Developer BioWare talked more about the expansive companion system that it has created for Dragon Age: The Veilguard and what makes each character tick.
The game's leads repeatedly said that previous entries in the Dragon Age franchise simply stumbled onto great companions. But with Dragon Age: The Veilguard, BioWare feels that it purposely and intentionally created great companions for players to journey with.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard's Companions
(Photo : BioWare / Screenshot taken from Steam)
BioWare general manager Gary McKay said that he agrees with the idea that the Dragon Age franchise has generally stumbled onto great characters. He noted that each entry in the series has been different and the studio did not set out to make a game that was a sequel or the same as the one before.
He argued that the team behind the franchise wanted to do something different and they pushed the envelope in a couple of areas, one of which was companions.
McKay said that when the team actually got knee-deep into it, they realized that they had something special with the characters, according to GameInformer.
Game director Corinne Busche also agreed with this and added that Dragon Age: The Veilguard's companions are "the most fully realized complex companions we've ever crafted." She also said that she believes the latest renditions are the best that have been made so far in the franchise.
Busche said that the companions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard are complicated and have complicated problems, which is what makes them interesting. She noted that in previous games, it felt like companions were journeying with you but in the latest entry, it seems like you are now journeying with them.
Read Also: Prime Day Slashes Prices on Transformers, Resident Evil, and Destiny 2 Statues
She also noted that the new companions participate in Dragon Age: The Veilguard's darker and more optimistic parts. Busche said that the team moved into a place where players can have the highest of highs but also the lowest of lows.
Another key feature of the companions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard is that players will not be required to sleep with them in order to see their stories progress.
This revelation came as fans were speculating whether or not this level of intimacy would be needed to move forward with the companions' individual side stories, said GamesRadar.
Complicated Stories
The confirmation of the opposite was made by BioWare project director Michael Gamble who posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. He said that, "You won't have to engage in the romances and the followers will still progress as you play with them."
Busche also said that the new companions develop romantically and not just with the main character Rook. This was a reference to the character's potential to be romantically involved with each other.
She revealed that there are moments in the game where two of their companions fell in love with each other and they had to make some pretty challenging decisions.
Busche argued that all of these decisions and conversations with various characters endear players to them in a way that has not been done before in the entire franchise, according to WCCFTech.
Related Article: Crash Bandicoot 4 Character Designer Suggests Crash 5 Cancellation