Games We’re Playing: Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D, DA Veilguard, and More

You can dive into The Veilguard on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, with your mission, at least for the moment, being the ambitious feat of taking down a god or two.

Initially, it took me a long while to get truly invested in The Veilguard. For over a dozen hours, the game felt overly generic, much like a theme park ride with its meticulously crafted environments full of treasure troves waiting to be discovered. Every few seconds, you’d stumble upon a coin stash or valuable resources, delivering a constant stream of dopamine rewards. This issue is compounded by its all-too-familiar structure, reminiscent of a “Mass Effect 2” scenario but with a fantasy twist. Its rigidity can sometimes strip away the life from it. However, some character concepts piqued my interest enough to keep me engaged, even if it did take some time for their depth to fully unfold. Take Neve, for instance, a fascinating character who doubles as a fantasy private investigator and political rebel. She masterfully wields ice magic and sports a dwarven prosthetic in place of her lower-right leg—a character blend that’s undeniably cool!

As I’ve logged many more hours into the game, the characters have grown on me, and I’ve started to care not just about their initial appeal but their journeys and the stakes they’re facing. A second-act siege sequence I played was quite engaging and reminded me of the serious threat posed by the escaped elven gods. While it might seem contrived that every party member conveniently has a personal dilemma requiring attention before focusing on world-threatening events, this trope echoes Mass Effect 2. Its explicitness can feel a bit manufactured. However, if this framework means I get to delve deeper into characters like Neve, I’m all in. You’ve won me over, game. You’ve won me over. — Carolyn Petit