Footage of early Dragon Age: Dreadwolf gameplay leaked online not too long ago, with some fans expressing their concerns about some rather significant changes, but that "change" is not exactly new. It's very clear that this leaked Dragon Age: Dreadwolf gameplay is inspired by God of War, assuming it is legitimate of course. Neither BioWare nor EA have issued any statements on it, but it's hard to imagine this being fake.
In it, Dragon Age fans can see the new protagonist fighting through Darkspawn in Weisshaupt, the headquarters of the Grey Wardens. They are accompanied by two Dragon Age: Dreadwolf companions, Davrin and Rook, but the change is that the camera is over-the-shoulder. The combat shows the protagonist attacking a nearby Darkspawn, drop-kicking them, and using some special melee ability—that may or may not be connected to the Templars, given the blue hue of the ability image. The move toward God of War-like hack-and-slash gameplay has some fans concerned, and while they have every right to be, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is not going to be defined by its combat.
Dragon Age's Identity Crisis in Combat
Dragon Age: Origins, many will argue, is a masterpiece. The story, the characters, the RPG elements, the classes, the races, and all of it make for an experience still worth playing today. Its combat certainly attributes to that, as it had a defined tactical element to it. It's hard to see how its combat has influenced anything despite being so successful though, and that's because it has inspired entire games with its approach. For many, Dragon Age: Origins is BioWare's peak in storytelling, in character development, and more. And as the franchise grew from there, it's not the combat that has kept fans invested.
Dragon Age 2 is a black sheep within the franchise, but for well-known reasons. Originally conceived as Dragon Age: Exodus, DA2 would see a rushed development cycle that saw it forego character race selection, re-use plenty of maps, have a more limited story, and other things. But even as a black sheep, Dragon Age 2 has always had its diehard supporters. There are fans who are deeply invested in Varric, who deeply care about Hawke and their dialogue, and fans who fell head over heels for Fenris. Anders' actions consumed a fanbase in the best, most divisive ways, and many fans looked forward to seeing the pay-off of the Mage-Templar War before Dragon Age: Inquisition came around. Simply put, for all of Dragon Age 2's faults, the combat left no real impression. Yes, it's worse than the first game and it has its detractors, yet Dragon Age 2 is not a game remembered for its bad combat but its fantastic BioWare cast and development-end shortcomings.
Dragon Age: Inquisition combat brought back more tactical elements and, as a whole, was more solid than DA2. The worst of it, perhaps, contributed to some early complaints that Dragon Age: Inquisition felt like a single-player MMO, but it also stands to reason that many fans may have expected Dragon Age: Dreadwolf combat to be very similar. Yet, again, it's not the combat that has retained fans or really earned it its Game of the Year award at TGA 2014. The story, the twists, the follow-ups on Dragon Age: Origins, the characters, and all of that are always what has defined the franchise. Combat plays a role just like in any game, but expecting it not to change a decade or so after the prior release isn't consistent with the franchise's combat approach.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's Combat Comes From a Good Place, Reserves Its Best Parts
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf combat was always going to change, but it hasn't received its fair shake yet. It's hard to base much of anything on one single clip that no one was meant to see. That said, what it does show in conjunction with what it implies sounds like a good thing for the franchise. Dragon Age: Dreadwolf taking inspiration from God of War combat is a good thing. Not only is it fun, but it's a system rife for experimentation. Sure, it's perhaps not as tactical as Dragon Age: Origins or Dragon Age: Inquisition, but it seems the term "hack and slash" may scare some fans because of Dragon Age 2. This is, very clearly, a very different type of hack and slash.
In Dragon Age 2, it was just button-mashing combined with abilities. God of War's action-focused hack-and-slash combat is more purposeful and done with intent, which would be hopefully what Dragon Age: Dreadwolf takes from it. The ability use and dropkick would certainly imply as much, but it's another area where fans need to wait for a proper showcase before drawing conclusions. Meanwhile, it's very clear that the best parts of Dragon Age are present.
The player is joined by two companions, perhaps suggesting it is early in the game or suggesting that it is being cut back, but the companions are present. Rook is a big mystery, but Davrin has long been implied to be a Grey Warden. It's unlikely he's a fake Grey Warden like Blackwall was, but the characters are there. Despite Dragon Age: Dreadwolf taking place in Tevinter, this combat happens at a lore-heavy location fans have been dying to visit. There is some story explanation for that, no doubt, but it could suggest other lore and locations are explored to. And all of this, of course, in combination with whatever's happening with the Darkspawn, the Elves, the new character, and so on—this Dragon Age: Dreadwolf leak hardly scratches the surface that could go as deep as every Dragon Age game before it.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is in development.