Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a recreation about constructing a group to combat historical elven gods, however the extra time I spend in Thedas, the extra I understand that I’d relatively be chasing a unique villain. Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain are two of the traditional elven pantheon referred to as the Evanuris, and so they’re as much as no good — blighting villages, murdering innocents, and attempting to revive their historical empire. However I discover {that a} complete snooze in comparison with the sport’s actual villainous star: Johanna Hezenkoss, evil lich in progress and absolute queen.
I ought to most likely clarify why I’m not fearful concerning the Evanuris, even supposing they characterize a really actual and pressing apocalypse. There are actually issues I like about their character design, in addition to cool story-related moments. Ghilan’nain appears to be like nice; whether or not she’s an unnervingly lithe determine, blinded by blight and greedy with too many limbs, or a large face within the clouds, I like her design. And I additionally appreciated these creepy moments when Elgar’nan whispers in protagonist Rook’s thoughts, promising inconceivable presents.
Sadly, these moments are drowned out by the duo’s dialogue, which is fairly fundamental. The 2 of them bellow about drowning the world in blight, limitless energy, the futility of anybody attempting to combat them, and their immortality. It’s precisely what you’d anticipate from a world-ending villain, and I discovered myself bored after the second encounter or so. Elgar’nan particularly is a disappointment. Ghilan’nain is ready to lean on her sensible visible design and armed forces of monsters; Elgar’nan’s only a massive man in an impractical hat.
Examine them to Johanna Hezenkoss, a girl who appears to be like remarkably mundane compared. She wears the straightforward garb of the Mourn Watch, a pair of goggles, and a sensible coiffure. If it weren’t for the ghastly lantern at her facet, you would possibly mistake her for a easy lab assistant. Emmrich, one of many recreation’s greatest companions, asks you to search out Hezenkoss on his behalf. She will get the higher hand — fairly actually, by revealing that the celebration’s Hand of Glory is definitely her personal severed appendage — and banishes the celebration to the Fade.
That’s a reasonably robust begin for a villain, nevertheless it will get higher as you proceed Emmrich’s storyline. Ultimately, you be taught Hezenkoss is having an enormous fancy soirée at her evil necromancer mansion. That is clearly suspicious, so the group goes to research, solely to search out that Hezenkoss has invited petty rivals, annoying nobles, and her different enemies in order that she will be able to sacrifice all of them and inhabit the physique of a large golden skeleton monster. It’s like The Menu, however for necromancy.
I, for one, respect the objective of sacrificing a bunch of individuals you dislike so you’ll be able to ascend to the immortal type of a large skeleton. She jogs my memory of that Spider-Man meme the place the hero is telling a pterodactyl scientist that he may remedy most cancers along with his know-how, and the pterodactyl man — who occurs to be using a triceratops — retorts that he doesn’t need to remedy most cancers, he desires to show individuals into dinosaurs.
Hezenkoss and Elgar’nan each need energy, positive, however certainly one of them is far more theatrical about it. I like an excellent mad scientist, and Hezenkoss pulls the function off with aplomb. I received’t spoil the conclusion of her confrontation with Emmrich, nevertheless it’s certainly one of The Veilguard’s strongest moments. A part of me yearns for an alternate historical past the place The Veilguard had a a lot smaller scope and fewer pressing stakes. On this hypothetical various timeline, I believe Johanna Hezenkoss deserves a promotion to most important villain. I’ve already forgotten about Elgar’nan and his schemes, however Hezenkoss will reside on in my coronary heart — a villain with ambition, objectives, and the liberty to chew the surroundings just a little bit throughout her second of triumph.