Ron

I agree with you on all your points. I played dragonage origins in 2009, i even liked dragonage 2 a lot, and i really enjoyed inquisition, but veilguard is an objectively bad dragonage game.

I appreciate OP may be reviewing it as a fully standalone game, but i feel any perfect score simply ignores the core tone of previous DA games. Gone is the darkness, the grit, the unsettling disgust I feel with the demons. Character nuance is muted. Magic used to be much more earthy and often gruesome, now it's too arcane and showy.

Veilguard is less grimdark and more Michael Bay. "Splosions! Pretty colors! Quick Quips!!" Like, sir, people are dying gruesome deaths.

As a dragonage game, this is a 5/10.

As a modern rpg... 7.5/10. I really like action combat, and felt it was the strongest aspect of this game.