๐—œ๐—ป ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—”๐˜‚๐˜๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—•๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฐ

๐—œ๐—ป ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—”๐˜‚๐˜๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—•๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฐ

After sharing my favorite things of 2024, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the surprises that caught me off guard. These are the games, movies, and series I wasnโ€™t expecting much from but they ended up blowing me away.

First up: Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

This game was, without a doubt, my biggest surprise in gaming this year. I started with tempered expectations, curious but cautious, and somehow, Veilguard reignited that BioWare magic I hadnโ€™t felt in years.

From the intricate world-building to the depth of its narrative, Veilguard reminded me why I love the Dragon Age series so much. Every quest felt meaningful, every companion came to life with their own stories and quirks, and the end bosses? Easily some of the best BioWare has ever delivered.

What truly caught me off guard, though, was just how much fun I had. 40 hours in, Iโ€™m still uncovering new layers in this meticulously crafted world. It brought back that spark I last felt with Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014, a game I still hold close to my heart.

If youโ€™ve been on the fence about trying Veilguard, donโ€™t hesitate. Itโ€™s an unforgettable experience that deserves your time and, just maybe, a spot on your โ€œfavoritesโ€ list.

What was your gaming surprise of the year? Iโ€™d love to hear your picks in the comments.

P.S. I play as a Qunari once again!