Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance

Would you risk it for a Drizzt?

FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA 22 JUN / PUB WIZARDS OF THE COAST / DEV TUQUE GAMES / PLAYERS 1-4

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 ‘roll for initiative’,” says Jeff Hattem, head of the 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 fidelity.”

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 fidelity 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 off together when they’re taking down enemies.”

FOUR-CE OF NATURE