Scout Harding as a companion , everyone pretty much assumed so after DAI but I’m happy to see it. I’ll hold any opinions I have until we see some gameplay
To be fair, Varric was able to stand out pretty well among other dwarves given him being like one of maybe 3 dwarves throughout the entire series that didn't have a full grown beard. Them giving him one immediately throws that distinction out the window and he just looks like another dwarf now
It's to remind him to not give up until defeating Solas. Like in anime, when a girl curs her hair to signify a new beginning or some shit. He grows a beard. Only when the story is done shall it be shaved. Also possibly plot critical.
Alistair can make an appearance in DA2 depending on your choices in Origins, and he looks even different-er there. He and Isabela even have a bit of dialog about how different they both look from the other game.
I really hope that was just a badly misjudged trailer, and the real tone is going to be more "epic fantasy" than "hero shooter quips".
edit: can't say I'm filled with confidence by how the replies seem evenly split between "of course they'd never do that, silly" and "they've always done that, silly".
I had an uncanny feeling when watching the trailer. Aside from the art style that looked too cartoony at times, I didn't get what I don't like. But yeah this looks like a Marvel movie. The Veilguar! (Avengers!) Assemble vibes all over.
Then I went back and watched the trailers for Origins. And holy shit.... All of them were better. Setting a tone, atmosphere, the ambience of Duncan's narration. Morrigan's "Great we're going to freeze to death while digging for the bones of a madwoman.".
But it might just have been a bad "meet the companions" trailer. Then I looked at BG3 trailers -> they didn't have this collectathon feeling.
I'm hoping this was just that, a meet the companions trailer. I mean it must be, because that's literally all it showed. An absolutely baffling choice as a game reveal trailer tbh. Dissapointing fans and failing to grab the attention of new people entirely. DAI's first trailers were SO good, set the tone and hype so well. The tone and overall narrative of DAV should be even more dour and serious than DAI, so this is just... really a CHOICE as the reveal.
Also I'm worried about how different everything in this trailer is from the previous Dreadwolf trailers. They weren't THAT long ago, surely it's not possible to have rebooted the whole look and tone since then? I might be overdosing on copium, but maybe this was a forced decision by a marketing exec to give it this tone? And even look? Thought it would draw in the Valorant and Marvel kids as the big reveal than a gritty, wordy trailer would? I just don't know how to feel. Waiting for the 11th more than ever now.
Mass Effect 2 still having the best game trailer is still mind boggling to me. And it was a collectathon! BioWare needs to go round up the people that did that and have them do Dave’s next trailer.
Mass Effect 1 also had good trailers. Despite the fact that Bioware was relatively low budget AA studio back then. In 2024 they have nearly unlimited AAA EA money.
And it was damn epic and attention grabbing.
This feels like a generic mobile hero collect-a-thon game trailer
DA2 was fricking awesome and attention grabbing as well.
DAI also felt less childish, despite doing the same thing (presenting companions)
> The Origins trailers were extremely edgy and grim dark.
Origins __was__ a __grim dark__ fantasy. And I loved it for it. Still get the chills when remembering how bone-chilling it was meeting the broodmother for the first time. With Hespith's narration, flesh-sacks all around...
And I can't forgive what they've done with demons in Inquisition. They went from beings with motivations and manifestations of feelings to trash mobs that a giant green anus spits out and you gotta grind.
Wouldn't call them "edgy" though.
The Origins trailers were Marilyn Manson tracks over early aughts gore rendering and scantily clad Morrigan clips; its edgy horny bait for teenage boys
Previous trailers (even the latest Thedas Calls) and Tevinter Nights keep my excitement going. That may be a hard cope but this looks to me like marketing people going wild.
This would also not be the first case of marketing department being disconnected from the actual game. Remember "When you press a button something awesome has to happen"?
*Tevinter Nights* was dark and spooky as hell, especially the stuff with >!Ghilan’nain!<. Considering how many characters are coming from TN (Lucanis, Neve, and I think Emmrich), and the fact that Patrick Weekes wrote a couple stories for the book and is head writer for DAV, I feel like it will have a huge impact on the plot and tone of the game. I feel like this was just a light hearted trailer to tease the companions, we’ll get much more info in the upcoming months.
I'm not quite as mad about the art style and tone as everyone else. One of the things I loved about Origins is that it was very funny. It basically has my favorite tone, which is funny people dealing with a serious, dark world.
So there being a somewhat comical vibe to the trailer doesn't necessarily bother me.
What *does* bother me is the fact that, this quippy, Marvel-style approach to the trailer didn't include any quips that made me actually laugh, or even smile. It has the tone of comedy without much actual humor.
I'm hoping. But that "action scene followed by a profile of the character with their name splashed into the background" ala Borderlands gives me a bad feeling.
Eh I’m treating this more of a companions trailer, which a lot of RPGs do. I’m waiting to see actual gameplay to see it in action before I fully judge the tone. Dragon Age cinematic trailers never really represented the actual game anyways
I think we're getting a gameplay showcase tomorrow. So if they're smart, they'll go and assuage our fears as soon as they can because yeeeeeeah we need to see gameplay and some interviews to clarify just ehat the fuck they're going for with this game. Because that trailer didn't do much to excite me.
It started with Aaron Sorkin's and Joss Whedon's characters all being quipster gods with witty retorts in every sentence way back in the early 2000's. The MCU wasn't the cause, but a symptom.
It actually started with Robert Downey Jr's adlibs in Iron Man. Fans loved it and Disney said, "lets fill ever scene with a TON of these kinds of quips!!!"
They overdid it and destroyed the tone of everything so heavily that Hemsworth recently \*APOLOGIZED\* for not taking Thor seriously. Said he was \*EMBARRASED\* at himself.
We agree with him.
Downey's Iron Man was Whedonism incarnate. Iron Man didn't invent the style but definitely popularized it and made it subject to being wrung out like a 20 year old dish-rag because it exposed Whedonism - which wasn't quite stale yet - to mass audiences outside of millenial women who were addicted to Buffy and nerds who worshipped the single season of Firefly as the greatest TV ever made.
edit: It just occurred to me that in a non-TV sub many people may not be familiar with Whedonism. Think "everyone is a sarcastic smart-mouthed tired-of-everyones-shit girlboss... even the guys." A good example of a Whedon-style character done badly is Faye from the failed live-action remake of Cowboy Bebop (the original Faye was her polar opposite, a stylish femme-fatale with weaponized charisma and no Whedonism in sight).
The art style is one thing but holy fuck the MCU dialogue is rough. Varric doing the obvious quip set-ups reminded me that Bioware definitely did lay off his writer lol
I wanted Dreadwolf and got Veilguard instead. Seriously compare the tone of the first teaser with the one from this trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxqBle_O6jI
The tone shift is extreme. If you look at all three of the past Dragon Age games although they have very different art styles, the trailers feel appropriate for the gritty reality of Thedas. Feels too much like they don't know who they're marketing to - as soon as you get past Varric it looks like an entirely different franchise.
I mean let's look at the difference between representations of the Qunari for one thing. We went from [terrifying alien horned creature](https://youtu.be/5LT4BxaTLAU?si=5mUsZtz11iCKxFtO) to ... cartoon?
Yeah, i'm not torn between "we are so back" and "it's over"...i don't like my dark fantasy game to have "disney" trailer, but i won't judge the game based on that. There are some good titbits in there and i got what i wanted - i wanted to see the characters.
I hope so. Elden Ring's ability to achieve masterclass via simplicity should shame all of these developers.
Everyone else: stupid shit
Elden Ring: dino with dog head
Yeah that's the crazy thing. This game is going to be set in Tevinter, a nation infamous for making slavery a integral part of their culture and economy, and one of the main villains is going to be Solas, a guy whose willing to risk committing mass genocide on a global scale in order to end the suffering of spirits and the racially oppressed elves. Oh all the games where a cartoony artstyle wouldn't work, this is the game.
Exactly, we've spent so long hearing about Tevinter, and this franchise loves its gothic, grandiose evils... I really hope we haven't spent all this time waiting to see the Imperium *and* Solas' grand plans, and it ends up being some light-hearted quip-fest
I really hope they won't turn Tevinter into basically The First Order from the star wars sequels. Basically turn the villains into jokes.
The most interesting part of Tevinter was Dorians justification of slavery imo.
I watched the DA TV show set in Tevinter and can already tell it's a bit defanged. It's more Last Airbender evil, less adult dark fantasy evil
Also the quipping was off the charts annoying
Just the whole thing. I hope its great, but I just kind of feel like they don't know what they're doing??
This company has this amazing popular IP. Its dark and gritty and interesting and absolutely loved. So they're like "Lets do anything except that ever again!". Like, who are they making this for? Do they have any awareness? What are they thinking???
Sometimes these trailers are made by third party people hired for the sole purpose of making a trailer, which I hope was the case here. That's how Im coping at least
Music, cartoonish artstyle, art direction - it just looks like a mobile game or some Fortnite skins pack. My expectations honestly was low, but not so low.
No, usually it just means rendered in the game engine instead of like, a crazy realistic movie effect quality cinematic trailer in a different engine. The models might end up looking similar in game, but those definitely weren't in-game, gameplay graphics or anything.
Huff hard, cause omg I went from I am sure they will mess it up. To that really made me mad, it’s soo trash that I feel it spits on the work before it and makes me angry.
Yeah.. if the game tone is the same as the trailer, I won't be able to play it.
I like the seriousness of the franchise. And I'm hoping they just dropped the ball for the announcement trailer.
I wanted a story trailer. Not to be slapped in the face by a fast-paced round robin of the companions.
This is what concerns me the most, more than the artstyle itself, I don't like how... unserious the trailer makes the game look. Hopefully it's just this trailer that's bad, and not the game itself...
I really hope so! I’m excited to learn the companions but the trailer was a miss for me. But Dragon Age hasn’t let me down yet so I’m still cautiously optimistic and giving it time!
The Inquisition graphics from that cinematic trailer definitely look a little more arty/cartoony, though it's more like a 20% difference and not completely different.
I will say, dragon age cinematics have never really looked like the actual games. I don't think we're really going to know what we're getting until Tuesday.
(Also, considering the promotional screens we've had to date so far, I'm still thinking the in-game graphics are going to be more realistic to at least a degree).
If you remove the familiar names and show me that trailer, I would never in a million years would have guessed it was a Dragon Age game.
The tone was so off, I thought it was a new season of Fortnite.
Thats a good way of saying it. If you took out the familar face(s) and all references to the series/locales then like... you would have no clue it was dragon age lol
While I understand that complaint in regards to Origins specifically, I thought Bioware had nailed down the artstyle for Dragon Age with DA2 and Inquisition.
Honestly, they did such great work with DA2, in taking Origins’ foundation and giving it a more distinct style. And Inquisition was a fair enough evolution with its own unique flair.
This feels very out of character for the series. Hopefully the gameplay reveal will settle some concerns, but I doubt there’s going to be a dramatic difference between the art in this trailer and the game itself.
**Edit**: I would love nothing more than to be wrong on that last point, and there’s indication from Mike Gamble and supplementary material going around that the art style in this trailer may not represent the game. Here’s hoping!
The thing is, though...DA:O DID have distinct style in the *world.*
That's more important. They don't need to reinvent the wheel. Hell, DOS2 looks like generic fantasy, but it's still iconic because of the color palette and skill animations.
Vibes are off??? I don't hate it, but it doesn't feel like DA. THAT SAID, I'll withhold judgment because this is largely a marketing move, I doubt that this is a full reflection of the game's tone.
I'll have to get used to the visual style.
It's trendy and was starting to show signs of catching on a few years ago when they started developmen. It's the killmonger dreads effect where you notice a popular fad and hope you can ride the wave at release years later.
It really is wild cuz how many characters keep having the dreads in such a short span. I really wish that companies would be less risk adverse because of how quick these trends become dated. Like I get it takes years to go from pre-production to post but like maybe shake it up a bit
Yep. Didnt like the artstyle, and the tone was... just not very appealing to me. As the dude above said, it definitely did look like the trailer for a hero shooter lol.
Its just so opposite to what I want, *and* what I was expecting. Im always open to be surprised but man that did not make me feel too hyped lol. Heres hoping the gameplay looks good - that is the most important part after all. Im hopeful!
EDIT: The small clip on Twitter that they posted makes the game look WAY better than the trailer did. Go watch it!
I think this trailer was really focused on introducing the companions. This was predominantly cgi and the teaser in december showed more what it seems like the game will look like. This was an odd tone but again focusing more on the new companions.
they labeled it as a companion reveal trailer on twitter, so yeah, that's my assumption as well! if you have harding and varric as your mouthpieces to give introductions to the companions, the tone makes sense - the game can be MUCH darker than this even with this as the companion reveal.
Alright, my two cents now that I have collected myself.
Companions are exciting, Lucanis the mage killer and Emmrich the necromancer particularily. I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion.
Fall 2024? Couldn't have asked for more.
But that artstyle? That may sound like a hard cope, but I don't believe this is what they went with for the actual game. Both the alpha leak from 2022 and December trailer look nothing like it, just a classic realistic AAA game. I hope to God I'm right and this is just a case of misjudged, moronic marketing.
edit: and what the fuck is Davrin's pet animal?
Don't like the art style, but it's a cinematic trailer, so no panic currently. I do however like the companions, a nice variaty.
(I really hope this isn't the artstyle of the game.)
It reminded me so much of the trailers for Redfall and now Concord. It's just so "haha ironic goofy WE'RE GOING INTO THE VALE?!?!?" I hate it unfortunately. I hope the game has a more serious tone. Also the art style was goofy and I disliked it.
Yeah normally I don't mind a cartoony artstyle, but not only does it look cheap and kinda halfassed in the trailer, but Dragon Age story and lore feels too serious for a artstyle like this to mesh well. Especially given that A) this game is going to take place in a nation where slavery is normalized that even Dorian is supportive of it, and B) the main villain of the game(at least initially) is going to be Solas who basically wants to commit mass genocide in order to end the constant suffering and racial discrimination the elves and spirits endure every day.
If anything, DAV should be the darkest game in the series, so the fact that they've gone with such a cartoony artstyle and upbeat "look at our whacky ragtag group of heroes" trailer does not fill me with confidence for how the game is going to handle its darker themes.
This is honestly kind of confusing. The trailer feels like cinematic trailer and I can accept it, but also there is written "game engine footage" and that just seems... like wrong. I cannot imagine game like that, and not because it does not fit Dragon Age. Honestly, I LIKE the group so it's not bad. This just seems like something what messed up animation team.
However, fandom will be a little bit upset for some time, so I Will Diminish, and Go Into The West, and Remain Galadriel.
I simp for Lucanis though. 😏
Lol same! There was someone posting a short alpha gameplay of the game in youtube. Not sure if it's legit or not, but it looks nothing like this trailer.
Then again, we'll see more anyway on 11 June.
Eh, at least the characters aren't consistently greased up like they were in DAI. Still, Art direction changes are par for the course, I'll wait for the gameplay trailer.
I do like how old they made Varric and Harding look. That's 10 years of gritty living right there.
> I do like how old they made Varric and Harding look. That's 10 years of gritty living right there.
That's the one thing I liked here - you can tell there's a timeskip involved.
I don't think the graphics (if this is how they will end up looking) are that much of a problem, the graphics themselves look great in my opinion, the character designs a bit less so.
More problematic to me seems the tone shift in a light-hearted direction compared with the previous three much more grounded games (Which admittedly it was present in other previous trailers as well)
Edit: Looking back at the Inquisition trailers they had the exact same problems that I would complain about here so I don't really know what to think.
The tone of the trailer I think is just the marketing team hyping up the \_team\_ aspect of the game. Avengers-esque trailers do well generally, so this type of trailer makes sense. I doubt they'll have gone for a complete tonal shift in the franchise. The banter was always there, but so was good ambience and setting. I think this type of trailer was just for the newer/potential fans, with some fanservice in Harding and Varric.
Honestly, I don’t hate it- the art style change is weird but every game has had a weird art style change- I’m taking this as a brief introduction to the companions, and they look fun- the Necromancer especially seems pretty cool looking.
I'm not in love with the art style, doesn't feel very current gen. Combined with the quips... this feels more like bad marketing rather than a bad game but it did feel liek I had to adjust expectations while watching
It looks fucking awful. I genuinely can’t believe it’s supposed to be dragon age.
I’m huffing copium thinking it could just be a stylized trailer. If that’s the genuine art direction they chose for the game, Bioware is cooked.
> I’m huffing copium thinking it could just be a stylized trailer.
I was hoping the same but it says game engine footage, this is *probably* the style...
Art style in this kinda reminds me of Arkane, I wonder if that was intentional?
Either way, not going to judge anything based off of this. I'll wait until the gameplay reveal.
Maybe in-game it'll look better? It's just a cinematic, it doesn't reflect how the actual game will look like, right. The gameplay should help a little;
I hope.
As much as I'm excited to finally get something substantial, I'm very skeptical about the artstyle and the overall vibe and direction.
I'll reserve my judgement until the gameplay reveal, but for now it's... concerning.
Uhh... I really hope that's just a bad trailer and not representative of the actual game. If it wasn't for Varric and Harding, I never would've guessed that was Dragon Age (and I don't just mean the art style).
Looks very cartoon the characters. Not very realistic. Like some overwatch/fortnite art style, which im not a fan of for these types of games. Hope to see gameplay in the upcoming showcase.
I know people have said it before but I’m just so tired of Varric. He was great in DA2, meh in Inquisition, and has now very much overstayed his welcome as a character for me. Introducing Dragon Age: The Expendables featuring various flavors of witty banter. Edit: maybe I shouldn’t be such a negative Nancy, it could be great for all I know, which I truly want it to be.
I enjoy his character, but I don't think he needs to be forced into every story as like a hook/shallow nod to old fans, if that makes sense? Like hey old fans, we didn't forget you! Here's that dwarf guy you like! 😂
And then they recently laid off his writer/creator Mary Kirby anyway 🙃
I have mixed feelings with the art direction, narration style and the music choice for the trailer. I really like Inquisition's art style and I wish they just improved on it further. But I'll give it a chance since this is literally a decade in the making so let's see what they're cooking with.
I also wonder if we'll have a "dreamy blonde guy" romance archetype for this game? We always had one for every iteration (Alistair, Anders, and Cullen) with Cullen not technically being a party member so we can still have one somewhere in the game.
Scout Harding as a companion , everyone pretty much assumed so after DAI but I’m happy to see it. I’ll hold any opinions I have until we see some gameplay
It's a win for the Scout Harding truthers if no one else lol. I'm happy for everyone who wanted her back.
I love her so much, I hope we can romance her. I want a female dwarf x female dwarf love story lmao
And that's Varric, right? Looks strange in the new style, but that outfit is definitely him
I recognized Bianca before Varric lol
People act like it is hard to recognize Varric when there is only 1 person in all of Thedas who wields that crossbow.
To be fair, Varric was able to stand out pretty well among other dwarves given him being like one of maybe 3 dwarves throughout the entire series that didn't have a full grown beard. Them giving him one immediately throws that distinction out the window and he just looks like another dwarf now
It's to remind him to not give up until defeating Solas. Like in anime, when a girl curs her hair to signify a new beginning or some shit. He grows a beard. Only when the story is done shall it be shaved. Also possibly plot critical.
Varric having a plot critical beard has been immediately accepted into my headcanons
Especially an X-shaped repeated crossbow.
yeah it's him off the voice alone
Yes I was happy to see her as a companion! I think the companions look interesting at the least.
https://preview.redd.it/vsvyk2s28l5d1.png?width=1248&format=png&auto=webp&s=14cb57ee773b0f03dec466f1195adbb4152b4652 My honest reaction
Live Griffon Reaction
I laughed, thank you.
Solas... do what must be done.
He tried to warn us
"do not esitate, show no mercy"
thanos and solas were trying to protect us but we didn't listen, now we will suffer from cringe for all eternity
Honestly I'm on his side now, fuck this
Really don't know how I feel about the change in art style
Varric apparently got some work done.
To be fair he’s more recognisable than the Isabela change between DAO and DA2, or Alistair between DA2 and DAI. Or Cullen!
Alistair can make an appearance in DA2 depending on your choices in Origins, and he looks even different-er there. He and Isabela even have a bit of dialog about how different they both look from the other game.
Alistair looks AWFUL in dragon age 2 I was so relieved to see him look normal in DAI
Cullen got that glow up <3 <3 <3 aaaackk
Woof. Cullen went from background NPC to starring in my wet dreams, that's for sure.
He aged 10 years as per timeline.
I really *don’t* like it. I’ll still play it but man hope it’s just for the trailer.
Hopefully the gameplay reveal will look much better
I really hope that was just a badly misjudged trailer, and the real tone is going to be more "epic fantasy" than "hero shooter quips". edit: can't say I'm filled with confidence by how the replies seem evenly split between "of course they'd never do that, silly" and "they've always done that, silly".
I had an uncanny feeling when watching the trailer. Aside from the art style that looked too cartoony at times, I didn't get what I don't like. But yeah this looks like a Marvel movie. The Veilguar! (Avengers!) Assemble vibes all over. Then I went back and watched the trailers for Origins. And holy shit.... All of them were better. Setting a tone, atmosphere, the ambience of Duncan's narration. Morrigan's "Great we're going to freeze to death while digging for the bones of a madwoman.". But it might just have been a bad "meet the companions" trailer. Then I looked at BG3 trailers -> they didn't have this collectathon feeling.
I'm hoping this was just that, a meet the companions trailer. I mean it must be, because that's literally all it showed. An absolutely baffling choice as a game reveal trailer tbh. Dissapointing fans and failing to grab the attention of new people entirely. DAI's first trailers were SO good, set the tone and hype so well. The tone and overall narrative of DAV should be even more dour and serious than DAI, so this is just... really a CHOICE as the reveal. Also I'm worried about how different everything in this trailer is from the previous Dreadwolf trailers. They weren't THAT long ago, surely it's not possible to have rebooted the whole look and tone since then? I might be overdosing on copium, but maybe this was a forced decision by a marketing exec to give it this tone? And even look? Thought it would draw in the Valorant and Marvel kids as the big reveal than a gritty, wordy trailer would? I just don't know how to feel. Waiting for the 11th more than ever now.
I keep being told this won't be an Overwatch clone. And I get that, but... this trailer had HEAVY Overwatch vibes.
Mass Effect 2 still having the best game trailer is still mind boggling to me. And it was a collectathon! BioWare needs to go round up the people that did that and have them do Dave’s next trailer.
Mass Effect 1 also had good trailers. Despite the fact that Bioware was relatively low budget AA studio back then. In 2024 they have nearly unlimited AAA EA money.
At this rate, Mass Effect 5 will basically be an Apex Legend clone.
The Origins trailers were extremely edgy and grim dark. The whole theme of that marketing campaign was More Blood!
And it was damn epic and attention grabbing. This feels like a generic mobile hero collect-a-thon game trailer DA2 was fricking awesome and attention grabbing as well. DAI also felt less childish, despite doing the same thing (presenting companions)
> The Origins trailers were extremely edgy and grim dark. Origins __was__ a __grim dark__ fantasy. And I loved it for it. Still get the chills when remembering how bone-chilling it was meeting the broodmother for the first time. With Hespith's narration, flesh-sacks all around... And I can't forgive what they've done with demons in Inquisition. They went from beings with motivations and manifestations of feelings to trash mobs that a giant green anus spits out and you gotta grind. Wouldn't call them "edgy" though.
To be fair that game did give explanation to why that is. Being suddenly ripped from the fade was mentally taxing on them.
The Origins trailers were Marilyn Manson tracks over early aughts gore rendering and scantily clad Morrigan clips; its edgy horny bait for teenage boys
going by tevinter nights, you shouldn't have to worry, unless they decided to 180 when it comes to the vibe of the book in that case we'd be fucked
Previous trailers (even the latest Thedas Calls) and Tevinter Nights keep my excitement going. That may be a hard cope but this looks to me like marketing people going wild.
Yeah honestly I just think this trailer was a bad marketing decision, I DOUBT the game will actually have this vibe call it copium or whatever
This would also not be the first case of marketing department being disconnected from the actual game. Remember "When you press a button something awesome has to happen"?
*Tevinter Nights* was dark and spooky as hell, especially the stuff with >!Ghilan’nain!<. Considering how many characters are coming from TN (Lucanis, Neve, and I think Emmrich), and the fact that Patrick Weekes wrote a couple stories for the book and is head writer for DAV, I feel like it will have a huge impact on the plot and tone of the game. I feel like this was just a light hearted trailer to tease the companions, we’ll get much more info in the upcoming months.
I'm not quite as mad about the art style and tone as everyone else. One of the things I loved about Origins is that it was very funny. It basically has my favorite tone, which is funny people dealing with a serious, dark world. So there being a somewhat comical vibe to the trailer doesn't necessarily bother me. What *does* bother me is the fact that, this quippy, Marvel-style approach to the trailer didn't include any quips that made me actually laugh, or even smile. It has the tone of comedy without much actual humor.
I'm hoping. But that "action scene followed by a profile of the character with their name splashed into the background" ala Borderlands gives me a bad feeling.
Eh I’m treating this more of a companions trailer, which a lot of RPGs do. I’m waiting to see actual gameplay to see it in action before I fully judge the tone. Dragon Age cinematic trailers never really represented the actual game anyways
I think we're getting a gameplay showcase tomorrow. So if they're smart, they'll go and assuage our fears as soon as they can because yeeeeeeah we need to see gameplay and some interviews to clarify just ehat the fuck they're going for with this game. Because that trailer didn't do much to excite me.
The teaser literally says gameplay reveal June 11. From past info, it'll go up at 11AM EDT.
Guardians Of The Galaxy: Veilguard
The Avengers comparision from that thread turned out to be true 💀
The damage the MCU has done to modern media is irrepairable.
I am so tired of quippy one-liners and poor comedy.
One of the few things I remember about DragonAge, is that the characters were legitimately hilarious, even when they weren't trying to be.
It started with Aaron Sorkin's and Joss Whedon's characters all being quipster gods with witty retorts in every sentence way back in the early 2000's. The MCU wasn't the cause, but a symptom.
It actually started with Robert Downey Jr's adlibs in Iron Man. Fans loved it and Disney said, "lets fill ever scene with a TON of these kinds of quips!!!" They overdid it and destroyed the tone of everything so heavily that Hemsworth recently \*APOLOGIZED\* for not taking Thor seriously. Said he was \*EMBARRASED\* at himself. We agree with him.
Downey's Iron Man was Whedonism incarnate. Iron Man didn't invent the style but definitely popularized it and made it subject to being wrung out like a 20 year old dish-rag because it exposed Whedonism - which wasn't quite stale yet - to mass audiences outside of millenial women who were addicted to Buffy and nerds who worshipped the single season of Firefly as the greatest TV ever made. edit: It just occurred to me that in a non-TV sub many people may not be familiar with Whedonism. Think "everyone is a sarcastic smart-mouthed tired-of-everyones-shit girlboss... even the guys." A good example of a Whedon-style character done badly is Faye from the failed live-action remake of Cowboy Bebop (the original Faye was her polar opposite, a stylish femme-fatale with weaponized charisma and no Whedonism in sight).
The art style is one thing but holy fuck the MCU dialogue is rough. Varric doing the obvious quip set-ups reminded me that Bioware definitely did lay off his writer lol
I wanted Dreadwolf and got Veilguard instead. Seriously compare the tone of the first teaser with the one from this trailer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxqBle_O6jI
The tone shift is extreme. If you look at all three of the past Dragon Age games although they have very different art styles, the trailers feel appropriate for the gritty reality of Thedas. Feels too much like they don't know who they're marketing to - as soon as you get past Varric it looks like an entirely different franchise. I mean let's look at the difference between representations of the Qunari for one thing. We went from [terrifying alien horned creature](https://youtu.be/5LT4BxaTLAU?si=5mUsZtz11iCKxFtO) to ... cartoon?
The Dragon Age 2 trailer was so damn good.
I thought the same thing when they showed the Qunari girl. It just looked off.
I can see what the playtester from earlier this year meant with the comparisons to Marvel 🥲
oh no :(
Dragon Age: The Veilguardians of the Galaxy
Yeah, i'm not torn between "we are so back" and "it's over"...i don't like my dark fantasy game to have "disney" trailer, but i won't judge the game based on that. There are some good titbits in there and i got what i wanted - i wanted to see the characters.
EA sure is brazenly confident with how they shoot themselves in the foot.
Elden Ring and BG3 drove all big western companies totally insane
I hope so. Elden Ring's ability to achieve masterclass via simplicity should shame all of these developers. Everyone else: stupid shit Elden Ring: dino with dog head
Bioware is somehow forever self-immolating but never truly burning up.
I really dont like the music choice, kinda ruins the more serious undertone the game should have imo :D
Yeah that's the crazy thing. This game is going to be set in Tevinter, a nation infamous for making slavery a integral part of their culture and economy, and one of the main villains is going to be Solas, a guy whose willing to risk committing mass genocide on a global scale in order to end the suffering of spirits and the racially oppressed elves. Oh all the games where a cartoony artstyle wouldn't work, this is the game.
Exactly, we've spent so long hearing about Tevinter, and this franchise loves its gothic, grandiose evils... I really hope we haven't spent all this time waiting to see the Imperium *and* Solas' grand plans, and it ends up being some light-hearted quip-fest
I really hope they won't turn Tevinter into basically The First Order from the star wars sequels. Basically turn the villains into jokes. The most interesting part of Tevinter was Dorians justification of slavery imo.
I watched the DA TV show set in Tevinter and can already tell it's a bit defanged. It's more Last Airbender evil, less adult dark fantasy evil Also the quipping was off the charts annoying
Just the whole thing. I hope its great, but I just kind of feel like they don't know what they're doing?? This company has this amazing popular IP. Its dark and gritty and interesting and absolutely loved. So they're like "Lets do anything except that ever again!". Like, who are they making this for? Do they have any awareness? What are they thinking???
I don’t really understand and I’m just hoping the vibe is misleading because there is no way you can tell the story of Solas in a light hearted way.
Sometimes these trailers are made by third party people hired for the sole purpose of making a trailer, which I hope was the case here. That's how Im coping at least
Music, cartoonish artstyle, art direction - it just looks like a mobile game or some Fortnite skins pack. My expectations honestly was low, but not so low.
I'll maybe get used to it but I hate the what they've done with he art style of the series
 Yeah not a fan of this art style. Hope its just because of the trailer.
Never has there been a more appropriate use of this gif
Is there a chance that its just for the trailer while the gameplay is different?
I'm hoping for that. Cinematic trailers usually look different from in-game cinematics
It said so at the bottom of the screen. The very beginning of the trailer.
I was zooming the hell out of that disclaimer text. What does "game engine footage" means 😭??? That it uses the same model from the actual game?
No, usually it just means rendered in the game engine instead of like, a crazy realistic movie effect quality cinematic trailer in a different engine. The models might end up looking similar in game, but those definitely weren't in-game, gameplay graphics or anything.
"Game Engine footage. Not all images appear in game."
I will huff copeium until the last minute because I don't want think they dropped the ball **this** badly after 10yrs.
Huff hard, cause omg I went from I am sure they will mess it up. To that really made me mad, it’s soo trash that I feel it spits on the work before it and makes me angry.
Yeah.. if the game tone is the same as the trailer, I won't be able to play it. I like the seriousness of the franchise. And I'm hoping they just dropped the ball for the announcement trailer. I wanted a story trailer. Not to be slapped in the face by a fast-paced round robin of the companions.
Here is hoping. We will find out in 40ish hours for the gameplay debut.
Honestly, even if the art of the game is different, look at the tone of this shit. This is more borderlands than Dragon Age.
This is what concerns me the most, more than the artstyle itself, I don't like how... unserious the trailer makes the game look. Hopefully it's just this trailer that's bad, and not the game itself...
I really hope so! I’m excited to learn the companions but the trailer was a miss for me. But Dragon Age hasn’t let me down yet so I’m still cautiously optimistic and giving it time!
The Inquisition graphics from that cinematic trailer definitely look a little more arty/cartoony, though it's more like a 20% difference and not completely different.
I will say, dragon age cinematics have never really looked like the actual games. I don't think we're really going to know what we're getting until Tuesday. (Also, considering the promotional screens we've had to date so far, I'm still thinking the in-game graphics are going to be more realistic to at least a degree).
If you remove the familiar names and show me that trailer, I would never in a million years would have guessed it was a Dragon Age game. The tone was so off, I thought it was a new season of Fortnite.
Thats a good way of saying it. If you took out the familar face(s) and all references to the series/locales then like... you would have no clue it was dragon age lol
For a game that used to have a real horror edge to it at times, this is a massive step back
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While I understand that complaint in regards to Origins specifically, I thought Bioware had nailed down the artstyle for Dragon Age with DA2 and Inquisition.
Honestly, they did such great work with DA2, in taking Origins’ foundation and giving it a more distinct style. And Inquisition was a fair enough evolution with its own unique flair. This feels very out of character for the series. Hopefully the gameplay reveal will settle some concerns, but I doubt there’s going to be a dramatic difference between the art in this trailer and the game itself. **Edit**: I would love nothing more than to be wrong on that last point, and there’s indication from Mike Gamble and supplementary material going around that the art style in this trailer may not represent the game. Here’s hoping!
The thing is, though...DA:O DID have distinct style in the *world.* That's more important. They don't need to reinvent the wheel. Hell, DOS2 looks like generic fantasy, but it's still iconic because of the color palette and skill animations.
Yeah but it changed every single iteration. They can’t keep to a style and it gets progressively worse every single time.
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Oh god thank you, it looks so cartoony and so bad??
Vibes are off??? I don't hate it, but it doesn't feel like DA. THAT SAID, I'll withhold judgment because this is largely a marketing move, I doubt that this is a full reflection of the game's tone. I'll have to get used to the visual style.
What the hell is with game studios adopting this cartoon looking art style for their games lately?
It's trendy and was starting to show signs of catching on a few years ago when they started developmen. It's the killmonger dreads effect where you notice a popular fad and hope you can ride the wave at release years later.
Seeing the killmonger dreads on the dude in The Acolyte really upset me. What year is it?
It really is wild cuz how many characters keep having the dreads in such a short span. I really wish that companies would be less risk adverse because of how quick these trends become dated. Like I get it takes years to go from pre-production to post but like maybe shake it up a bit
Really cartoony looked like an Overwatch trailer
Okay not just me then lol the words "this just looks like a blizzard game" tumbled out of my mouth. I'm kinda disappointed tbh..
Felt like a new season of Fortnite for me.
My first thought too. Visuals also look dated even for a cinematic.
I dont feel so good
Yep. Didnt like the artstyle, and the tone was... just not very appealing to me. As the dude above said, it definitely did look like the trailer for a hero shooter lol. Its just so opposite to what I want, *and* what I was expecting. Im always open to be surprised but man that did not make me feel too hyped lol. Heres hoping the gameplay looks good - that is the most important part after all. Im hopeful! EDIT: The small clip on Twitter that they posted makes the game look WAY better than the trailer did. Go watch it!
Well. That did not take long.
It can’t be that bad…
I think this trailer was really focused on introducing the companions. This was predominantly cgi and the teaser in december showed more what it seems like the game will look like. This was an odd tone but again focusing more on the new companions.
they labeled it as a companion reveal trailer on twitter, so yeah, that's my assumption as well! if you have harding and varric as your mouthpieces to give introductions to the companions, the tone makes sense - the game can be MUCH darker than this even with this as the companion reveal.
Excited, but unsure on the art direction Looks abit cartoony Will have to wait to see gameplay
Alright, my two cents now that I have collected myself. Companions are exciting, Lucanis the mage killer and Emmrich the necromancer particularily. I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion. Fall 2024? Couldn't have asked for more. But that artstyle? That may sound like a hard cope, but I don't believe this is what they went with for the actual game. Both the alpha leak from 2022 and December trailer look nothing like it, just a classic realistic AAA game. I hope to God I'm right and this is just a case of misjudged, moronic marketing. edit: and what the fuck is Davrin's pet animal?
A baby/young gryphin
Lucanis was the highlight for me. Not a fan of the art style, but he looks pretty damn awesome. Plus, Harding as a companion is pretty neat.
call me a cringy but "someone to bring a little darkness to the daylight" sounds COOL
So with Emmrich maybe we get more actual stuff about necromancy? Dorian was "a necromancer" but that was irrelevant to anything about him as a person.
It’s coming to PS5 too right? cuz the trailer just said Xbox and PC but it has a store page on PS
yeah it is, Microsoft just has marketing rights which is why ps5 wasn’t displayed
It is. They're just not gonna say that on the xbox showcase
Don't like the art style, but it's a cinematic trailer, so no panic currently. I do however like the companions, a nice variaty. (I really hope this isn't the artstyle of the game.)
We’re a long way from Origins, aren’t we?
15 years in fact.
So excited to see a baby griffon. Like, unreasonably so.
Is it just me or this trailer seems like for a shitty mmo with Marvel-esque characters? Not getting Dragon Age vibes at all.
It reminded me so much of the trailers for Redfall and now Concord. It's just so "haha ironic goofy WE'RE GOING INTO THE VALE?!?!?" I hate it unfortunately. I hope the game has a more serious tone. Also the art style was goofy and I disliked it.
I have always liked the seriousness of DA. It made Varric's humor a welcome reprieve, but this is like choking on it.
You never go full Thor: Love and Thunder.
Yeah normally I don't mind a cartoony artstyle, but not only does it look cheap and kinda halfassed in the trailer, but Dragon Age story and lore feels too serious for a artstyle like this to mesh well. Especially given that A) this game is going to take place in a nation where slavery is normalized that even Dorian is supportive of it, and B) the main villain of the game(at least initially) is going to be Solas who basically wants to commit mass genocide in order to end the constant suffering and racial discrimination the elves and spirits endure every day. If anything, DAV should be the darkest game in the series, so the fact that they've gone with such a cartoony artstyle and upbeat "look at our whacky ragtag group of heroes" trailer does not fill me with confidence for how the game is going to handle its darker themes.
Well that just happened!
Waiting to see more specifically gameplay
This is honestly kind of confusing. The trailer feels like cinematic trailer and I can accept it, but also there is written "game engine footage" and that just seems... like wrong. I cannot imagine game like that, and not because it does not fit Dragon Age. Honestly, I LIKE the group so it's not bad. This just seems like something what messed up animation team. However, fandom will be a little bit upset for some time, so I Will Diminish, and Go Into The West, and Remain Galadriel. I simp for Lucanis though. 😏
What the actual fuck is this? I am in genuine disbelief that this is the direction they chose.
This is what they were super confident in? Lol
10 years to turn Dragon Age into Valorant. That was definitely a choice.
Oh no They made Varric hotter
People said it couldn’t be done
THE BEARD! THE GREY HAIR! 😳
I actually feel better seeing everyone else's reaction cuz I was sitting on my couch going "what.....the.....fuuuuu....." Lol
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I might be alone in this but I do not like the art style for this at all, it looks so unserious? Idk how to describe it
Yes, very cartoony
At first watch I was like WTF? Second watch, slightly intrigued. Withholding judgment until game play day. We shall see.
Lol same! There was someone posting a short alpha gameplay of the game in youtube. Not sure if it's legit or not, but it looks nothing like this trailer. Then again, we'll see more anyway on 11 June.
What the actual hell was that Please don't tell me those are the real character models
Its just CGI. Inquisition had the same kind of trailers before release.
Hype killer for me unfortunately.
This can't be it chief.
Uh, that tone sure is something…
Eh, at least the characters aren't consistently greased up like they were in DAI. Still, Art direction changes are par for the course, I'll wait for the gameplay trailer. I do like how old they made Varric and Harding look. That's 10 years of gritty living right there.
That was my first thought, LOL! I was like "oh thank goodness they aren't shiny"
> I do like how old they made Varric and Harding look. That's 10 years of gritty living right there. That's the one thing I liked here - you can tell there's a timeskip involved.
I'm.... kind of shocked at how bad this looks? What is this terrible art style? What the hell???
I don't think the graphics (if this is how they will end up looking) are that much of a problem, the graphics themselves look great in my opinion, the character designs a bit less so. More problematic to me seems the tone shift in a light-hearted direction compared with the previous three much more grounded games (Which admittedly it was present in other previous trailers as well) Edit: Looking back at the Inquisition trailers they had the exact same problems that I would complain about here so I don't really know what to think.
The tone of the trailer I think is just the marketing team hyping up the \_team\_ aspect of the game. Avengers-esque trailers do well generally, so this type of trailer makes sense. I doubt they'll have gone for a complete tonal shift in the franchise. The banter was always there, but so was good ambience and setting. I think this type of trailer was just for the newer/potential fans, with some fanservice in Harding and Varric.
What the hell was that art?! It's waaaay too cartoon 😭
Honestly, I don’t hate it- the art style change is weird but every game has had a weird art style change- I’m taking this as a brief introduction to the companions, and they look fun- the Necromancer especially seems pretty cool looking.
Am I alone in thinking this looks bad?
I'm not in love with the art style, doesn't feel very current gen. Combined with the quips... this feels more like bad marketing rather than a bad game but it did feel liek I had to adjust expectations while watching
It looks fucking awful. I genuinely can’t believe it’s supposed to be dragon age. I’m huffing copium thinking it could just be a stylized trailer. If that’s the genuine art direction they chose for the game, Bioware is cooked.
> I’m huffing copium thinking it could just be a stylized trailer. I was hoping the same but it says game engine footage, this is *probably* the style...
I hate the art style tbh
Art style in this kinda reminds me of Arkane, I wonder if that was intentional? Either way, not going to judge anything based off of this. I'll wait until the gameplay reveal.
Maybe in-game it'll look better? It's just a cinematic, it doesn't reflect how the actual game will look like, right. The gameplay should help a little; I hope.
And the crowd goes… depressed!
Looks like a mobile spin off lol
I really didn’t like the tone of the trailer.
As much as I'm excited to finally get something substantial, I'm very skeptical about the artstyle and the overall vibe and direction. I'll reserve my judgement until the gameplay reveal, but for now it's... concerning.
Uhh... I really hope that's just a bad trailer and not representative of the actual game. If it wasn't for Varric and Harding, I never would've guessed that was Dragon Age (and I don't just mean the art style).
Dragon Age: Valorant Edition
Looks very cartoon the characters. Not very realistic. Like some overwatch/fortnite art style, which im not a fan of for these types of games. Hope to see gameplay in the upcoming showcase.
I know people have said it before but I’m just so tired of Varric. He was great in DA2, meh in Inquisition, and has now very much overstayed his welcome as a character for me. Introducing Dragon Age: The Expendables featuring various flavors of witty banter. Edit: maybe I shouldn’t be such a negative Nancy, it could be great for all I know, which I truly want it to be.
I enjoy his character, but I don't think he needs to be forced into every story as like a hook/shallow nod to old fans, if that makes sense? Like hey old fans, we didn't forget you! Here's that dwarf guy you like! 😂 And then they recently laid off his writer/creator Mary Kirby anyway 🙃
Why in the world did they decide to make this game look like Overwatch/Valorant? Not sure how I feel about this.
Ahhh nooo I can't believe it.. that was a bad trailer. Even graphically it looked odd. Hoping reveal next week is more impressive
The character models look like they’re from Fortnite
that art style is not good!
I'm really disappointed with this trailer. Hopefully, the art style and tone is just for the trailer.
IDk how to feel. It looks kind of lame to be honest
Oooof BioWare this is not off to a good start
The art direction looks...is this just for a cinematic trailer or the game is actually having similar style too?
Wow that art style is just not it. Gameplay/story can make up for it but why go this route.
I don't like the tone. We are 5 years too late for some "Guardian of Galaxy" tone...
I cannot wait for pop culture to snap back to serious things being popular like the dark knight age of pop culture. Everything is tongue in cheek now.
OK, which mage is going to betray us this game? Emmrich is evil-looking so he's obviously a red-herring lol
I have mixed feelings with the art direction, narration style and the music choice for the trailer. I really like Inquisition's art style and I wish they just improved on it further. But I'll give it a chance since this is literally a decade in the making so let's see what they're cooking with. I also wonder if we'll have a "dreamy blonde guy" romance archetype for this game? We always had one for every iteration (Alistair, Anders, and Cullen) with Cullen not technically being a party member so we can still have one somewhere in the game.