It didn’t have to be this way! Way back in 2014, BioWare art director Matt Rhodes drew up some concept art for what would eventually become this game. This was prior to the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition,

While Veilguard has a lot to offer new players, the protagonist Rook doesn't hold up to what long-time fans of the franchise and BioWare games expect.

Dragon Age and Mass Effect didn’t always have flirt options that were labeled in the UI as flirtatious — instead, you’d have to simply keep your companion approval high and infer what counted as signaling your intentions. That was not always easy.