Summary
Dragon Age: Inquisitionis definitely one of the more interesting titles in the series when you look at how opinion on the title has changed over the years. Shortly after release, it won the first ever Game of the Year award at The Game Awards (its competition wasn’t all that great), but as the title has aged and other developers have started building on the open world formula,its flaws are much more apparent.
One of the big criticisms surrounding Dragon Age: Inquisition is its repetitive open world, something that wasn’t helped by the sheer size of areas like The Hinterlands, a place that is infamous among the community for being a real playthrough killer. You’ll often find other players recommending thatyou get out of The Hinterlands as soon as possible, especially since it can pull you back in with hours of lackluster side content.
Thankfully, the folks behindDragon Age: The Veilguardknow all too well how much of a problem The Hinterlands were for players. Creative director John Epler has assured fans in a recent interview with Edge Magazine (thanksGamesRadar) that “pacing is important to us,” and that BioWare wants to make the story of The Veilguard “front and center” at all times, referencing The Hinterlands specifically as something they’ve tried to avoid.
“One of the things we ran into on that project was an absentee antagonist,” says Epler. “Corypheus showed up and then disappeared. You spent ten hours in the Hinterlands doing side quests, and there wasn’t that sense of urgency.”
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Will Still Include Exploration And Side Quests
Of course, none of this means that Dragon Age: The Veilguard will be a strictly linear affair with no opportunities to head off the beaten track.We know that the game won’t be open world like Dragon: Age Inquisition was, but Epler explains that there will still be plenty of chances to explore in the wider areas and complete side quests. It’s just that there will be an ever-present story “propelling you and the action forward” this time.
It sounds pretty promising, and we thankfully don’t have to wait too long until we see for ourselves what the game’s side quests will shape out like. A release date is dropping at some point during this month, andrumors from insidersanda leaked date from an artbooksuggest Dragon Age: The Veilguard will launch at some point in late October. You could squeeze a Dragon Age: Inquisition playthrough in before then, but just ensure to leave The Hinterlands as soon as possible.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
WHERE TO PLAY
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the long-awaited fourth game in the fantasy RPG series from BioWare formerly known as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. A direct sequel to Inquisition, it focuses on red lyrium and Solas, the aforementioned Dread Wolf.
