Dragon Age players with early access to The Veilguard say that the RPG's "trailer doesn't do it justice" as it may just be "the most beautiful" entry from BioWare yet

Jun. 10, 2024

Don’t let the art style fool you

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The reveal ofDragon Age: The Veilguardwas one of the most highly anticipated showcases of this year’s entireSummer Game Fest, but its trailer left fans disappointed - though lucky players with early access say people shouldn’t be.

After almost a decade sinceBioWare’s monumental release of Dragon Age: Inquisition, the legendary developer finally unveiled the RPG series' upcoming entry during yesterday’sXbox Games Showcasewith an upbeat trailer - that unfortunately didn’t live up to many longtime fans' expectations. The reveal sparked comments regarding The Veilguard’s art style, with some calling it too “cartoony” and others comparing it to games like Overwatch.

The trailer doesn’t actually feature captured gameplay, though, with a watermark reading that it’s made up of “game engine footage.” This was further confirmed by one of the developers himself, whosaysthat it’s only “a trailer” and reassures fans that they’ll “see the game soon.” Select players who got to experience The Veilguard in action this past weekend say as much, too - revealing that people shouldn’t be so quick to judge whether or not the new Dragon Age lives up to the series' gritty dark fantasy reputation.

“As someone who has played some of The Veilguard already, the enemies and locations are beyond anything we’ve seen before,” one early playerexplains, saying that she was left “very impressed” by her time in-game. She continues, detailing how fans “won’t be disappointed” as “the horror and gore is back” in the soon-to-release Dragon Age, which “has a much more sinister tone” than BioWare’s first trailer lets on. “You’ll be ass deep in demons and begging Andraste for mercy!”

Another content creatorechoesa similar sentiment: “I forgot about the art differences not even an hour into playing. It works, in practice.” The Veilguard’s trailer apparently “doesn’t do it justice” as yes, “there’s still messy dark shit - it’s Dragon Age, after all.” Upon actually playing the game, she notes that the difference in aesthetic “really didn’t matter anymore cause it all worked cohesively in a good way.” Other players who were able to hop into the upcoming RPGclaimthe same - that The Veilguard “very much felt like Dragon Age.”

Overall, it largely seems like those playing early don’t think hardened Dragon Age stans have any reason to worry about BioWare’s finished project. Asnotedby one, “It’s a little different, but it’s also dark and beautiful and I genuinely loved it.” It may even end up being “the most beautiful Dragon Age game” yet from the iconic developer - although the public will have to wait and see whenThe Veilguard launches this fallto be certain.

As Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s bold new tone gets bashed by fans, the RPG’s original co-creator explains trailers are always mismatched, “so that doesn’t mean much”

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she’s not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she’s probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she’s spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you’ll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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