Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance launched June 22, 2021 to middling reviews. An online multiplayer D&D video game, Dark Alliance allows up to four players to party up with friends, selecting one preconstructed character with a unique set of skills. Many of the game's criticisms center around lackluster gameplay, while positive notes focus on the story and multiplayer. However, Dark Alliance ultimately lacks critical components of tabletop Dungeons & Dragons that will leave fans of the latter unimpressed.
An adaptation of D&D novel The Crystal Shard, Dark Alliance follows a group of heroes shortly after their adventures in the book. The party is comprised of dwarf fighter Bruenor Battlehammer, human archer Catti-Brie, drow ranger Drizzt Do'Urden, and human barbarian Wulfgar. Though they thought they defeated the Crenshinibon (the titular Crystal Shard, a powerful, evil relic) in the events of The Crystal Shard, Dark Alliance reveals the artifact is still alive in the Icewind Dale. Three different enemy factions war to claim ownership of Crenshinibon, and the heroes must work to put a stop to their dark plans.
Roleplaying is an essential part of Dungeons & Dragons, and allowing players to make decisions on how they interact with its world is what makes the game dynamic and fun. In Dark Alliance, those options are virtually nonexistent. While party can choose between four class options, all are focused on fighting skills, mostly ignoring classes that depend on magic, charisma or intelligence and preventing players from persuading or taking enemies prisoner instead of killing them. Gameplay is also limited to the main quest, removing the option to interact with NPCs or explore the wider world. As is, Dark Alliance is a perfectly fine action-adventure game, but it fails to live up to the Dungeons & Dragons mantle.
How Dark Alliance Could Be More Like Dungeons & Dragons
Players making decisions that go against the planned narrative is woven into the fabric of D&D, and there are many ways Dark Alliance could have maintained this tradition while keeping players on the main quest. In combat, players should've had the option to capture enemies to interrogate them, or at least just not kill them. There should've been non-combat options to get out of encounters, like a Bard flirting their way out of a fight. Additionally, Dark Alliance should've included NPCs for players to interact with, allowing them to make allies or enemies depending on how their character behaves. Perhaps more RPG elements could be added post-launch, but all of these options would be pointless if Dark Alliance keeps its current limited character selection.
Dark Alliance is an adaptation, so the playable characters mirror the protagonists of the novel. However, in the age of video games that offer near-infinite character customization options, such as Mass Effect, The Elder Scrolls and Cyberpunk 2077, it makes little sense not include the feature in a game bearing the name of the original RPG. Hopefully, future Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance DLC and updates allow players to choose from a wider variety of classes, format their own stats and fully embrace roleplaying.
