David Gaider, creator of Dragon Age and lead writer on the series’ previous installments, has praised BioWare’s reveal of new game Dragon Age: The Veilguard – the first title in the series he will not have had a hand in.
Gaider left BioWare in 2016, two years after the launch of Dragon Age: Inquisition, after early work on the ill-fated Anthem. Now, the brains behind Dragon Age’s world of Thedas has shared his own thoughts on this week’s look at what’s next for the franchise he founded.
“I’ve been pretty busy, but I finally got a chance to sit down and watch the gameplay reveal,” Gaider wrote in a long thread on social media platform X. “Overall, I’d say this made for a better introduction than the reveal trailer.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard | Official Reveal Trailer – Xbox Games Showcase 2024 Watch on YouTube
“We see some story, and tone-wise it feels a lot darker and more Dragon Age. Like I said, trailers often need to be taken with a grain of salt, and my impression is that many fans are relieved. Which is great.”
Gaider had particular praise for The Veilguard’s atmospheric-looking opening location, the dark and magic-infused city of Minrathous.
“The environments look amazing, full stop,” he wrote. “To see the sprawl of Minrathous – wow. I wish we could have done this for Kirkwall or even Val Royeaux. Utterly gorgeous, sells the breadth and tone, such great work.”
The Veilguard’s character design has been a talking point among series fans since BioWare’s initial cinematic trailer last week. On this, Gaider said it would “take some getting used to, but the Dragon Age art style has changed every game so that’s nothing new.