I’m gonna play that new Dragon Age buuuuuut…
I just think Dragon Age has become something I’m not super into anymore. I’m a Dragon Age: Origins sicko. It came out when I was 15 and lemme tell ya, 15 is just the right age to be taken in by its dark fantasy, blood and sex shtick. I have distinct, fond memories of sitting on my bed to face the little tv in my room while I played. I was in the honeymoon phase of what would turn into a very tumultuous relationship, and would text my girlfriend about what had happened, what the romances were like. I chose Leliana the first time. I remember telling my ex Leliana reminded me of her, but not why this would’ve been true anymore. I adored it, I ate the story and world up, I grew fond of (most of) the companions. I played through every origin, just to see it all. I’ve replayed it maybe 5 or 6 times? It’s just a game I love, and it hit at a time in my life that fills it with even more fondness and nostalgia in remembering it.
And sorry to be that hipster, but nothing about the greater dragon age franchise has hit in that same way since. From 2 on, you can tell they kept feeling the need to shake things up: the cel shaded art style, the increasingly, I don’t know, comic book esque stylized fashion designs, all sharp, straight lines. Everyone’s wearing triangles in Dragon Age now. Look for it, you’ll see it. And I’m not like massive haters, I get why a certain brand of sickos like DA2, and I broadly do too. I liked DA:I at the time, but also have never revisited it in the 10 years since, and probably never will.
I can see why they wanted to do more than the rather bland designs of DA:O, but the effect is that the world has come more and more to resemble something like fantasy as imagined in D&D 4 or 5e, something heroic and ornate rather than grim and muted. They could’ve developed a more exciting art style while still keeping it lowish fantasy, yknow?
I’ve been watching previews of Veilguard and it’s just full on magepunk now. It’s Eberron out there. Everything is baroque and over designed and shifty and glowy. Which can be neat, but isn’t what I want from Dragon Age!
Likewise, the combat has been cranked up to ultimate flashiness, to yknow, not be boring, and it just feels so comic book heroic fantasy to me now. I saw a rogue ability where they turn into a giant green tornado. The warrior can Captain America their shield around. It’s just so idk, whatever bland mainstream D&D fantasy is now. It’s the intersection of comic books, Critical Role, Dragon Prince, I don’t know what else, but that vibe yknow? It’s not dark fantasy and not for me. It touches on why Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t hit for me like old Baldur’s Gate either, but more, and the trend continues to bum me out.
It’s odd too, because their original influences did come to popularity in the decade since DA:O. We live in a world with multiple huge Game of Thrones and Witcher products. From Soft games are massive now. That low fantasy vein is out there right now in pop culture. Final Fantasy 16 even cribbed from it, and I would’ve been happier if they’d gone for the magepunk grandiosity instead! Swap back with Dragon Age!
I’ll reserve judgment on the other things, people getting pretty bad corny MCU vibes from the promotional materials. It’s hard not to feel like that’s going hand in hand with the heroic fantasy creep though. I’ve seen people assert these are just bad, unrepresentative trailers and, maybe. There’s no real reason to believe that as yet though. I even dare say that might be wishful thinking. Either way, the story and characters might be well done, and I’ll probably enjoy it a fair bit like I did DA2 and DA:I. But it seems like the ship really sailed 15 years ago on it ever being the dragon age for me again. C’est la vie.