A bigger script doesn't necessarily mean a better RPG, but a huge amount of dialogue can suggest that the RPG in question offers a lot of depth. We're hoping that's the case with Dragon Age: The Veilguard, as developer BioWare has commented on the sheer number of lines that it's recorded for the upcoming adventure.
For reference, 2014's Dragon Age: Inquisition came in at around 88,000 lines of dialogue — but The Veilguard is promising a monstrous 140,000. That's according to creative creative performance director Ashley Barlow, who slapped some figures down with GamesRadar.
"We started casting five years ago. The team, the talent has been on for five years," Barlow reveals, emphasising the scope of the game's script. "It takes a long time to record 700 characters, you know - 80,000 lines or 140,000 lines with all the Rooks. It just takes time to make good."
Yep, that's 140,000 lines of dialogue spread across 700 characters. Of course, we imagine that many of these characters will be your standard environmental NPCs who offer up casual thoughts, but it's still starting to sound quite ambitious.
Indeed, BioWare has consistently highlighted its character-driven approach to The Veilguard. The studio says that it's put a clear focus on your party members, and there's no doubt that they'll be responsible for a lot of this dialogue.
We'll have to wait and see just how deep the title goes when it comes to stuff like branching story paths and character relationships, but again, with so much writing behind it, we can (cautiously) assume that the game is built with unique-feeling playthroughs in mind.