It's no secret that Dragon Age: The Veilguard looks a bit different than the series' past entries, from the companions to enemies like the Darkspawn - but BioWare says there's a reason for some of these aesthetic changes.
The new Dragon Age game features a bold new tone - one that has sparked controversy since the RPG's reveal trailer debuted two months ago. Fans have called the art style "cartoony," criticizing BioWare for moving too far away from the reputation as a dark fantasy series that Dragon Age holds. One element affected by The Veilguard's changed visuals came under fire for being too different more than others did, though - the Darkspawn.
Speaking in a recent deep dive into gameplay with IGN, BioWare explains why Darkspawn look that way in The Veilguard. "You may notice something about the Darkspawn, too. They look a little bit different than they have previously and a part of that is because Ghilan'nain, who has always been focused on using the Blight as essentially a crafting material, a way to alter life itself, has been enhancing and changing the Darkspawn as part of her army."
Director Corinne Busche confirms the same later on in the video: "[The Darkspawn] look a little bit different than before and that's very intentional. Ghilan'nain, the god of monsters - she uses Blight like a medium to sculpt and warp the Darkspawn to do her bidding, to suit her purposes." Despite this official explanation from BioWare, not all fans are convinced. One comment expressing as much says the "Darkspawn look comical."
A separate thread on Reddit regarding the gameplay reveal highlights similar thoughts. "Still not a fan of the Darkspawn redesign," reads one. Another implies that the reason developers felt the need to explain the new look is because of the controversy surrounding it: "It's funny how they mentioned Darkspawn design three times during this showcase, it's like they know people don't like it and they need to explain it."
I'm not all that thrilled about the shift in aesthetic myself, but I'm also not upset about it either - after all, The Veilguard is a brand-new game deserving of its own identity. An entire decade has passed since the series' previous entry, Inquisition, as well - I wouldn't expect a game in 2024 to look the same as its 2014 predecessor, or the 2011 and 2009 entries that started it all. With all of the quality-of-life features coming, there's a lot more to be excited about than to dread, anyway.
