>>535340297
Fantasy is, perhaps counter-intuitively, a difficult genre to get right. This is evidenced by the recent disaster-trailer marketing the upcoming fourth installment of the Dragon Age franchise, titled The Veilguard (formerly Dreadwolf). In it, gone is the dark aesthetic that defined the first and best Dragon Age: Origins, and with it any goodwill the new "BioWare" (a now sham studio unworthy of the name that gave us the first two Baldur's Gates) might still have had. Dark fantasy has been replaced by a cascade of cliches (including a poorly choreographed tavern brawl) but more importantly, colorful and juvenile presentation that appeals to the Marvel consumer, all too happy to cheer and clap when the superheroes with their supertitles show up. A dismal remix of Bowie's Heroes punctuates this interminable 2-minute-long train wreck, alongside title cards that read "TOGETHER... DEFY THE GODS." Yawn. It would be almost comical if it weren't meant seriously. The message is clear: out with the old and boring, in with the new and trendy. This cynical rebranding is both misplaced and intellectually insulting to any fan of fantasy. It lacks the mystery and awe of the 2020 trailer for Baldur's Gate 3 in which Raphael dramatically narrates the player's predicament, or the grimdark tone of the 2019 trailer for Elden Ring providing a sneak peek into a bleak world shattered by past tragedy. Dragon Age: The Veilguard (the title suggests some squad of superbozos, further insulting the franchise it stands upon) fumbles in its cartoonish and adolescent image, becoming cheap spectacle for the masses while better stories embrace with seriousness the infinite possibilities found in fantasy. If this new "BioWare" is content in shamelessly chasing trends the way Amazon commercialized Tolkien with The Rings of Power, it is certainly their call, but it might also be their last stunt. Self-respecting fantasy fans would rather play Baldur's Gate 3, the LotR of video games.