It’s no great secret that theDragon Ageseries has been a contentious one. From the early days of the critically acclaimedDragon Age: Originsto the more recent,much less widely loved,Dragon Age: The Veilguard, BioWare’s high-fantasy extravaganza has constantly experimented with new narrative styles and gameplay frameworks, leading to an exciting, if complicated, franchise legacy.
One of the downsides of this ever-changing design and writing philosophy is how fans have become split onDragonAgeas a whole. As early asDragon Age 2, players were lamenting the changes BioWare made over the original’s more gritty worldbuilding and traditional RPG systems. Opinions have softened onInquisitionover the years, but its quality is still debated, andVeilguardis easily the series' most controversial release yet. Whatever one thinks aboutDragon Agein general, whether they love the series or hate it, it’s hard to deny that it’s been inconsistent, and a hard reset might be the best way to keep the ball rolling post-Veilguard.
Why a Dragon Age Reset Might Be for the Best
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Demands a Change of Course
Though welcomed with open arms by both day-oneDragon Agefans and new adopters,Dragon Age: The Veilguardwas not a success for BioWare. Per recent financial reports,Veilguarddidn’t hit its sales targets, and despite positive buzz around its launch, opinions have proven to be extremely mixed. Critics point out shortcomings like unnatural and immature-sounding dialog, uninspired level design, and overly simplistic combat mechanics as reasons to give the game a pass, even as others hail it as a masterful continuation of theDragon Agesaga.
But the thing is, BioWare didn’t needVeilguardto be an “okay” game, or even a “good” one whose quality is contested;Veilguardneeded to be a home run. In the wake ofMass Effect AndromedaandAnthem, the beloved RPG-maker’s reputation was wanting for a shot in the arm, andVeilguard’s mixed receptionwon’t suffice. Thus, to keep the franchise moving forward in an exciting direction, it could be best to wipe the slate clean forDragon Age 5, tackling the series from an entirely new angle.
The aforementionedvariability of theDragon Ageseries, although perhaps contributing to its mixed release portfolio, would make a hard reboot easier for audiences to swallow.
What a Dragon Age Reboot Could Look Like
Dragon Age: The Veilguardis a direct continuation of theInquisitionstory, but the franchise’s previous entries didn’t take continuity as seriously. The stories do link together, but more so from a world-building perspective than with respect to plot or character elements. As such, it would be relatively easy for BioWare to start from square one, as it were.
Still, some fundamental stylistic changes fromDragon Age: The Veilguardwould be welcome. This theoretical reboot may not need to be as dour asOrigins, but a more mature, less colorful tone, with characters who are more complex and less frivolous, would be a great change of pace. The series has historically been marketed to adults, after all, so such a shift would be appropriate.
As for gameplay, perhaps BioWare could walk back the slow crawl toward action-RPG mechanics and go back to more strategic RPG combat.Dragon Age: Origins' gameplayis rather hard to stomach these days, but a turn-based RPG likeBaldur’s Gate 3could serve as good inspiration for a more modern take on a tactical gameplay formula, whichDragon Age’s developers could then shape however they saw fit. In short, a radical rebranding ofDragon Age, one that focuses on the mature storytelling and RPG foundations that made it so popular in the first place, would probably be better than doubling-down on whatVeilguardintroduced.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
WHERE TO PLAY
Enter the world of Thedas, a vibrant land of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities – steeped in conflict and secret magics. Now, a pair of corrupt ancient gods have broken free from centuries of darkness and are hellbent on destroying the world.Thedas needs someone they can count on. Rise as Rook, Dragon Age’s newest hero. Be who you want to be and play how you want to play as you fight to stop the gods from blighting the world. But you can’t do this alone – the odds are stacked against you. Lead a team of seven companions, each with their own rich story to discover and shape, and together you will become The Veilguard.
