Dragon Age: The Veilguardgot a little bit of negative press when it was first announced thanks to its new art direction. Whereas the previous games have all been fairly dark and gritty - with each entry getting progressively less gritty -The Veilguardfeels more akin to a Disney movie, with every character having smooth-as-butter skin and cartoonish faces. Naturally, those who were expecting something like the original games were a little disappointed and began stating their opinion loudly online.
Naturally,The Veilguard’sbest featureshave been highly praised in reviews, but those visuals, even post-launch, continue to get negatively remarked upon. However,Dragon Age: The Veilguard’svisuals do not deserve all the hate. In fact, not only do they look pretty great, they’re also a step in the right direction for the gaming industry as a whole and a return to a better time for video games.
More Games Should Use An Art Design Like Veilguard’s
There Are Some Impressive Character Designs
Dragon Age: The Veilguard’sart design is a surprising breath of fresh air, especially when compared to other modern fantasy releases. While other games have leaned more into gothic or dark fantasy,The Veilguardembraces its lighter tone with its Disney-esque aesthetic, ditching any sense of realism for a more wondrous and magical atmosphere. It’s not too drastically different from the previous entry,Inquisition, although it’s certainly far less gritty by comparison, but that isn’t inherently a bad thing.
The lighter tone may come as a surprise when compared to the likes ofElden Ring,Dragon’s Dogma 2, andDiablo 4, butit harkens back to an era in which not everything had to be a gore-soaked nightmare. It’s an alternative to those darker worlds, one that still has plenty of grit itself, but feels far cozier and lighthearted. Variety is the spice of life, soDragon Age: The Veilguardstriking out and doing something that hasn’t really been seen since the likes of 2012’sKingdom of Amalur: Reckoningis a great thing.
The era of dark and depression fantasy games likeThe Witcher,Dark Souls, andDiablocan absolutely continue, but from time to time it would be nice to Disney-ify fantasy games.
Of course, Bioware has firmly stated thatMass Effectwon’t useThe Veilguard’saesthetic, and that’s absolutely fine. Its series should feel distinct from one another, and it makes sense that its military sci-fi retains a darker, more realistic visual style. However, it would be great to see more fantasy RPGs adoptDragon Age: The Veilguard’sart direction to offer fans of high fantasy more options. The era of dark and depressing fantasy games likeThe Witcher,Dark Souls, andDiablocan absolutely continue, butfrom time to time it would be nice to Disney-ify fantasy games.
More Games Should Use Stylized Visuals
It’s Better Than Looking Like Everyone Else
Stylized visuals were all the rage when 3D visuals were slowly becoming a more popular and realistic option for developers to adopt. The Dreamcast, GameCube, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and even the original Xbox had plenty of games with gorgeous stylized visuals that absolutely hold up to this day. Games likeJet Set Radio,Crazy Taxi,Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color,Boku No Natsuyasumi,Okami,Sonic Adventure 2, andKlonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veilare still incredible-looking games to this day and have gone on to inspire a range of future titles, especially in the indie space.
There’s a reason why indie games have started to mine the PlayStation library for inspiration, such as the incrediblePS1-esque horror gameCrow Country. Of course, it’s partially for nostalgia reasons, but it’s also because a lot of that aesthetic still holds up. Triple-A games have failed to see the value in it though, with developers intent on re-releasing classic games with a more realistic coat of paint, such as theSilent HillandResident Evilgames. Those remakes have obvious value beyond their changed visual style, butit is a shame to see developers move away from stylized visuals.
Hogwarts Legacy Will Never Be As Good As PS1’s Sorcerer’s Stone
The PS1 Harry Potter game, despite being released back in 2001, will adamantly stand its ground against Hogwarts Legacy thanks to its timeless design.
There is definitely a danger of going too far in one direction, and, to some extent,Dragon Age: The Veilguardis guilty of this. One of thebiggest mistakesThe Veilguardplayers can makeis picking the Qunari race, as it just doesn’t suit the new art style at all. However,at least Bioware tried something new and madeThe Veilguardlook like no other game before it. It’s always more interesting to see developers try something new and not necessarily get it completely right than a developer continuing to make the same game well.
Stylized Design Makes A Game More Timeless
Realistic Graphics Don’t Typically Age Well
Of course,the biggest benefit of stylized visuals is that they just don’t age as poorly. Games that were chasing realism back in the Xbox 360 era now look awful, and those in the Xbox One and PS4 era apparently require endless remakes.Horizon Zero Dawnhad a remaster thatbrought its visual quality closer to the sequel, despite it only releasing in 2016.The Last of Us Part 1and2both got remastered andGrand Theft Auto 5has been remastered so many times it’s pointless trying to count.
Whether people love or hateDragon Age: The Veilguard’svisuals, it’s hard to argue that it’s not at least something different, unexpected, and memorable.
That’s not to say that the original games look bad, but thatthe pursuit of realistic visuals means that, every so often, games have to be remastered to bring their visuals closer to what the latest technology can afford them. Of course, stylized games don’t need to do this as their visual identity isn’t supposed to look realistic, and thus flaws are acceptable. Any time a game with stylized visuals has been remastered - such asOkami- it’s been more about increasing the resolution and putting it on modern hardware than fundamentally altering the visual quality like with Sony’s endless remasters.
Additionally, and this really goes without saying,stylized games are far more memorable. Realistic visuals without any discernible visual style all end up blending together to the point where it becomes difficult to tell entire franchises apart. TheCall of DutyandBattlefieldfranchises are at risk of this happening, especially as they both continue to pursue the trap of realistic graphics in similar settings.
10 Essential Beginner Tips For Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Whether you’re new to Dragon Age or an Origins veteran, there are a few important things you’ll need to know before starting The Veilguard.
A unique setting, while helpful, isn’t enough either. Third-person games are all beginning to share similar visual traits with one another, likeDays Gone,Red Dead Redemption 2,Horizon Zero Dawn, andDeath Stranding. That’s not to say that they look identical, but rather that the more they all chase after the goal of looking realistic, the less identity they’ll have as an individual product. Whether people love or hateDragon Age: The Veilguard’svisuals, it’s hard to argue that it’s not at least something different, unexpected, and memorable.
