There’s a bit of confusion around the recently released Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance. Many wonder just what its connection to Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance and its sequel are, if any. This is made even more complicated because a port of the PS2 game was just released on modern platforms last month.
Is Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance a remake of Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance?
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance has barely anything to do with the hit PS2 title. Instead of being set near Baldur’s Gate, the story in the new Dark Alliance is based on The Legend of Drizzt series from R.A. Salvatore. As such, there’s no character creation since players must pick from the protagonist of those stories, Drizzt Do’Urden, Catti-brie, Bruenor Battlehammer, and Wulfgar.
Unfortunately, the new game only shares part of its title with the old PS2 title. While Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance and its sequel were met with good reviews, Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance is buggy, overly complex, and generally unfun. We can’t tell that anyone from the original games worked on the new Dark Alliance. Despite billing itself as a “spiritual successor,” it seems like the title was used as a marketing ploy to make potential buyers think there’s some connection.
Though the older game has aged a bit, the port of Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch is still delightful. Tuque Games’ title simply missed the mark in practically every way possible, most notably including a lack of split-screen co-op at launch.
Even those who love R.A. Salvatore’s novels will find nothing of value with Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance. There’s almost no story here, and the Companions of the Hall are woefully underutilized. This is astonishing since Salvatore himself helped write the story for the game. The entire thing seems rushed and unfinished, even after a year’s delay.
