It has been a long time since Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II came out in 2004. There have been other Dungeons & Dragons games since, but none have come close to either of these two classic action RPGs from the early 2000s. When Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance was announced as a spiritual sequel to these two gems, fans understandable got excited.
Was the wait worth it? The reviews make it seem like it wasn’t. Between the press and more casual gamers, reviews are mixed, with the majority leaning towards the more negative side. The game takes some missteps but it’s not all bad. One positive is its availability on Xbox Game Pass and there are plenty of other good things about it as well.
10 Best: Satisfying Combat
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance does not have combat as deep as some other modern action RPGs, say, for example, Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It plays more like a hack slash game akin to Dynasty Warriors, and that is not a bad thing.
It’s not the most in-depth set of skills to ever be put into a game, but it is satisfying especially when surrounded by three other friends. Sometimes it’s good to turn the brain off and slash away.
9 Worst: Online Co-Op Only
The bad part about the co-op is that it is online only. Past games in the series usually had couch co-op and online play as options. The good news is that it will be patched in. The developers haven’t exactly given a date other than summer when they also plan to launch more content.
Whether that happens within the time frame remains to be seen. As a launch product, this aspect can be disappointing to fans of local co-op RPG games.
8 Best: Gear Customization
Players might lament the fact that they cannot customize any of the four playable characters in Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance. It also might be disappointing to learn that there is only one female character and no magic characters whatsoever.
On the plus side, gear is highly customizable. The merchant in the hub world will have options on most pieces of gear, even weapons, that can alter their looks via skins and make that character more distinct from others.
7 Worst: Can’t Change Gear On A Mission
Destiny was the forerunner of games as service experiences and looter shooters. It set the way for other games to follow, including features such as the ability to change gear on a mission.
Some have not followed this template such as Anthem and now Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance. Most co-op RPGs in general allow characters to change gear on missions as long as they’re not in battle. Taking that option away in this game feels a bit off.
6 Best: Diverse Set Of Levels
The box art for Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance and the beginning may feature frosty areas, but there is way more level diversity in the game than that. Players will not go into any vibrantly colored forests like in other fantastical RPGs akin to The Witcher 3 or anything like that.
Dark Alliance still has a decent variety for players to choose from though. They are also fairly quick once players get around them a few times, making it easy enough to replay them.
5 Worst: Looks Dated
An aspect about stages that is not great in Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is the graphics. Dark Alliance looks dated on any system it is available on, be it PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Performance can be boosted on some of these systems, leading to better frame rates and load times, but the graphics don’t fare much better. It is reminiscent of the glory days of movie tie-in games where developers were given usually about a year to put something out.
4 Best: Audio Direction
Except for some syncing issues and other minor bugs, the audio in Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is great. From the music in the stages to the performances of the main actors, it all has a AAA caliber feel to it.
The story may not be anything special but at least the game is fun to listen to. Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance overall is perhaps a case where the audio is more engaging than playing the game itself, which sounds like a backhanded compliment but it is assuredly not.
3 Worst: Online Infrastructure
Getting together with three people is a great time in Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance so long as they are friends and not random people. The online setup right now is less than ideal when trying to get a random match together.
Other games take steps to provide some level of compatibility in random pairings, such as being able to search by the mission to get into a quick match in Monster Hunter Rise or Destiny. That’s one in many problems bogging down Dark Alliance's online experience, and that's without even mentioning the obvious issue of getting disconnected.
2 Best: Cool Powers
Every character in the game feels like a worthwhile investment. They have cool powers. When a Move or Feat is gained, that can sometimes turn the tide of combat. As mentioned earlier, Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance does not have the most in-depth battle system for a modern RPG.
However, even with the graphics looking dated, the game still has some flair to it thanks to these flashy moves. Drizzt’s ability to go invisible and or build a storm of daggers at the start makes him one of the standout characters.
1 Worst: Slow Level Progression
The downside to leveling up characters in order to see these cool moves is hampered by the progression system. Instead of killing monsters to gain experience, most points are gathered as a reward for completing the missions.
The higher the difficulty setting, the better the rewards. Killing monsters adds bonus experience to the score, but not very much comparatively. This means Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance has a lot of grinding and not the good kind.