Today, October 28, reviews for . AND I reviewed it here in and despite being tired of the series for the higher part of a decade, I actually enjoyed the long-awaited fourth installment. It currently has a robust 84 on the review aggregate site Metacriticalwhich is more or less according to where these games normally go. The original ranks at 86, and the third entry within the series ranks right next to it at 84. Meanwhile, arguably essentially the most divisive game within the series ranks at 79. As much as I enjoyed my time with , I knew it might cause quite a discord people’s reactions. It’s 10 and there are some average scores. You may even meet individuals who say it outright “I do not recommend” game, as YouTuber Skill Up does when discussing all of his issues with BioWare’s latest entry. But what is the point? What are people so divided about? Well, that is what it looks like.

For reference, over the past 10 years I’ve gone from fan to critic, and I doubted it might bring me back to health. I actually liked these games after they got here out, then I played all of them as part of a book club-style podcast I host, and over time I grew tired of them in my very own way, mostly due to the continuity of the series and its tendency to pass on the characters “stories from one to another.” pulled me back in when I could not get out anymore. The story was slow, but its ending really amazed me. The recent forged of characters won me over quite easily and has climbed into the upper echelons of my personal BioWare RPG forged rankings. And while it is a far cry from the series’ tactical roots, I discovered the action-based combat to be lots of fun and experimentation. Overall, it is a game that harkens back to the studio’s glory days and reminds us what it was best at.

Meanwhile, is at the underside of the spread on Metacritic, and I got here to almost the other conclusions on some of these points to me, partially because what I saw as a calculated “back to basics” moment for the band struck their critic as a bit archaic .

“I feel comfortable in the modern action RPG space,” wrote reviewer Jordan Middler. “It’s a game that’s never overtly bad, but it’s also only fleetingly amazing. We especially liked the cast, but most of the things they ask you to do are disappointingly repetitive. There are spectacular moments and longer main missions that show potential, but overall we felt like BioWare hadn’t evolved over time.”

While I loved the members of the titular Keepers of the Veil, others didn’t find the new characters as endearing, such as: drawing a critical analogy to writing in the MCU.

“Much of the dialogue has the same sarcastic, witty tone as Marvel movies,” wrote Kirk McKeand. “It’s like someone crunching ice in your ear. There are rare moments where excellent writing flows across the screen and makes you consider your mortality, but it’s inconsistent. Fascinating conversations about religion, history, and interpretations of both are juxtaposed with voice lines where people say things like “watch out, these guys GET TOUGH”, “did they…do that?” or “they were kidding.” It takes you straight out of the fantasy world. These characters definitely know what TikTok is.”

There was a lot of pre-release discussion about whether the game felt like a “game”. The movie Skill Up tackles this topic in the most damning review I’ve seen to date. It starts off on a really harsh note, stating that it doesn’t fit the same dark tone that some have come to expect from previous games, while also generally stating that the writing style is not satisfactory.

“Honestly, the text is final.” Skill Up says. “It lacks nuance, wit and wisdom. He can’t communicate ideas unless he says them out loud to the camera. He creates a minor, unbelievable tension because he doesn’t know how to create anything more real and is too scared to ever face the darkness, for fear that it might make the audience feel uncomfortable. Every interaction between the companions feels like HR is in the room, and every interaction with the main character, Rook, sounds like he’s giving a speech to the under-12 football team before a semi-final or teaching young children how to properly share toys.”

Ouch. In contrast, while I wouldn’t defend every word BioWare wrote, as I think there are some merits to the MCU comparison, I didn’t get the impression that the game forgoes the series’ typical dark fantasy trappings. Sure, the world doesn’t look as bleak as before, as it’s presented in a more Pixar-esque art style (and with photos to match), but there are still high stakes and some pretty scary stories in stories like this. Davrin, a Gray Warden who uncovers hidden truths in the faction’s history or in the great revelations surrounding Solas, the teammate-turned-antagonist.

But what about people at the upper end of the size? awarded five stars out of five. While the shift towards action-RPG combat has been a sticking point for individuals who want the series to return to its tactical roots, it lands with those that want something more akin to a BioWare game.

“…there’s lots more different stuff happening in combat than in previous games,” wrote Robert Purchese. “It’s essentially an action game, a boundary that the series strives for but never quite crosses, always emotionally shackled by its CRPG roots. But now it has moved on, taking an example from the front, and discovered something new, which has become a huge success as a result.

Another controversial decision made by the game’s creators is the way it introduces choice and consequences. Impacted choices have been a large part of BioWare’s portfolio over the years, and when it was confirmed that they would only import three choices from previous games (all from 2014), there was concern that the game would feel disconnected from the past. ‘S The 9/10 review touches on this, stating that it feels like a soft reboot of sorts, even while including the main character from the previous game and a conflict in which he should theoretically appear frequently.

“If you were expecting decisions from previous games in the series to carry over, I’m sorry to say they’ve never been less important,” wrote Leana Hafer. “(…) things like who you ultimately chose to be the head of the Order never come to light. There is no sign of the Guardian of , although you visit their order’s stronghold. Hawke receives only a passing mention. There are several other cameos from both and , but these characters do not conspicuously address any important choices you may have made in their presence. This story feels like both a farewell and a soft reboot, which paradoxically was both somewhat refreshing and disappointing.

I had two opinions about this in my review. Over the years, I think I’ve learned that it’s more important to me that my old choices aren’t questioned in future games than that they have a huge impact on events in sequels. Given that BioWare wasn’t going to do all the admittedly expensive and time-consuming work of mirroring many of the choices made in previous games in this one, it was better to see them carefully detailing the past rather than making final decisions about events that may contradict my experience. The action takes place in lands far removed from those old choices, so it makes sense that there won’t be constant references to the past. However, I couldn’t get past the introduction of the previous game’s main character, the Inquisitor, during their brief appearances.

“Perhaps the minimal presence of the Inquisitor gave me space to grow attached to Rook and see how he would be different from my last character,” I stated within the review. “But each time I encountered the Inquisitor, I used to be reminded that the character I had imagined coming face to face with Solas ten years ago was only a puppet pulled out of the closet, a half-hearted success of an obligation that BioWare seems to Reluctant to cope completely.”

While the choice to move only a number of options is uncertain, claims that as a complete it manages to be comprehensible to newcomers thanks to the clarity of the text, while also satisfying the needs of longtime fans by providing so many of the core mysteries that they’ve been wondering about for over a decade.

“is as accessible as possible, both for new players and those who have previously thanked the Creator,” wrote Rollin Bishop. “When proper nouns appear, appropriate context is provided, which avoids impenetrability and makes it as good an entry point as any to delve into. But it also answers many of the questions longtime players have had over the years… while also introducing even more tantalizing hints at what might be coming next. I just hope we don’t have to wait another 10 years to find out more.”

From the sounds of it, where you land depends largely on what you’re looking for. Its approach to action has impressed some, while others still dream of a tactical game like . If you want a continuation of choices from the old games, you may be disappointed, but if you want closure on long-running storylines, it offers them in their entirety. There are lots of little nuances that can tip a potential player to one side or the other, or you may just end up somewhere in the middle, like who admitted that the ways in which people have grown apart will be an interesting game to talk about.

“I expect the divided discourse to be as interesting and more diverse than the game,” wrote Alex Donaldson. “The one thing that I think is indisputable is that BioWare looks to be on more solid footing than at any point in the last decade. If we take a more robust stance, it means that your mileage will indeed vary more than usual, depending on your preferences and tolerances.”