Leaked gameplay for Dragon Age Dreadwolf reveals a lot about the battle system and companions. Meanwhile, there”s a gloomy release forecast from an insider
Although Dragon Age Dreadwolf was first announced back at the end of 2018, there has been virtually no tangible gameplay footage of the Bioware RPG to date. At least from the official side. Just recently, a 20-minute video has been posted, which is currently doing the rounds on the web.
What does the leaked gameplay show?
The 20-minute video for Dragon Age Dreadwolf shows alpha gameplay – material from an early stage of development that is far from being finished. Nevertheless, we can already get a pretty concrete idea of what we can expect in the end with the finished game.
In the gameplay leak itself, the protagonist and his companions fight their way through Weisshaupt Castle, which is the headquarters of the Grey Wardens – an order that was founded to protect against the Dark Brood.
- (The battles): Gameplay-wise, Dragon Age Dreadwolf seems to develop more in the direction of hack”n”slash: We beat our opponents with different combos and thus drive up certain bars, which can be used to unleash devastating attacks. God of War is said to inspire the gameplay of Dreadwolf, the action is also reminiscent of games like Final Fantasy: Stranger of Paradise.
- (The inventory): The Dreadwolf inventory shown should look familiar to veterans of Dragon Age 2 or Inquisition: It is mainly kept minimalistic via certain slots for armour, helmet and weapons a 3D model of the character can be changed immediately.
- (The companions): Of course, we are not alone in Dreadwolf, but are once again provided with several companions. In contrast to previous Dragon Age parts, however, we will no longer be able to control them directly, but instead give them commands via a selection wheel – something like we know from Mass Effect.
- (The animations): The leaker himself praises the animations of Dragon Age Dreadwolf – according to him, he has never seen better ones in any Bioware game before. In fact, the ones in the leaked gameplay seem quite responsive and not very stiff, the control over your own character is said to feel satisfying.
- (What is still missing): In the leaked alpha gameplay it is noticeable that there are still unvoiced dialogue lines and many placeholder texts. The game is not yet finished at the moment, which makes it doubtful that it will be released soon.
Official footage of Dragon Age Dreadwolf can be found in the following gallery:
Insider gives gloomy release forecast
Dragon Age Dreadwolf is scheduled for release sometime in 2023, according to Bioware – there is currently no more specific release date. Established industry insider Tom Henderson dares to doubt this release date. According to him, a 2023 launch is rather unlikely, fans should expect a shift to 2024.
For context: Before the gameplay leak, Tom Henderson already published a detailed report on Dreadwolf on his website Insider-Gaming. Many of the points described in it overlap strongly with the leak. So Henderson seems to be quite well informed about Dragon Age Dreadwolf.
By the way: Role-playing game expert Steffi has already thought about Dragon Age Dreadwolf – and what the Bioware sequel could or should learn from the Mass Effect franchise.
What else we know about Dreadwolf
Dragon Age Dreadwolf currently has no concrete release date and is scheduled for release on PC, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The latest part of the series takes the player to the empire of Tevinter for the first time, in which mainly mages rule. In Dreadwolf, we slip into the role of a new character, but still have to deal with old acquaintances – first and foremost, of course, Solas from Inquisition, the titular direwolf.
What are your hopes and expectations for Dragon Age Dreadwolf? What do you think Bioware”s role-playing series needs to do better in the upcoming instalment? What would you like to see in the future of Dragon Age? Let us know in the comments!
