After Dragon Age: The Veilguard's mixed response, BioWare has a decision to make regarding the future of the Dragon Age franchise. It's time to consider if it would be wise to try and make another open-world game in the same vein as Dragon Age: Inquisition or if a more focused approach similar to the previous Dragon Age games is the right call.
Regardless of what BioWare chooses, it's clear the next Dragon Age game needs to learn from the mistakes of Veilguard and Inquisition, cater to the original fans first before trying to rope in a fresh audience, and, most importantly, pick a lane and stick to it.
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The Case For An Open-World Dragon Age 5
The Dragon Age series has long been overdue for a proper open-world game that does the franchise's lore justice. Games like Skyrim and Oblivion prove that fans of high fantasy love to explore a rich, open world filled with things to do and stuff to find. And while Dragon Age did try its hand at semi-open-world with Inquisition, it was a half-hearted attempt, if that. It felt like the game was meant to be a test run to watch and see if Dragon Age fans would want an open-world game, but one that wasn't executed properly. From its lukewarm response, BioWare made open-world the culprit and called it a day. The lack of love surrounding Inquisition isn't because the open-world formula doesn't work with Dragon Age; it's because BioWare didn't do it right.
Exploring Thedas in All its Glory Would be a Dream
A Dragon Age game in an honest-to-goodness open-world like Skyrim’s, with caves and cities and NPCs roaming all about, would be a major feat. Riding a horse to roam the world would be a treat, one that wouldn't feel the same if the game were linear or semi-open-world. It's the promise of "See that mountain? You can climb it" that's really the reason why open-world games are so successful. Anything short of that would just result in disappointment and feeling cheated.
An Open-World Dragon Age Could Expand Lore in a Unique Way
For the story, Dragon Age lore offers abundant options. The game could take place at the end of the Ancient Era, right at the moment when humans first arrived at Thedas. Exploring a world that's not only unfamiliar to the player but to the characters as well would work wonders. The story could steal a page from Dragon Age 2's book and go for a story spanning multiple years, giving players a chance to see with their own eyes how Thedas changes and cities take shape. If BioWare is feeling especially experimental, it could even introduce survival mechanics like hunger and thirst to slow down the game's pace and make it more immersive, but that's unlikely.
The Case For a Linear Dragon Age 5
Open-world games are great, but not every game needs to be cut from the exact same cloth and follow the same cookie-cutter formula to succeed. There are plenty of linear, story-heavy games that railroad the player along a set path and still manage to deliver an unforgettable experience, God of War and The Last of Us being prime examples.
Linear Level Design was Not Dragon Age: The Veilguard's Issue
Dragon Age: The Veilguard's rough reception and bad optics have very little to do with it not being open-world and everything to do with players not liking how the Veilguard characters were written. While it is true that Dragon Age: The Veilguard was expected to follow the Inquisition's open-world format, it didn't end up mattering all that much in the long run. In fact, the level design and atmosphere were one of the strongest points in Dragon Age: The Veilguard's favor, proving that, if done right, linear world design is something Dragon Age fans can appreciate.
Open-Worlds Can Easily Feel Empty and Lifeless
Dragon Age: Inquisition, BioWare's previous attempt at an open-world game, received quite a few complaints from fans for being a little bit too MMO-like, but without the other players. While the world didn't necessarily feel empty in Inquisition, there was very little to do in it other than kill some monsters and spam the ping button hunting for ore. In comparison, Inquisition's hub area felt much more interesting, and if the entire game was structured like that, it might've been an improvement.
A Linear Dragon Age Would Have an Easier Time Making Lore Impactful
Linear games have the benefit of being tailored experiences, almost film-like in their delivery, with lore pieces hitting harder than they typically do in open-world games. Despite the controversy surrounding Veilguard, if it did one thing right, it was expanding upon the existing Dragon Age lore. The sheer amount of answers about the history of Thedas, the elves, Solas, and how everything connects together was enough to satiate even the most avid Dragon Age fan. The fact that most of this went overlooked because of Veilguard’s other issues is beside the point. If Dragon Age 5 wants to continue the focus on lore and exposition, treating the game almost like an interactive movie, a linear world design would serve it better than an open-world one.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 71%
- Released
- October 31, 2024
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Frostbite
- Genre(s)
- RPG
