BioWare has confirmed two key features from previous Dragon Age games have been removed in Dragon Age: The Veil Guard.
In the latest interview with Edge Magazine (transcribed by user Felassan on Tumblr), The veil keeper‘s director Corinne Busche and creative director John Epler discussed the game’s combat system and how it sets it apart from Dragon Age previous entries and how they fit into the overall world of Thedas that you can explore.
“Responsiveness was our number one goal with this base layer of the combat system,” Busche said. “We really wanted you to feel like you were existing in this space, going through these really constructed, hand-touched worlds. That you were on the ground in control of every move, every block, every dodge.”
Here, the developers revealed that for the upcoming game, the team has decided to remove the tactical camera, a feature that previously allowed the player to pause the game during a battle and make decisions for their team.
“We actually had a mandate on Inquisitionwhich was, ‘Don’t fight inside,’ Epler explained. “The amount of extra work to make that tactical camera work in a lot of those internal environments was very challenging.”
BioWare executives also confirmed that players will not be able to control their companions this time around.
“In terms of the experience, we wanted you to feel like you were Rook – you’re in this world, you’re really focused on your actions,” Busche said. “We really wanted the companions to feel like they were fully realized characters, in control of their their own actions. They make their own decisions. You, as the leader of this crew, can influence them, direct them, and command them, but they are their own people.”
Busche continued, saying that it’s understandable why the inability to control your companions feels like something has been taken away, but explained that, “in our testing and validation with players, what we’re finding is that they’re more engaged than ever.”
The director added that The veil keeper is a game with “many more actions per minute” and “technically more demanding for the player”. When the team tried to also offer the ability to control companions, they found that this “didn’t really add to the experience”.
“In fact, in a way it was actually detrimental, given the demanding nature of controlling your character,” Busche said.
Dragon Age: The Veil Guard doesn’t have a release date yet, but BioWare has confirmed it will share it this month along with a roadmap. However, we can expect the game to launch in “Fall 2024” for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.
