I just finished up my (lengthy) playthrough of my review copy of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the long-gestating return to the series by BioWare, as they simultaneously work on a return to Mass Effect as well after the great Anthem detour.
I cannot say anything at all about my time with the game yet, but I can tell you when I will be talking about my time with the game. The review embargo is Monday, October 28 at 8 AM PT/11 AM ET.
That’s three days before Dragon Age: The Veilguard releases on October 31, Halloween, so no “day of” review drop that players are often scared of. I will also say that BioWare gave us a lot of time to review the game, two weeks, which as a reviewer who has had to jam dozens of hours of playtime into just a few days in the past, this is a welcome change.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a hugely important game for BioWare after the very public failure of Anthem (which I would love to see resurrected someday, as it had a ton of potential) and the somewhat underwhelming Mass Effect Andromeda which left the original galaxy behind. The Veilguard has undergone a name change once already, has a significantly different art style and will arrive ten full years after Dragon Age: Inquisition. Devoted fans of the series hope it’s a solid resurrection of the series. I can’t say anything! Check back Monday!
As for the next Mass Effect game, development may accelerate on that now if Veilguard team members can move on to work on that with the existing team. The Veilguard is of course not some live-service spin on the series, nor is it even getting story DLC, so once it’s out, it’s out. We do not have any real idea when Mass Effect 4 (5?), which doesn’t have a real name yet, will arrive. A report in 2023 said it may not get here until 2029, but I find that somewhat hard to believe even in this age of sprawling dev times. Hopefully it’s more like 2027 or 2028 but again, we have close to no information past a few teasers that confirm it will return to the “OG” Mass Effect galaxy and feature old characters. Though prrrobably not Shepard, given the events of ME3.
As for Dragon Age, I am looking forward to the ensuing discussion that will begin on Monday, as there is plenty to say about a game a decade in the making. See you then.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
