I've actually never been able to indulge in the vast role playing potential enjoyed by those who partake in 'Dungeons and Dragons', but I've always respected and been fascinated by the concept. In many ways, D&D-style tabletop games are the ultimate form of gaming as they rely on the unconquerable imagination, something that can trump the best book/movie/game with the right stimulation. More than that, it is one of my favourite forms of storytelling of all time as it demands a certain degree of wit and spontaneity from all those involved (Although particularly the Dungeon Master) in order for things to stay fresh and exciting. The only obvious draw back of it all is that it requires actual interaction with other human beings, (gross) so I'm stuck with the plethora of' Dungeon and Dragons' games it would seem.
Luckily there's a new one on the horizon with 'Dugeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance' not to be confused with 'Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance' from 2001. (Although maybe you should confuse them as this title is meant to be spiritual successor to those games.) This title, shown first as the VGAs, was preceeded by a brief chat with a developer who claimed it was their goal to put the 'action' back into 'action RPG'. So if that single comment hasn't left you feeling too nauseous to continue, than this game will be right up your street! 'Dark Alliance' is envisioned as a couch co-op four player game (Yet another experience that I've never had the pleasure to indulge in) with each player taking control of a traditional party member in a manner that should, under no circumstances, be compared to 'Warhammer: Vermintide"!Seeing as how the old Dark Alliance games were well received back in the day, this seems like a decent idea for a revival which I'm sure has quite a few heads turning. Gradually it's starting to feel like we're inching ever closer to a D&D gaming renaissance, so it couldn't be a better time for this relatively unknown studio 'Tuque games' to showcase their talented team to the world by supplying this budding market. We have the upcoming revival of the Baldur's Gate franchise; 'Baldur's Gate 3' to look forward too, as well as a general resurgence of popularity for tabletop play in general, so it makes sense to capitalize upon that. And with a studio made up of ex-Ubisoft veterans who have already put out the decently received 'Livelock', it's clear that 'Wizards of the Coast' have the talent they need to pull this title off.
The only weak link that I see thusfar, are the people who put together this reveal trailer, as it is quite the atrocity to behold. This VGA trailer features our rogue Drow, who's apparently the exceedingly popular classic D&D character: Drizzt Do'Urden, (Oh come on, that isn't even a name!) cutting down waves of goblins(?) whilst affixed to a terrible face-tracking cam and accompanied by backing rock music. Honestly my brain struggles to comprehend all the things just plain wrong with this trailer, but rest assured that I think the idea of the game itself is sound. This trailer just sucked. Badly.
Let's start with the tracking cam that fixes itself to various characters throughout this trailer. It's already not a very appealing shot to be shoved up one's nostrils, so that straight away makes the viewer feel a bit uncomfortable. For me the real baffling thing is the choice to have the camera focus on the characters faces whilst they are chopping up the enemies, essentially preventing the viewer from witnessing the action unfolding in front of them. Is this supposed to bring us closer to the characters? Make us feel and care for these people? It's a really odd choice of shot and it was just jarring enough that I'm talking about camera angles in a blog that is supposed to be about a promising new 'Dungeon and Dragons' game. (Way to distract from the point!)
The other problem with the trailer is more general: it tells us nothing about the game. I can make the assumption that it is a first-person live combat game purely from context clues and comments from the Devs, but that's the kind of information that should be inferred from the trailer. Oh wait- scratch that, the game is entirely in third-person according to an interview from the Devs; so then why is parts of this trailer in first person? The only reason I can see is to draw comparisons in one's mind between this title and Vermintide, a comparison that Tuque games allegedly discourage, but I'm sure it doesn't hurt their brand to be roped in with one of the best loved fantasy co-op games of recent years. (I say "one of" but I'm struggling to think of competitors...)
Nevermind trailer woes, the thing to focus on with this title is the game itself and that's why I'm quite excited to hear more. This entry has dropped the 'Baldur's Gate' from it's title as the setting has moved away from that location and towards 'Icewind Vale'. (Likely due to the recent Mindflayer overrun of 'Baldur's Gate' that Larian are meant to cover in their game. If these stories are even allowed to co-mingle.) The four heroes of the tale are all fixed characters, similar to 'Vermintide', however players will be allowed to imbue their own little bits of customization here and there to flavour things up. (And that, no doubt, is where the monetisation will factor in.)
There's not a great deal of news to go on regarding 'Dark Alliance' right now, but I'm always up for an RPG adventure with my... well I'm always up for an adventure. However seeing as how this is a title clearly envisioned with cooperative play in mind, I will be curious to see how this game stacks up for solitary gamers. (Like moi.) Like most fantasy, 'Dungeon and Dragons' can seem impenetrable to some people and that might get in the way of their ability to enjoy the deluge of D&D content impending, that's why I applaud the efforts of Tuque and their more accessible dumb-fun action RPG to start bridging that gap. Now all that remains if for the game to be good, so fingers crossed there.
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