BioWare's Mark Darrah thinks Veilguard is the first Dragon Age where "the combat's actually fun"

rockpapershotgun.com:

Former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah left BioWare in 2020, commenting that "I know that Dragon Age won't just survive without me, it will thrive". We'll never quite learn the truth of that claim, for Darrah has now rejoined BioWare to work as a consultant on the recently revealed Dragon Age: The Veilguard. He reckons it's thriving. Specifically, he thinks this is the most enjoyable Dragon Age's combat has ever been. Shhh, nobody tell the Inquisition.

"What I see in Veilguard is a game that finally bridges the gap," Darrah told internet-based magazine Game Informer in a new preview that digs a bit deeper into the game's newly tactical management-lite fisticuffs. "Uncharitably, previous Dragon Age games got to the realm of 'combat wasn't too bad.' In this game, the combat's actually fun, but it does keep that thread that's always been there. You have the focus on Rook, on your character, but still have that control and character coming into the combat experience from the other people in your party."

The piece also includes some commentary from game director Corinne Busche, who notes that Dragon Age's combat has long been in a state of flux, and justifies the shift towards real-time as making It Feel As Though You're Actually There. "Every single entry reimagines what combat is like and I would say our goal was to make sure we had a system that allowed players to feel like they actually were able to step into the world of Thedas," Busche told the site. "They're not a player observing from afar - they are inside of this world. Being this authentic world that's brought to life, the combat system needs to support that, so you are in control of every single action, every block, every dodge, every swing of your sword."

I'm always a bit grumpy about arguments that real-time combat is more immersive, authentic, or what-have-you than, say, turn-based. Dragon Age is a game in which I float in the air outside my character's body while they shoot purple