Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Game Boy Advance- Publisher: Destination Software
- Release Date: Feb 10, 2004
- Also On: iPhone/iPad, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One
Buy Now
| Buy on |
|
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
With the deep character growth system in place here I could have been content with twice that amount of game time.
-
Though the overall adventure is a bit short and the amount of items and weapons isn’t as great as those found within the console version, the Gameboy Advance version is still a highly polished game and is one that action gamers and RPG fans alike will simply eat up.
-
It's every bit as good as the full-size version, only smaller. More focused on action than role-playing, Baldur's Gate is one fun little fantasy (not in the dirty way) title. [Feb 2004, p.114]
-
Other than EA’s "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," there isn’t a finer action RPG on the handheld. There are slight gameplay and graphical issues, sure, but it doesn’t take much persistence to overcome these, and the positives far outweigh the negatives.
-
Even though it's missing a few key elements from the original design it's based upon, namely multiplayer and story cutscenes, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance works out very well in portable form with its fast-paced action, extensive quests, and large variety (and quantity) of enemies to defeat.
-
It has all of the characters and story events--and a majority of the essential gameplay elements--that made the Baldur's Gate series so addictive in the first place, but now they're all on a highly portable GBA cartridge.
-
Nintendo PowerAlthough characters have the attributes and expendable skill points that you would expect to see in an RPG, the game emphasizes action over strategy. [Mar 2004, p.119]
-
While the story isn’t as captivating and some changes have been made (including stripping away multiplayer), Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance is still more than worthy of the handheld hacker crown.
-
Though its complexity comes nowhere near that of its PC and console relatives, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance steps up and represents for the Forgotten Realms.
-
Cheat Code CentralIt can be completed in one day or stretched out over a weekend, as long as you don't play through it again as the different characters.
-
The issues with the camera, no map, long backtracking at times to get to an item shop or safe zone, and bad AI indoors hindered what could have been a really great experience.
-
No longer does incorporating the rules of Dungeons and Dragons mean a compromise between fun and complexity. Dark Alliance is a testament that both can be brought to the table -- even to a smaller one that fits in your hands.
-
What really drags this game down is the fact that it uses, reuses, and re-reuses the maps – sending you back through the same dungeons over and over again to collect this key or open that new passage.
-
Pocket GamesIt would be nice to see the developers expand on this and either make an original action/RPG for the GBA or bring over "BG: DA II." [Summer 2004, p.35]
-
The up-close character portraits and overwrought voice acting is gone, but everything else is there -- the mazelike caverns, the glorious level-raising, the seemingly endless array of equipment.
-
I did not play all of it, but I did play enough to find AI flaws, get bored, and generally not like it at all.
-
netjakIt would appear that the transition from consoles to the GBA has sucked quite a bit of the fun out of the game; ironically, the GBA game seems dumbed-down when compared to its console counterparts.
Awards & Rankings
|
24
|
|
|
22
|
#22 Most Discussed Game Boy Advance Game of 2004
|
|
17
|
#17 Most Shared Game Boy Advance Game of 2004
|
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 40 out of 48
-
Mixed: 5 out of 48
-
Negative: 3 out of 48
-
May 6, 2023Entertaining Dungeons & Dragons isometric RPG that makes a nice change from the usual Japanese-style Final Fantasy clones.
-
May 9, 2021
-
Jan 24, 2019