games that meet expectations.Mass Effect: Andromedahad a horrible launch, and even after many bugs were fixed, the writing quality was still a valid complaint. The looter-shooterRPGAnthemcould hardly have gone worse for the studio, despite how promising it was when it was first announced.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard - How To Get The Mass Effect Armor
You can now get armor themed around the Mass Effect series in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but you have a few key steps to complete first.
Dragon Age: The Veilguardis the closestthing that BioWare has had to a resounding success in recent years,but it has split the fanbase, and that might come back to hurt the series if a sequel comes out.Mass Effectcannot make the same mistake and needs to rally the players behind its next game. That might mean going back to basics, and this doesn’t mean bringing back Commander Shepard and the original crew of the Normandy. The nextMass Effectgame needs to feel likeMass Effect, from its world-building to its dialogue and characters.
BioWare Can Be The Top Of The RPG Genre Again
It Has The Financial Backing To Be Up There With The Best
The BioWare name still holds a lot of weight, and the IPs in its library are well-known. Although EA doesn’t have the best reputation around, it certainly brings in revenue, and if BioWare does well with its games, EA has no choice but to give it more of a budget to keep the cash rolling in. Funding doesn’t seem to be a problem, especially becauseBioWare hasn’t seemed to reduce the budget withDA: The Veilguard, despite the monumental failure ofAnthem. If it can get the right writers on board, the studio should have everything it needs to succeed.
Amazon’s Mass Effect Show Should Copy The Approach Of Its Most Successful Video Game Series Yet
Mass Effect will surely encounter several challenges during the adaptation process, but Amazon’s Fallout show can act as a strong blueprint.
One problem BioWare andVeilguardwill have is getting lost in the noise of the excitement around other, similar RPGs.Veilguardcould have been a massive hit that would stay popular for a long time, likeBG3orElden Ring, but with its controversy splitting the fanbase, there probably won’t be enough players to stop it from being lost after the release ofMonster Hunter Wildsor Obsidian’sAvowed.Veilguard’s player numbers have already been overtaken byMH Wilds’s beta on Steam.
Ultimately,Dragon Age: The Veilguardhas done alright, but could have been much more. Political controversy aside, the common complaint of the game not feeling likeDragon Ageis a problem that has turned off some who used to playOrigins, DA2, or evenInquisition. If BioWare wants to be back on top with the nextMass Effectgame, it needs to ensure that it remembers what made the original trilogy so good and that this new game feels like it fits with the tone of the series, even if the characters are all brand new.
