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garf-lover96 · 4 days ago

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if i'm posting this then that means i finished playing The Veilguard!! i don't have as much experience with the Dragon Age series as a long time fan would (i started with Inquisition earlier this year, go easy on me if i get anything wrong) but i wanted to write a review of my own anyway, because i've been yapping about it to everyone around me (i'm pretty sure they're all sick of me by now)

first of all, i went into the game with practically 0 spoilers about the main story and the companion quests. the only thing i knew for sure was that everyone on the internet seemed to absolutely LOATHE this game, which honestly saved me from the disappointment i would've felt if i'd assumed that it'd be any comparable to Inquisition... well, now i know that it's definitely not

★★★

1. gameplay

getting the obvious point out of the way, it was pretty jarring to me to transition from the more tactical style of the previous game to just spamming my console pad buttons like i'm used to doing in Genshin Impact for instance (not that i was any good at playing the Inquisition, i never figured out how to build my characters and i probably never will...). i can't say anything about the general difficulty of the enemies because i immediately picked the easiest mode, out of fear of perpetually getting my ass kicked (again). it was quite fun though!! i felt a little silly for enjoying it more because it was kind of dumbed down but what can i say.. i guess i'm just the spamming buttons kind of guy after all. also i think the companions warning you about the enemies around is pretty cool!! they've saved my ass from getting nuked a lot of times already

that being said, i'm definitely picking a harder mode for my next playthrough (yes, i'm already getting ready for it. i think i got brainwashed)

2. main story/writing

again, definitely dumbed down in comparison to Inquisition, but at least i didn't have any trouble keeping up with the lore... i do however have a bone to pick with whoever was in charge of writing the dialogues in this game. anyone who saw at least one clip knows what i'm talking about but i got disappointed with the banter especially. a lot of the back-and-forth's left me feeling like i was waiting for a punchline that just never showed up?? and some of my Rook's 'jokes' not landing lowkey made me feel like i'm at a family dinner, but i suppose that's my own problem

FURTHERMORE i felt almost insulted at those little 'explanation' texts that sometimes popped up during quests to allude to what happened earlier. it must be that whoever wrote them thought that the players are brain dead and don't understand that the actions they take have consequences?? or was it a way to brag and basically say 'ooooh look we thought of that! you made a decision and that's why this character is acting that way! DO YOU GET IT?'. i mean for instance, when Lucanis told my Rook that he made cioccolata calda for him, i didn't need any help understanding that it's because he previously mentioned that he likes it. I'M PLAYING THIS GAME, I KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING IN IT!! but they felt the need to point it out anyway, for some reason? might be a nitpick but i seriously don't get why they felt the need to implement that

back to the story, what's most noticeable to me now that the choices just weren't painful enough, throughout the whole game. i've found myself bracing for having to hear about the consequences of my actions but they were surprisingly tame most of the time? yes, Neve was pissed at me for a little while after i saved Treviso but after advancing the story a bit we were besties again. i could also stand the companions being at least a little mad at me for flirting them up before leaving them for someone else, but i might've just been spoiled by BG3 in that aspect (Wyll's miserable expression after picking Astarion over him will forever live in my memory). i feel like making me live through a bunch of great losses in the finale was a last ditch effort to give me that 'see, your actions have consequences after all!' (it wasn't all that bad for me anyway, i only lost Harding because she sacrificed herself). but that Varric plot twist?.... i need to hunt down whoever even came up with that. it was such a cheap shot and i know it but i sobbed anyway, obviously

and anyway, the finale felt so underwhelming for me, i was seriously hoping to at least get a proper afterword and instead i just got the credits...

to alleviate some of the negativity, my favorite part of the main quest was the Weisshaupt part. really enjoyed punching the First Warden and the action was very dynamic, i was giggling joyfully

3. companions/characters

alright, i feel like this is going to be the longest point... to be honest, i wasn't expecting to get as attached to my team as i did after a while of interacting with them (excluding Lucanis because i've had an eye on him for quite a while before buying the game). there's no better way to say this though, i kind of felt like i had to gentle parent each and every one of my team members. but then, even if i didn't coddle them, i don't think i ever got a 'blank disapproves' message from them (aside from when i punched the First Warden, i think i saw Emmrich disapprove). is it even possible for the companions to not love you? it really put me off and made me lose a great portion of the immersion

commenting on Lucanis first because i'm really pissed about what's been done with him. SO UNDERWHELMING🫩🫩..... PLEASE tell me that at least the other romances aren't as much of a nothingburger as his was. i am immensely disappointed. and the final romance scene getting triggered after we just lost 3 people? tasteless. i really liked him as a character but it's like the romance wasn't even there. you're kidding me. him being possessed was such a cool concept for me but again, it was so underutilized that it started getting painful. i think i will stick to fanon Lucanis, thank you... at least his personal quest was quite interesting and Illario's betrayal did catch me off guard. i loved Spite as well and i hate that i didn't get to talk with him more!! those first possession instances were some of my favorite character moments in the game! (and i hope whoever got the idea to get rid of the smooching mechanic will burn in hell)

Emmrich on the other hand... i was seriously tempted to romance him instead and i'm still planning to do that soon. he was so charming and kind and i really loved those hand movements he did while corpse whispering. his quest was fun and i LOVED Manfred, i got a little emotional at the end when Emmrich kept saying how proud of him he is. my only qualm is that, again, the final decision didn't feel serious enough? he's been talking about becoming a lich being his biggest dream but when it came to convincing him to not do that, he just shrugged and went along with my suggestion to not go through with it, no question. it was such an easy choice for me as well, obviously i wouldn't want to lose Manfred forever?? anyway, really fun guy, i need him bad

Bellara my sweetest girl my best friend. i enjoyed her companion quest and her overall energy very much. the brother thing managed to made me a little emotional as well, especially when she first opened up about it. i flirted with her for a bit as well and she was so perfectly awkward in that time we got before i settled for Lucanis. i don't have much reason to complain about her! definitely in my top 3!

now for Taash... listen, i thought i wouldn't like them a whole lot when i first met them but they really grow on you. i didn't hate the mixed heritage thing nor the non-binary thing, although... actually using the word 'non-binary' sure was a choice. it wasn't the fact that they told me they want to start using different pronouns that broke the immersion for me, it was them using the real world terminology for the experience. i think it would've been fine if they left it at just 'neither'! i certainly don't remember Dorian telling me that he's 'gay' or 'homosexual' in Inquisition, but i still got the point when he said that he prefers the company of men. i don't know if it was the fact that queerness got more acceptable over those 10 years that made them want to mention the actual label, but fantasy settings using those is kind of my pet peeve. the non-binary name drop aside, i actually enjoyed Taash's coming out scene a lot. it was tense and awkward which felt realistic for someone with a traditional parent (as well as those jabs she made about Taash acting like a man because i've heard that sentiment myself before lol). the mother's death scene was pretty tough too, though i find it funny that every homophobic parent in Dragon Age that i'm aware of gets murdered at some point. now that sends a message. to finish off, i will just pretend that the Isabela scene at the bar didn't happen at all. so tacky and just plain annoying..... i know i would've been pissed if someone started doing fucking push ups after accidentally misgendering me

DAVRIN AND ASSAN😊😊😊😊 i know i wasn't all that fond of Davrin at the start because my Rook's joke went over his head (i hold grudges for that sort of thing sorry) but he grew on me just like Taash did. i admit i used to put off his quests because wardens just aren't that interesting to me...? that's probably a hot take and i might get stoned for it though. but once the Gloom Howler thing took off a bit it was enjoyable enough to go through. and Assan..... my favorite boy... his relationship with Davrin was so cute and i loved how Davrin warmed up to him over time. the way he kept saying that he's worried about dying because then Assan would be left alone😞 solid guy, we are friends

Neve and Harding i'll have to condense into one paragraph because i fear we didn't bond as well as i did with the others. i know that for Neve it was because i didn't save Minrathous so our relations got pretty much stunted... i felt really bad for her every time she got beat up though (at the start and the finale because i had no idea the gods would kidnap her???). i honestly just feel like i failed her and i'll try to do better on my next playthrough... for Harding it was unfortunately because i didn't find her quest very engaging. i kept zoning out in the Deep Roads until i had no idea what was going on anymore. sorry Harding (i did like her in Inquisition though)

★★★

overall, i had low expectations for Veilguard and it didn't exactly manage to exceed them. it indeed is slop and i am a little sad that i put so much of my time and effort into it

i made this thing sit in my drafts for a while so i'm fairly sure i mentioned everything i wanted to. i probably won't be editing this but maybe i'll reblog it if i have something to add after all?? and if you're someone that has actually read all that then hiiiiii i'm looking for dragon age mutuals:3 and let's discuss in the comments also if you want, i need to talk about dragon age

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