Recent reviews by ARLO

I know this game is getting a LOT of hate out there right now. I want to be fair, so I'm going to start with some of the things I enjoyed.

The combat is the best part about this game imo. It all feels very smooth, and the massive skill tree that can be edited at any time was a nice touch. I feel like it's a game that both less experienced players and ones looking for a challenge will find a combat style to suit them.

It's a beautiful game, the environment is stunning. The areas were definitely designed to be played more linear than I remember from it's previous title, but I feel like they did a pretty good job making it feel less so when it mattered. If you're a little loot goblin like I am, you'll enjoy running around searching for endless treasure.

I also thought it was a nice touch that the companion system they developed forced players to diversify their party comp. I was definitely someone who brought the same 3 companions along through the whole of Inquisition, but I was forced to mix it up in Veilguard. I am a little sad that you are only allowed to bring two other companions along, and I think this has to do with what I consider to be the game's biggest flaw.

The dialogue is AWFUL, and the worst part is that it ruins so many other aspects that make a DA game. I have other issues with the game, but I feel like this one is the most egregious.

It's such a shame too, because I feel like the companions themselves all have the potential to be such great characters and have wonderful stories to share. I WANT to feel connected to my companions, but other than asking for me to accompany them on a quest or vent, they just don't interact with me. VARRIC interacted with my Rook more out of cutscenes and he's BEDBOUND. I remember a point in the story where my Rook said something along the lines of myself and my companions being a sort of family. I remember it so clearly because I had to stop and question when the ♥♥♥♥ that happened. Because it just didn't. I feel mostly like the group's therapist, if anything.

Don't even get me started on the "romance". I made the poor decision to romance Lucanis, because apparently his romance suffers the worst. (Lucky me) I felt ANNOYING choosing the romance options, because they weren't romantic and felt oddly placed. The worst part? He almost NEVER responded to it. He would just carry on with the conversation like I had said anything somewhat positive. Could've slipped a "Good job, dude" in there and it would have fit into the conversation better. Genuinely such a shame they didn't invest a little more time into this mechanic of the game, considering it's so popular with DA fans.


TLDR;

I feel like the story could have been decent, if the dialogue didn't suck. I feel like we could have had the option to bring more than 2 companions, but that would have required them to put more effort into writing dialogue. I feel like I would have felt more connected and invested in my companions, if the dialogue didn't suck. I feel like the romance wouldn't feel as non-existent as it already is, if the dialogue didn't suck.

Pay your writers, and go play something else.

Having sunk almost 40 hours into this game at the time of this review, I can say that I have thoroughly enjoyed it so far. The game lacks some of the charm of the original Pharaoh's UI, but the quality of life changes more than make up for that in my opinion. However, there are some very glaring issues with the game that I feel the devs need to address.

> There are so. many. bugs. I have had issues with trading docks and ferry docks just breaking and becoming unusable. I have had issues with gathering industry buildings not actually gathering anything. Thankfully, these specific issues are mostly solved by deleting and replacing the building. However, I have also encountered dead tiles after deleting said buildings making it unable to replace the building where it originally was.

Not to mention the complete game breaking bugs I've experienced and has forced me to have to completely restart.

Occasionally workers will just stop building monuments for no reason. The game will tell me construction is continuing with no issues, but no progress is made on the monuments completion. Deleting the monument and replacing it doesn't work. Deleting the mason buildings and replacing them doesn't work. Deleting the work camp and replacing it doesn't work. Restarting the game or reloading the save doesn't work. I attempted to find a fix for this for almost an hour before throwing in the towel and restarting the map.

I have also encountered a bug with resources on the map like trees and reeds completely disappearing as if they have all been gathered, and then not growing back. Reloading the game doesn't seem to fix this issue either, and so yet again, I was forced to restart.

> The combat system is a little strange, but I can't say that I dislike the automated battling. My biggest issue is that it seems to have very little impact even upon a loss. I had accidentally forgotten to build up my military during a scenario, and was met with a notification that I would be attacked soon and the opposing nation was "bent on conquest". I assumed this meant, upon loss, the campaign would end. Predictably, I lost the battle. The consequence? They pillaged my palace and burned down a few tax collectors and courthouses. Not exactly the kind of conquest I had in mind? I feel like this part of the game has already been stripped down enough. It should absolutely have a bigger impact overall.

***TLDR; The state of the game as it is currently is more than a little broken, and I feel like the only reason I've put up with a lot of these issues so far is nostalgia for the original Pharaoh. I have hope considering the devs have already addressed some issues players were having, and I hope they continue to listen to feedback and make the game more stable. If you're a fan of the original, I would highly recommend picking this up once some of these major issues have been addressed.

(also for the love of Ptah, PLEASE add a pop-up on the Saqqara mission about the burial offerings on the monument's completion. I thought I had encountered a bug where the mission just wouldn't complete, but I had no idea the issue was as simple as opening a menu and making offerings.)

This game is just Bad.

The dialogue is lacking, and the humor misses. I've never started skipping dialogue less than 30 minutes into a game I'm playing for the first time but it was not engaging in the slightest and unnecessary most of the time. Skipping the dialogue didn't make me feel like i was really missing anything because it had nothing useful to add in the first place. The solutions to the puzzles are... completely ridiculous. To the point I had to reference a guide multiple times and even after finding the solution there was never an "Aha!" moment. It was always something that made absolutely no sense. Solutions no one would have figured out unless they desperately hit their head against a concrete wall and tried to combine everything and anything until something cracked. The main character is also really awful. I felt like a scumbag just playing him. I tried to give this game a fair chance, but the rampant sexism earns it a big Yikes from me.

I received this game for free and I still feel robbed. I would not recommend spending a penny on this game.