BioWare hopes that Dragon Age: The Veilguard will help balance out the series’ previous character creations, particularly with regard to non-white skin tones.
In an interview with Edge magazine, game director Corianne Busche acknowledged that some aspects of character creation were far from the series’ high points. “To be blunt,” she admits, “Dragon Age has traditionally not done a good job of skin tones, especially for people of color.”
For that reason, she says, BioWare wanted to “make some amends here.” We haven’t seen the full power of The Veilguard’s character editor yet, but it looks like you’ll be able to customize your Rook a little more than was possible in the previous game.
It’s all part of what Busche calls BioWare’s “first creative maxim” when it comes to the entire game, not just character creation: “Be who you want to be.” Busche explains, “We really believe that (features like character creation) are the kind of features that allow our players to do that. We want everyone to be able to see themselves in this game.”
There’s no doubt that character creation in RPGs has come a long way in recent years, and 2023 has definitely raised the bar in that regard. Both Baldur’s Gate 3 and Diablo 4 were particularly praised for their inclusivity, and while even those two games still have plenty of room for improvement, it seems like a new standard is being set, and The Veilguard wasn’t ready to be left behind.
In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, you can’t control your companions because you can’t handle them: “There are a lot more actions per minute in this game.”
