Single-player or multiplayer: Single-player | Free to play: not

Dragon Age: The Veilguard wasted no time in displaying the full glory of its graphical prowess and epic storytelling. Once you’ve spent a few hours in the (excellent) character creator, it’s only a matter of minutes until you’re fighting to stop the end of the world. Solas, the strange villain of the previous game, tries to destroy the border between the spirit and the human world. And in the process, his magical ceremony fills the screen with a glorious array of neon lights, colors and shadows. If you have a modern GPU, you’re in for an exercise in ray tracing.

I’m a gamer of simple pleasures, and I’ll admit, the bombastic opening sequence alone was enough to make me fall Dragon Age: The Veilguard. What kept me playing, however, was BioWare’s classic formula of interesting characters and sharp storytelling. I’m sorry for the many wrong steps Mass Effect Andromeda, Veilguards The ragtag crew of heroes makes it clear that BioWare still has a narrative.

But, the real surprise is that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is also a decent action RPG, with fast-paced and challenging combat that feels more reminiscent of the recent God of War game than anything from Dragon Age proper. There’s a rich skill tree to follow, and you can always re-spec without penalty.

For a game that takes a hundred hours to actually finish, Veilguard still manages to feel fresh and exciting every time I sit down to play. Honestly, I don’t care if it doesn’t hit like the previous entries, or if it doesn’t give you more results options like Baldur’s Gate 3. Sometimes it just feels good to get together with your fantasy buds and crack some demon skulls. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Reporter