Released on June 22, Tuque Games’ third-person action role-playing title Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is based on the tabletop RPG and is considered a spiritual successor to the two Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance games. Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance has received mixed reviews from critics so far, but the developers are already promising updates in the near future.
Some reviews have mentioned that the game provides an entertaining chance to blow off steam with friends, thanks to D&D: Dark Alliance’s couch co-op, with engaging combat and a loot system that can retain interest for hours. Others called the combat repetitive and dull, too difficult for solo play, and disruptive of a good story. Still other reviewers felt that the story didn’t live up to its potential, considering that it’s based on one of the seminal books of the Forgotten Realms and features four of that world’s most popular characters. The bugs encountered in the game were also mentioned in some reviews.
Developer Tuque Games released a statement on Twitter thanking the many fans who chose to spend their time and money on the game. The company promised to listen to players’ feedback in order to make the game better as it works on D&D: Dark Alliance updates planned for later this year, two of which will be free and one that will be a paid expansion. This feedback can be shared with Tuque Games through social media or via the official support page.
Although it seems that many reviewers agree that the game offers a fun experience, some were less willing than others to overlook D&D: Dark Alliance’s technical issues. These include connection errors that repeatedly kick people back to the main menu, a problematic cross-play system that has made it difficult for some to play with friends, and the inability for disconnected players to rejoin missions. Some people have also mentioned that the matchmaking system’s wait times are too long, although this might be due to the game being newly released and not yet accessible in all countries.
D&D: Dark Alliance is based on The Crystal Shard, the first book in R.A. Salvatore’s Icewind Dale Trilogy and arguably one of the most memorable in the Legend of Drizzt series. The tale follows four characters — Drizzt Do’Urden, Catti-brie, Wulfgar, and Bruenor Battlehammer — as they fight to protect Ten-Towns, a confederation of villages under attack by a wizard intent on obtaining the Crystal Shard. In the game, the four heroes are playable characters, each with a unique combat skillset.
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.