Schmooples' Den! The DA News Discussion Thread

But it's not about the game lacking in dark elements or stories, consequences... none of that. DA has always had plenty of humor, goofiness, and kept a good balance, I feel like (I mean, I wouldn't wanna play a game that's just freaking depressing all the time, either). And Veilguard has a good balance also. It is the type of lightness, of tone, that has a certain kiddy like Marvel/Disney or even The Sims vibe or quality to it. It's hard to describe, and it is uncharacteristic of previous BioWare games. With the exception of Mass Effect Andromeda (and the Citadel DLC, to a lesser extent, it's more akin to those games, and I had the same criticism about them, too). MEA wasn't without dark stuff, either - you begin the game with your dad dying. But the tone felt off, stupid, juvenile, unsophisticated... I was like, are these squadmates complete morons? It's one thing for the game to have a younger, less experienced protagonist and team, but not an entire crew of adults with arrested development. That's just sad. 

Really at the root of it all, I think is the (massive!) success of the Citadel DLC and of the ME3 Multiplayer, that may have contributed or even dictated how they made games moving forward, with flops like Anthem (+ the whole multiplayer / live service thing) and MEA to prove it. From their mouths: "we're doing more of the shooting bottles with Garrus moments that players love" - and then Inquisition had those, MEA, and Veilguard especially is chock full with that kind of stuff. They've been repeating some formulas and checking some boxes, I feel like, that they didn't necessarily have to do, and it's hurting the whole like, art of it. IMHO, anyways.

Again, loving the game. But sorry, there *has* been a shift in tone from previous entries, you'd have to be blind not to see it. Add the *deliberate* shift in art style to it (wish I were blind to not have seen it), and the writing is all over the goddamn wall. It's pointing in a direction that I don't know I particularly care for, as a fan of the franchise. 🤷‍♀️

Again, loving the game. But sorry, there *has* been a shift in tone from previous entries, you'd have to be blind not to see it.

I doubt Bioware is breaking a feature of the series. The Hero can't swim! 

I still don't see the Disney humor that people keep talking about.

I see disney in Bellara (she is like Tinker Bell),