Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance Review

Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance is the anticipated spiritual successor to the classic Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance games of the early 2000s. The new Dungeons and Dragons title wastes no time in getting players into the action. After a short intro cutscene introducing the playable characters, gamers are forced to choose their character and set out in the game world. After a short tutorial to show players the ropes of battle, Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance opens up, allowing players to explore the various dungeons and locations of Icewind Dale. Icewind Dale is a very different setting than Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance veterans may be used to. The famous Dungeons and Dragons setting is a frozen wasteland in the north of the land of Faerun. Throughout Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance, players will experience a variety of locations, from deep, dark dungeons, towers, and many frozen areas. While some locations feel a bit repetitive, they aren’t overly familiar due to the opportunities to explore and experience what each area has to offer. The story revolves around a power struggle for the Crenshinibon, the eponymous item from The Crystal Shard novel, set in Icewind Dale. This relic holds immense power, and if it falls into the wrong hands, the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale could be destroyed. Seven distinct groups arise to seek the artifact’s power, but fortunately, the Hall Companions make their presence known to prevent certain doom. Drizzt Do’Urdern, Bruenor Battlehammer, Wulfgar, and Catti-brie reunite to thwart the untold destruction that could be unleashed on Icewind Dale. The Companions of the Hall differ in their visual style and their fighting abilities. Drizzt is a fast moving character whose abilities revolve around dealing more damage as quickly as possible. Bruenor is a tank character that can take a lot of punishment. Wulfgar is a heavy-hitter, wielding a two-handed weapon and throwing powerful blows. Catti-brie has the most unique playstyle, as she focuses more on ranged attacks than the other characters. Tuque Games has done a great job of making each character feel unique and equally viable to play the game solo. Most of the combat is melee-oriented, fast, and flashy. Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance combat flows very well with all characters. Chaining light and heavy attacks, with more powerful techniques, is as intuitive as it looks powerful. Combat is active and there’s little room for passive button-mashing. To be successful in encounters, players will need to move across the battlefield, eliminate key targets and constantly refine their tactics. Players will face melee, ranged, and spellcasting characters, and these monsters can be challenging, regardless of the chosen difficulty level. Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance is divided into seven campaigns, each consisting of three levels referred to as acts. The base of operations is Kelvin’s Cairn, no doubt a familiar name to those familiar with the Icewind Dale setting. Here Drizzt and the Companions of the Hall can purchase and upgrade items, collect their loot from previous missions, and choose the next adventure. From the map, players choose the next action they want to face. The level of difficulty is chosen when players choose a level, and the chances of success are measured from the total power level of the characters. Even on its easiest difficulty, Dark Alliance delivers a challenging experience. Each level in Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance is structured similarly. In most levels, players need to collect certain items to gain access to the next area. After a few levels, it can become repetitive, as it’s usually collecting explosives to open a door or getting a few runes to open a magically locked door. Battles are scattered throughout each act, and while most battles have a variety of enemy types to fight, it can get a little tedious. The pool of enemy unit types isn’t the widest, and players may find themselves quickly learning enemy attack patterns since there aren’t many variations of them. While continuous combat is the Dark Alliance’s greatest strength, it also highlights some of its weaknesses. The camera can be a bit finicky, especially after locking onto a specific target. This is combined when fighting larger enemies, such as Hagedorn the Beholder. The camera tends to zoom in quite close and can limit the player’s visibility at crucial times. This isn’t much of a problem with regular enemy groups, but it can be a source of frustration in more difficult conflicts. Jumping and rolling is also difficult, as it is possible to get stuck between or on top of enemies while trying to maneuver. Movement, in general, can feel clunky and a bit unresponsive. Despite the flaws related to handling and repetition, Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance does a lot right. The game is full of lore thanks to some collectable in-game items, narration, and some amazing animated cutscenes. Dark Alliance can be great for the casual gamer who might want to explore Dungeons and Dragons further. Tabletop game veterans should enjoy the focus on Icewind Dale lore. Similarly, while the game isn’t too stat-heavy, there are enough attributes, numbers, and abilities to manage to keep Dungeons and Dragons fans happy. The story is pretty light, but Tuque Games has done a great job in realizing the setting of Icewind Dale and its history. This game is a worthy successor to the Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance titles. Although the combat can get a little repetitive, it’s fast and engaging for the most part. While playing solo, it’s fun and challenging, and it’s easy to see how it would improve with a whole group of players. It’s not perfect, but over-the-top voice acting and character models, respect for Dungeons and Dragons lore, and intuitive combat make for an attractive package. It’s casual enough for anyone to pick up and play while maintaining enough Dungeons and Dragons standards to keep experienced players content with the tabletop game. Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance is a fun action RPG, with the opportunity to open up Dungeons and Dragons to a wider audience. Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance releases on June 22 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Today Technology was given a PlayStation 5 code for this review. MORE: Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance Gets Gameplay Trailer and DLC Roadmap