Summary

  • Dragon Age is getting rid of blood magic to be more heroic, but that takes away player choice
  • In a turly deep RPG, paths of good and bad are balanced, allowing a player to explore widely
  • The Veilguard needs to keep some of Dragon Age's edge in order to be great

The term 'RPG' has been diluted in recent years. Some take it to mean games with gear slots, skill trees, and upgrades you can pull and push in different directions, and that makes some sort of sense. After all, RPGs have always had that extra layer of depth to separate them from more linear action games. As such, when those linear action games embraced this extra layer, the question was asked 'is God of War an RPG?'. But just as we saw action games drift into the RPG space, it feels as though we're seeing some RPGs drift out.

My answer to what makes an RPG generally lies in the letters themselves. It is a roleplaying game and thus there must be a role for you to play. You don't make choices as Kratos, and so I don't consider the skill tree enough of a factor to make it an RPG. Even for games with a little more open choice, like Horizon, I’m iffy on fully accepting the term. A character creator with multiple options for origins is a classic RPG trope, but not needed - I'm not sure I could explain why, but I have less difficulty accepting Zelda as an RPG. However, what I do know for sure is that Dragon Age is an RPG. So why is it leaning away from roleplaying?

Blood Magic Is A Core Part Of Dragon Age's World

Dragon Age has always been a very core roleplaying game. Heavily influenced by BioWare's history with CRPGs adapted from tabletop games, making choices is a major part of your Dragon Age journey. There are multiple endings, different factions to side with, and the choices you make have a notable impact on the world and your place in it. The first game put so much emphasis on origins that it was named after the very idea, and while that angle has faded, your race and class have remained constant factors, while The Veilguard is set to make backstory a big part of your journey once more. Yet the edges of roleplaying have been trimmed off.

Blood magic has always been present in Dragon Age, and is treated with disdain and suspicion. Though one's own blood can be used for the practice, blood magic is feared because it often uses someone else's blood, such as that of a prisoner or enemy. Part of the reason the Dalish Elves are feared is the rumour they kidnap children to steal their blood, though it's pretty clear through playing that this is a racist lie built on Thedas' hatred for elves.

However, despite its controversy in the world, the series has previously allowed you to be a blood mage, and has spells that heal as well as damage. Some in Thedas even consider it to be the only pure magic, as demons, fates, and the Fade are not factors. Though banned in Tevinter, the magical region we head to in The Veilguard, it is well known the magisters there train in the art and use it when needed.

But now, blood magic is being taken away. Not only is it not available in The Veilguard but lead writer Trick Weekes says "Blood magic is unlikely" to ever return because of the ethical murkiness of using the blood of others as "it's just not a road we want the hero to walk right now". It's true that this outlawed, extremely dangerous practice is not exactly Lawful Good behaviour, but that's roleplay. You can be good and bad at once. We have a character nicknamed 'the Mage Killer' in this one, is that what heroes do? Or will he leave his mage killing behind once the game starts to save us from tough choices or complex character development in our roleplaying game?

Should Dragon Age Let Us Be Evil?

Baldur's Gate 3 is an interesting case study for this. On the one hand, it allows you to play as The Dark Urge and be compelled into acts of evil and depravity, as well as giving you a legitimate strategy of teaming up with the vile bosses who stand in your way, and allowing total control over your actions up to and including slaying innocent villagers for personal benefit. But on the other, it severely neutered the Minthara recruitment path to change her from a character who would only ally with you if you embraced this selfish bloodshed so that nobody felt left out.

A lot of the noises coming out of BioWare seem inspired by the latter part of that comparison. There are positives to this approach - a diverse cast aided by a Rook who has no set appearance but has been shown off in marketing as a variety of ethnicities, both in the fantasy sense and the real, human sense. But it also raises concerns - do claims of the "most romantic Dragon Age ever" spell a fanfictionification of the series? Has the recruitment of superfans in the Dragon Age Council led to edges being sanded off, characters being unduly insulated from harm, an ease and streamlining of combat that strips the series of its roots, and a general attempt to appeal to memes and fanart over substance?

Dragon Age has always been a series that has asked hard questions and placed you in difficult positions. Slavery, ethnic cleansing, racism, religious war, drug addiction, and domestic terrorism are various themes the previous three entries have tackled with depth. Not set-dressing for a fantasy world gone astray, not passing references in lore entries to give the game some edge, but substantive issues that you as a player need to have an opinion on. Drifting along the path of least resistance to get to the main story is not an option - this is the main story. It's an RPG, and you have an R to P.

Taking away blood magic lessens that. Sure, it always offered a contrast to the morals of some of your companions, and might not be a road the BioWare team wants most heroes to walk down. But that's where the roleplaying comes in. There's complexity. The answer is to have the world be more responsive to this contrast, not to remove it entirely. I want to go to bat for Dragon Age, but the further it seems to drift from its roots, the harder that is to do. I hope The Veilguard proves me wrong.

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Dragon Age: The Veilguard

RPG Systems 4.0/5 67 5.8/10 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 Engine Frostbite
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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. 

Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X Powered by Expand Collapse