032 Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance
Fighting as Drizzt and pals.
“THERE ARE SOME EPIC COMBOS THAT PLAYERS CAN PULL OFF TOGETHER IN CO-OP.”
One hero lays down covering fire with arrows, creating an opening for another to charge into a heavily armoured enemy, crashing them off balance, and making it possible for everyone to come together to lay down the pain. We could just as easily be describing a combat encounter in tabletop D&D as we are a punch-up in Dark Alliance, and that's very much by design.
“We like to say that the heart of Dark Alliance gameplay is what happens after the [Dungeon Master] would say Ġroll for initiative’,Ĥ says Jeļ Hattem, head of studio at Tuque Games. “That third-person camera puts the players right in the middle of these visceral combat encounters, and it allows us to bring these iconic monsters from the D&D sourcebooks to life at a high level of Ľdelity.Ĥ
It’s a new perspective for the series. Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance and its sequel were top-down Diablo-style looters on PS2. “By pulling the camera in and allowing players to get so much closer to the monsters, it makes it easier to identify (and defend against) monster attacks, whether that’s through dodging, blocking, or attempting to parry,” explains Hattem. The aim is to add extra Ľdelity to the action, right down to the way the four heroes interact. “[It] really shines in the co-op experience, and there are some epic combos that players can pull oļ together when they’re taking down enemies.”
FOUR-CE OF NATURE
You won’t be making your own character here, but playing as drow ranger Drizzt and pals Catti-brie, Bruenor, and Wulfgar. Drizzt is a fan-favourite character from D&D lore, Ľrst appearing in 1988, and featuring in a lot of D&D media since. He even has his own boardgame, Legend Of Drizzt, a favourite in the Tuque Games oĿces – which is part of the reason the team gravitated towards those characters for a co-op action RPG. That, and Hattem has a fondness for rangers, as it’s the class he personally favours.
“Each character […] has a distinct Ľghting and varied playstyle that Ľts with who they are as a character in the lore,” says Hattem. “They each have their own moveset and unique weapons. We designed each character to play a little diļerently from the others, and we think everyone will have a character they’ll prefer using based on their preference of playstyle.”
While the party of heroes is designed for co-op, you’ll be able to swap
between them when playing solo to take advantage of their unique abilities. It’s not like Marvel’s Avengers where you might crave the powers of another some of the time. Here, it’s up to you who you want to be playing, and when.
DUNGEONS & FRIENDS
You’ll probably want to swap around or communicate with friends because Hattem says that “each hero has their own strengths and weaknesses against certain monster types.” But if you have a fondness for the twin-sword-wielding drow “there is nothing wrong with sticking with your favourite.”
“Just like in the tabletop experience, our combat encounters in Dark Alliance are really satisfying with more players,” says Hattem. It’s been important to carry forward not just the co-op nature of the tabletop, but the original PS2 games as well. “We also wanted to capture the accessibility of the original Dark Alliance games, even if our game is much more action-heavy,” he adds.
As with all licensed games, there’s been some ball-juggling to make sure it remains authentic to fans of the source material. While it revolves around the Icewind Dale setting and characters fans will recognise and love, “it stands on its own in that it has its own unique storyline,” according to Hattem.
Nonetheless, working in a universe rich in lore has given the team many opportunities. “[It] gives us a huge playground in which to bring the world of Icewind Dale to life,” says Hattem.
Dark Alliance isn’t the only way to take a trip to Icewind Dale: the recent tabletop adventure module, Rime Of The Frost Maiden, is also set in the region. “There has been great collaboration between Tuque and the TRPG Studio,” shares Hattem. “In fact, some of the contents of Rime Of The Frostmaiden were inspired by what we are building in Dark Alliance.” More than just a bolt-on experience, the game is designed not only to sit alongside its tabletop source, but to feed back into it. Releasing them both around the same time is all part of the plan. “It’s important for all the studios working on D&D to collaborate and share our visions to keep expanding this iconic IP,” says Hattem.
IMPRESSIONS
Quite different from the PS2 originals, this carries the spirit of co-op, using beloved characters to boot. The way it feels like a co-op game even when you’re playing alone is a lovely extra touch.
“IT REVOLVES AROUND THE ICEWIND DALE SETTING AND CHARACTERS D&D FANS LOVE.”