Dark Alliance is based on Dungeons & Dragons’ setting, characters, and language. However, Dark Alliance offers a fast action game that allows you to bounce from fight to fight, without worrying about your dice rolls. It’s all about simple pleasures: kill goblins, get loot, and admire your new cloak. This D&D is for the impatient. Although technically it’s the third game in Dark Alliance, the slate has been cleared for its PC debut. Dark Alliance was a top-down action RPG that was only available for consoles. Now it is a third-person action-RPG where clicks are replaced by combos. This party is a little more acrobatic. Drizzt Do’Urden is my celebrity drow. I rush around Icewind Dale dodging, jumping, and backstabbing with the goblin count rapidly increasing. My stamina is limited to my ability to block, parry and attack from the air, as well as string together special moves. I can button-bash my way across the linear mission map. However, there is still an RPG running under the hood. But things like ability scores, feats, and other features have been reshaped to make the game more action-oriented.
For example, I could choose to increase my charisma, but it is not possible to persuade or diplomacy in Dark Alliance. It determines how fast the ultimate ability recharges. It will be necessary to wait until the end of the mission before I can level up, unlock feats, and equip new gear. This only happens back at camp. There’s no distraction from your bloodlust when you’re on a quest. In structure, I am reminded of Vermintide. The party has a central location from which they can gather, prepare and select missions. Once they are on the job, it’s all about moving forward with the many enemies. There’s no need to waste time on character sheets or inventories. Developer Tuque is also a fan. However, they do differ in the rewards that the party receives back at camp. Dark Alliance isn’t like Vermintide or other action-RPGs. It doesn’t give you random loot. Instead, equipment will be divided into different sets of gear, each with unique attributes that will help you to play. Because gear is more closely tied to builds, there’s less junk. Every set contains items of different rarities. The rarer items are more visible and have larger numbers.
(Image credit to Wizards of the Coast).
I find more references to Icewind Dale’s main inspiration as I make my way through it. Although it doesn’t evoke the tabletop adventures I’ve been on before, Dark Alliance does more to D&D than just lip service. It adapts various staples in unique ways. For example, the rest system. You can find campfires which allow you to rest, heal, and recharge you. They also serve as a checkpoint. However, you can ignore them and get better loot if you take the risk. I try to ignore them all in an effort to impress the PR person and developer who are watching me. Dark Alliance can be played alone, but it is not recommended to be played with AI companions. Solo runs are possible, but the difficulty scales with how many players you have. Dark Alliance is best played in co-op groups. Your abilities should be used in conjunction with your friends’. Fighting will be easier if you work together. Catti-brie, a developer, is accompanying me for the demo. Technically Drizzt and Catti-brie are rangers and fighters respectively. However, the R.A. Salvatore novels which made them D&D stars have less to do with classes than the tabletop game. Dark Alliance follows their lead. Drizzt is more like a fighter or rogue. He alternates between diving headfirst into the throngs of monsters and becoming invisible to allow him to go for the backstab. To briefly attack his foes, he can summon his panther from his astral plane. Catti-brie is a ranged support character that can attack enemies with arrows and trap them with magical vines. She also heals her friends.
(Image credit to Wizards of the Coast).
Catti-brie drops healing circles when I look worse, and pulls my up when I’ve fallen. I really appreciate her help. Catti-brie’s vines prevent enemies from sneaking up on me, so they can’t sneak up on my while I’m busy. They also make it harder for them to get in the way of my attention, which makes them easier targets. It’s clear that this game was designed to be shared with two people. I don’t believe I will be doing it alone. It’s easy to forget that I’m back in battle with goblins by running around with twin scimitars and summoning astral panathers. My main target is a group called verbeegs. This is a less well-known type of giant-kin I have never seen before. Their bellowing is a constant companion throughout the mission. Dark Alliance doesn’t have much room to express their personalities due to the fast pace of the demo. It is therefore very nice that some musical giants are included. It’s a shame that I have to kill them. Now that the boss fight is over, and the verbeegs have been defeated, it’s time for me to teleport back home to camp to enjoy all my rewards. My greatest reward is the ability to purchase new cosmetic appearances for all my gear sets from my deep-gnome merchant friend. To match my surroundings, I have decided to wear a cool look in a cold hue. There’s always time for a nice look, even when action is the main focus. This is a great way to end a successful quest. Dark Alliance will be available on June 22.
