Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance Review

Dungeons, Dragons is a world filled with mysterious treasures and giant monsters. The worlds created by the tabletop RPG player guide book contain some of most terrifying and nasty creatures from high fantasy. They include the fierce-toothed Goblins as well as the giant Frost Giants. Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance lets you fight hordes and monsters as one four legendary heroes in fantastic fantasy locations. This is not a tabletop game, but it is more about action than strategy.

As the spiritual successor of 2004's Baldur's Gate 2 Dark Alliance 2, you'll have to hack and slash with an army of monsters trying to invade the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale. They will use their fighting skills to fight the monsters in the dungeons, and discover the source of the power that brought these usually tribal monster groups together into a single front of darkness.

You start Dungeons & Draconian: Dark Alliance when you choose a hero. The initial one is Bruenor. He's a Dwarf fighter whose heavy armour and shields allow him to take large amounts of damage while still being strong. Wulfgar can be described as a human barbarian. He wields an impressive two-handed weapon that is capable of inflicting high-damage hits. CattiBrie is a human warlord who was raised in Bruenor's home. But she prefers using her bow and agile maneuvers rather than brute strength. Drizzt do'Urden is the final character. This Dark Elf ranger, Drizzt Do’Urden from the underground universe of the Underdark has overcome any negative stigmas associated with his people. They'll fight the forces behind darkness, whether they are together or apart, to secure Crenshinibon, an immortal crystal shard that is said to grant its owner unlimited power.

Dark Alliance combat can be fast, chaotic and combination-based. You have two main attack inputs. They are linked to the PS5's buttons R, and allow you launch light and heavier attacks. To maximize your combo count, you'll be able to chain attacks from one enemy to another. This can be done using a range of moves your characters can learn for gold. You will receive percentage bonuses for hitting more combos. This can replenish your HP, stamina and build your meter for the ultimate attack. All of this creates a Bayonetta-esque flow, with Souls-style stamina meters management and deliberate motions. For massive damage, co-op will allow you to join forces with your comrades in order to launch team-up attacks.

Timing your parries and timing your blocks are crucial, as being knocked down can mean death for careless fighters. Enemies are hard on your character and can even knock them down. You still have the chance to fight if you have an accomplice to revive you. But, if everyone is down, you'll reload the checkpoint and reload your HP. The combat experience is immersive, with meaningful progression. Diablo and Final Fantasy 14 gamers will appreciate the ground-based cues. It's easy to jump into action by avoiding big symbols on the ground. To further enhance your character's abilities, you can also collect treasure after each adventure.

Dark Alliance loot doesn't come in the form of equipment. While you can find gear in chests, enemies or off of bosses, it won't be readily available until you finish your current adventure. While you can see the item's quality, you are not able to equip them. If you leave a Dungeon Run before it ends, all gold and loot will be lost. It's worth the effort to complete a Run Off. This is particularly true when you're using the rest checkpoints. With them, you can leave behind refilling consumables, HP, and stamina in order to increase the quality loot drops. This allows you to double your loot drop odds, which makes running successful even more satisfying.

There are treasures to be found on all your adventures. You can find hidden treasures in every stage by exploring the nooks and corners. This will give you access to areas that may lead to additional treasure chests, optional bosses, objectives, and increase your experience point total at each stage. The environment can be destructible and includes explosive barrels, poison plants, and other items that can be used against your enemies.

The Dark Alliance's world is vividly brought to life through the use of sound effects and visuals. Your adventure will take your to incredible locations where you will encounter vile creatures who are eager to ruin the beauty of the world. These hilarious quips are backed by great voice acting. The game's enemy banter is also great. There are many hilarious jabs at the story depending on where your character is at. These little details make the world seem real and give it a special feel.

Dark Alliance isn’t an ideal game. There are some issues that hinder the enjoyment of the game. The lock-on system is cumbersome, especially when there are so many enemies. It can also be difficult to find the correct target amongst the crowd by using the usual method of switching targets. The combo-based gameplay is affected by this. It can take up to one minute to unlock and lock on the target with the freeform camera, something you might not be able do in the heat. This can lead to frames dropping during combat and cutscenes. Sometimes, large crowds slow down the game in order to open a window for an unseen attack. Sometimes, you may get stuck at the loading screen. You can either die or restart the game to fix this. These minor complaints can add up quickly and get drowned by the heavy sound effects.

Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance offers a lot to D&D enthusiasts and is a very enjoyable game. You can feel rewarded for your efforts by having solid combat. However, you must first prepare certain big-damage abilities before you can use them. You can also use the stat crunching to create a unique niche for your character and make it stand out from others. Dark Alliance is difficult to recommend if you don't have any friends. It's difficult to recommend this game to someone who isn’t a fan the Dungeons & Dragons’ Forgotten Realms universe.