Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance

 PC
User Score
3.3

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 124 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 124
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 124
  3. Negative: 88 out of 124

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  1. Eithen
    Jun 23, 2021
    0
    This is the worst game I've tried. It could be fun if they fix all the bugs that exist, but I don't really think this will happen. The most annoying part is that you have a button to dodge, but you just can't because it's completely lagged.
  2. Itsapaul
    Jun 23, 2021
    0
    It doesn't actually work correctly, so it can't really be called a game. IF it functioned, it'd be a completely forgettable action game you might play one day on game pass or something since it's free anyway. The fact that it punishes solo play by just giving you the same encounters as multiplayer but has a god awful multiplayer interface should probably be an indicator to stay away.
  3. Steyraus
    Jun 24, 2021
    2
    Playing this game brought back memories of the Silent Hill franchise being butchered by Tom Hewlett and Co..
    What a disrespect the the origional Dark Alliance games which are beloved by millions.. Seriously why resurect an IP if your studio dosent have the tallent or skill to make a good game. This Tugue games fought for this license aswell, its like they hated the first DA games and    Playing this game brought back memories of the Silent Hill franchise being butchered by Tom Hewlett and Co..
    What a disrespect the the origional Dark Alliance games which are beloved by millions.. Seriously why resurect an IP if your studio dosent have the tallent or skill to make a good game. This Tugue games fought for this license aswell, its like they hated the first DA games and wanted to spite the fand, because this game is buggy and low effort.    … Expand
  4. TheBraveFencer
    Jun 24, 2021
    3
    To start, I’m a big fan of Salvatore’s books and especially Drizzt. This didn’t have to do a lot to feel like a fun time with my favorite characters, I’m very much a AA-game and B-movie kind of dude so not asking for a lot in those departments.

    Thing is, it has to feel good and a lot of this does not. Screen tearing, horrible enemy AI, and sloppy combat mechanics make this very hard to    To start, I’m a big fan of Salvatore’s books and especially Drizzt. This didn’t have to do a lot to feel like a fun time with my favorite characters, I’m very much a AA-game and B-movie kind of dude so not asking for a lot in those departments.

    Thing is, it has to feel good and a lot of this does not. Screen tearing, horrible enemy AI, and sloppy combat mechanics make this very hard to recommend. On top of that, you can’t add friendly bots if say you wanted to play offline for a bit to collect loot before the next online session. Furthermore, the difficulty won’t scale for singleplayer, making things even messier.

    This is 100% a game in Early Access. They need to get ahead now with patch release details assuring this will be a proper game at some point.    … Expand
  5. Pasiv
    Jun 24, 2021
    2
    Omg WTF, its my first review on metacritic because i am So disapointed. I survived to play about 20 min and i quited. It look good but its totally like made by students that is still beta version. Aside graphic everything has huge problem
  6. Hiraya
    Jun 24, 2021
    1
    This game is something, not good... but something.

    Its quite buggy and horribly optimized. The faster u move your mouse the slower you turn. which is just stupid. Story is sub par. Combat is clunky and unresponsive. There is a huge gap between lvl 7 and lvl 15, which is a good few hours of using the same old skills. Levels are the same. Walk trough a corridor enter a somewhat roundish    This game is something, not good... but something.

    Its quite buggy and horribly optimized. The faster u move your mouse the slower you turn. which is just stupid. Story is sub par. Combat is clunky and unresponsive. There is a huge gap between lvl 7 and lvl 15, which is a good few hours of using the same old skills. Levels are the same. Walk trough a corridor enter a somewhat roundish area to fight enemy. Rinse and repeat.

    Not to mention the broken hitboxes, traps that damage you even though they are not on and the horrible AI, 6/10 times the AI just stand there. Without even attacking. If you play on the difficulty that is recommended for you, you 2/3 hit every enemy. Play on 1 difficulty higher and every enemy becomes a bullet sponge like a mini boss..

    Levels do look great though and really captures the D&D vibes.

    Not worth the 40 euros, it is free on xbox gamepass for pc and xbox.    … Expand
  7. Raddox
    Jun 26, 2021
    1
    I ask why? Why does such a wonderful universe have to get something as terrible as this game? I will not elaborate here about the qualities of this game (there are none). At least it couldn't be done in the style of God of War or Devils may Cry?
  8. Pbeadzrmaemh
    Jun 26, 2021
    3
    A mess, full of bugs. Enemy hits register before they even begin the attacking animation.
  9. TonsofTrees
    Jun 23, 2021
    3
    The game is a buggy mess. As a fan of D&D and R.A. Salvatore's books I was very excited to play this. After a little over an hour I can say I have played all it offers and even that is a laggy, off hit-box, rinse repeat "slasher" without any precision or depth to warrant it the title of the prior stated.
  10. ItsAbove
    Jun 24, 2021
    3
    I wanted to play this game at first, it looked interesting and I was looking forward to it but after playing it for a few hours it wasn't fun, The game feels like it wasn't ready at all, they could fix it but it will take a lot of work to be able to get it to just a good status kind of Cyberpunk-esque. The game has a terrible AI, the archer character is broken, the game is not fun soloI wanted to play this game at first, it looked interesting and I was looking forward to it but after playing it for a few hours it wasn't fun, The game feels like it wasn't ready at all, they could fix it but it will take a lot of work to be able to get it to just a good status kind of Cyberpunk-esque. The game has a terrible AI, the archer character is broken, the game is not fun solo and in a group, there was a bug that keeps kicking you off the party after the mission. Animations are bad and this game just doesn't feel good.… Expand
  11. Dubeau
    Jun 30, 2021
    4
    Dark Alliance did not feel like a RPG at all. It's a fighting game with some level ups. There is some exploration in the levels, but there is no town, no village, no NPC. The story is delivered though enemies that babbles from far away, and some very difficult to read, tomes and artifacts. The story felt useless and completely incoherent. In single player the game is ok until you hit theDark Alliance did not feel like a RPG at all. It's a fighting game with some level ups. There is some exploration in the levels, but there is no town, no village, no NPC. The story is delivered though enemies that babbles from far away, and some very difficult to read, tomes and artifacts. The story felt useless and completely incoherent. In single player the game is ok until you hit the locked level, that force you a level of difficulty higher. And the wall is pretty stiff to climb. If you add a bad targeting system, no precision in fighting, long combo that expose you. Yet, the levels are great. The soundtrack is quite decent and the creatures design are real pro. But the game by itself gets boring and frustrating very fast. It isn't assemble like a real RPG should be. I give it a 44%.… Expand
  12. Andrudis
    Jul 2, 2021
    2
    I can only recommend to stay away from this crap. This game is an insult to D&D fans and not worth time
  13. ScienceAdvisor
    Jun 23, 2021
    1
    This should be ready to re-release in a few years. Right now, just about every aspect of this is broken, from AI, to mechanics, hitboxes, and general gameplay design. This was even less ready for release than Fallout 76, or CyberPunk 2077. The good thing is that this once again proves that some of the "professional" critics are shilling, or do not even bother to play the game beforeThis should be ready to re-release in a few years. Right now, just about every aspect of this is broken, from AI, to mechanics, hitboxes, and general gameplay design. This was even less ready for release than Fallout 76, or CyberPunk 2077. The good thing is that this once again proves that some of the "professional" critics are shilling, or do not even bother to play the game before 'reviewing' it.

    For the historical record, at the time of this review the following scores were given by these highly trustworthy source:

    PC Gamer, and Eurogamer Italy gave it an 8 / 10

    Millenium (?), IGN Italia, God is a Geek (ok that has to be fake), GAMINGbible (?), Shacknews, and Attack of the Fanboy (another fake?) gave it 7 / 10

    Multiplayer.it (worst webpage I have seen in decades - plural) gave it a 6.6 / 10 but did not bother with a review. So you know they are professional.    … Expand
  14. MrMT
    Jun 24, 2021
    3
    It's baffling to me how anyone could give this game a good score. Yes the atmosphere is well done, the environment and cut scenes have charm - but the game itself simply doesn't work. The combat is sluggish and unintuitive, the control scheme feels like it's fighting against itself, and the AI is bafflingly bad - as in, how could anyone in good conscience release it in this state? If youIt's baffling to me how anyone could give this game a good score. Yes the atmosphere is well done, the environment and cut scenes have charm - but the game itself simply doesn't work. The combat is sluggish and unintuitive, the control scheme feels like it's fighting against itself, and the AI is bafflingly bad - as in, how could anyone in good conscience release it in this state? If you have any elevation, or are across any gap, or are even at a certain distance, the AI simply cannot react to you, so as an archer you go go through entire levels killing everything and aggroing nothing. I could continue, but bottom line: this game is in no way ready for release, and it's nigh on incomprehensible that Xbox would associate the Game Pass Day 1 brand with this game.… Expand
  15. SunPraiser
    Jun 23, 2021
    0
    Terrible animation, broken sound, repetitive & clunky combat, and a buggy mess all around. I had high hopes because I loved Dark Alliance on PS2, but this is just uninspired and boring. You would be wise to save your money for one of the other millions of games that are better than this pile of turd.
  16. RudolphWolf
    Jun 23, 2021
    0
    Absolute trash!!

    Blind and dormant enemies, attack animations worse than mobile games, horrible physics... not to mention the graphics itself...
  17. Greywolf7995
    Jun 24, 2021
    3
    The game looks pretty interesting but its full of glitches , you can lure enemys to kill themselves , Xbox One S is working like a jet on this game, difficulty is terrible i switched to the recommended on second dungeon and its impossible to kil the boss but in the own stupid way , AI is stupid like a chair .
  18. Tiamat1985
    Jun 26, 2021
    0
    Una schifezza totale, meccaniche tristissime, AI ridicola, animazioni legnose, gameplay non divertente, loot da mmo ftp... Perdita di connessione frequente nel multiplayer online (unico presente) con perdita di tempo annessa (perdita di loot e progressione) e lag estrema.
  19. Lionar
    Jun 26, 2021
    0
    One thing need an action game ...the combat ..and here you don't find it ....AI just ignore you if you are catti....or if you get away some ft, animations are clunky, hitbox are near double the model in size (try to jump over enemy or other player), netcode problems ....it's another good IP wasted
  20. ZapRowsdower
    Jun 23, 2021
    0
    Not much that I can say that hasn't already been said. This is just not a good game, which is disappointing because I'm looking for a fun and fresh RPG game to play. I guess I have to stick with playing something older for now.
  21. RecycledKaos
    Jun 24, 2021
    3
    As a fan of the source material, the previous two games in the series, D&D games, hack and slash games, and just games in general. This game is offensively bad. I was able to play it for free on game pass and even then found it to be a waste of time. The character models are ugly, the combat is slow and clunky, the general tutorial area/start of the game is abhorrent. Don't even waste yourAs a fan of the source material, the previous two games in the series, D&D games, hack and slash games, and just games in general. This game is offensively bad. I was able to play it for free on game pass and even then found it to be a waste of time. The character models are ugly, the combat is slow and clunky, the general tutorial area/start of the game is abhorrent. Don't even waste your time if it's free. Let alone pay money for this drivel. Full lack of respect for the previous entries or the source material from the devs. Just a cash-in on a name. At least make this **** generic fantasy. An affront to D&D games and hack and slash.… Expand
  22. TeamEllis
    Jun 28, 2021
    0
    Terrible game. Clunky and glitchy. The combat is not enjoyable at all and plays like **** Kind of insulting that they released this garbage.
  23. leaveit
    Jun 23, 2021
    0
    Hitbox/collision issues every few seconds, grossly unbalanced classes, AI that only activates on physical approach, shockingly repetitive enemies and environments. The game is virtually just walking down the same corridor for several minutes before fighting some combination of 5-10 of the same 4 enemy types over and over again. A noticeably inferior game to its namesake, Baldur's Gate:Hitbox/collision issues every few seconds, grossly unbalanced classes, AI that only activates on physical approach, shockingly repetitive enemies and environments. The game is virtually just walking down the same corridor for several minutes before fighting some combination of 5-10 of the same 4 enemy types over and over again. A noticeably inferior game to its namesake, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance - and I can't imagine anyone disagrees.… Expand
  24. Goo4you
    Jun 24, 2021
    2
    I have been reading the Drizzt books since I learned of them in the summer of 1998. I can't begin to explain to you how absolutely disappointed I am with this. It's shockingly bad. You can't play this solo, even if you decided to try, it's ungodly buggy. I'd expect something like this game as a late PS2 release. Worst game of the year so far. Even if you're a fan of Drizzt, don't spendI have been reading the Drizzt books since I learned of them in the summer of 1998. I can't begin to explain to you how absolutely disappointed I am with this. It's shockingly bad. You can't play this solo, even if you decided to try, it's ungodly buggy. I'd expect something like this game as a late PS2 release. Worst game of the year so far. Even if you're a fan of Drizzt, don't spend your money on this. It's a terminally flawed game.… Expand
  25. jimmate
    Jun 30, 2021
    0
    absolutely awful, i'll give it a 1 for its setting as that's the only thing it gets right, the places you go are all pretty good looking and the setting is good, but everything else in the game is just straight up bad.. the AI is the worst i've seen in a long time, the combat feels floaty and attacks dont seem to have much impact, in a hack and slash game the combat really needs to beabsolutely awful, i'll give it a 1 for its setting as that's the only thing it gets right, the places you go are all pretty good looking and the setting is good, but everything else in the game is just straight up bad.. the AI is the worst i've seen in a long time, the combat feels floaty and attacks dont seem to have much impact, in a hack and slash game the combat really needs to be nailed and sadly this is nowhere near up to scratch. playing single player the game is awfully balanced, even playing a difficulty down from recommended power level the bosses still 1 shot you, and are absolute SPONGES, literally taking HUNDREDS of attacks to take them down. i'm a huge dark souls / bloodborne / sekiro fan and have platinumed all of them, it's not a case of "git gud", it's a case of awful balancing, if you're giving players an option to play solo, atleast add scaling for solo.… Expand
  26. SirTain
    Jul 1, 2021
    0
    It's not really fun, and it's not a Dark Alliance game. It's basically a less good Vermintide with more RPG elements.
  27. Spellgazer
    Jul 1, 2021
    0
    This game is only good for the garbage, sorry but don't bother to buy, watch some online reviews instead.
  28. BaconMage
    Jul 5, 2021
    2
    The actions are super clunky, the movements are robotic, and the graphics look like it was made for Xbox360. I struggle to call this a $10 game.
  29. Nidgey
    Jul 2, 2021
    0
    DO NOT BE FOOLED BY POSITIVE REVIEWS. It's laggy, sluggish controls, camera angles are horrendous, bland throughout the whole game and I honestly don't recommend anyone buying it or even download it from Game Pass. Not worth your time, if I were a DnD fan I would most certainly feel like its a slap in the face.
  30. Herb285
    Jul 3, 2021
    0
    It's so so so bad in every way. Just don't waste your money. .
  31. Strat77X
    Sep 15, 2021
    0
    An awful mess of a game. Can't join a party online- character is taken already error message. Cartoonish graphics that are 20 years or more behind the times. Unplayable difficulty solo. Very low budget effort.
  32. AJCk19
    Sep 4, 2023
    4
    Could have been better than Baldur's Gate 3. But online is dead and buggy, and there is deep customization.
  33. zNeverSleeping
    Jul 28, 2021
    3
    O jogo tinha potencial, mas a impressão que temos é que estamos jogando uma closed alpha, porque falta conteúdo, as missões são repetitivas, não há desafios - NPC burros e bosses inexplicavelmente preguiçosos; fora a quantidade insana de bugs que realmente atrapalham a experiência ou até mesmo impossibilitam a mesma.
  34. HindemithX
    Jun 14, 2022
    1
    Единицу тут можно поставить только за фентези сеттинг, дальше игру оценить невозможно, потому что уже на старте просто хочется её поскорее закрыть, забыть и удалить. Просто не понял как в это играть.
  35. Ordnik
    Oct 25, 2021
    0
    Terrible PC Port, camera and character controls are hard to handle because of the port. Animations are bugged, unfinished. Feels like an indie game.
  36. samhell80
    Jul 12, 2021
    2
    I was really keen on liking this game. It should be much much better. The basic set up of hack and slash and bite size segments seemed really good to play online with my brother. I was hoping it'd be like a 2021 version of Gauntlet or Golden Axe kind of thing. Unfortunately, the game is basically broken. Biggest issues are:

    - The online matchmaking is broken. There is no way to join a    I was really keen on liking this game. It should be much much better. The basic set up of hack and slash and bite size segments seemed really good to play online with my brother. I was hoping it'd be like a 2021 version of Gauntlet or Golden Axe kind of thing. Unfortunately, the game is basically broken. Biggest issues are:

    - The online matchmaking is broken. There is no way to join a friends game or invite a friend within the game itself. You have to use the byzantine PS4 friends menu to do it. And even then it only works some of the time. For every 20 minutes we've spent playing we've spent 10 trying to connect and rebooting the game.
    - When online matchmaking works and you are able to complete a mission. 8 times out of 10 the party is disbanded and everyone is kicked out of the game causing you to go through the same broken process again.
    - Combat is button mashy in the worse way. Hit boxes make no sense and are inconsistent and there is no way to time anything because there is severe input lag. You can't interrupt an action nor can you interrupt enemies animations...but they can interrupt yours.
    - Lock on is terrible, it works most of the time but in the middle of a battle sometimes you can't switch enemy targets and others you'll random be targeting a barrel in the background. When you are locked on and you try to dodge, the way the camera works, you just roll in a circle around your locked on target. Oh and you can't change or deactivate lock on during an animation from a previous button press. So lets say you've tried to do an over long animated attack but need to retreat you have to 1) Press button to attack 2) wait for animation to complete 3) click button to deactivate lock on 3) retreat...if you push the deactivate while the animation is still going it won't register.
    - The AI is awful enemies won't engage at a distance so you can just snipe everything if you really want to and they will never even turn to face you

    There's the possibility of a decent game here but these issues should have been fixed long before this game was ever released    … Expand
  37. UOuSyron
    Jul 15, 2021
    0
    **** this game **** this game **** this game **** this game **** this game **** this game **** this game **** this game
  38. PenisPickles69
    Jul 10, 2021
    0
    Wow... You know how everybody used to say Balan Wonderworld was the worst game of 2021 so far? Well I can honestly say this game is even worse than Balan Wonderworld in literally every way!
    The only positive thing about this game, is the good-looking cinematic cutscenes filled with weird but amusing dances, but Balan Wonderworld does even that better than this sorry pathetic excuse for a    Wow... You know how everybody used to say Balan Wonderworld was the worst game of 2021 so far? Well I can honestly say this game is even worse than Balan Wonderworld in literally every way!
    The only positive thing about this game, is the good-looking cinematic cutscenes filled with weird but amusing dances, but Balan Wonderworld does even that better than this sorry pathetic excuse for a D&D game!

    Back in the day, before video games were a thing, everybody used to play Dungeons & Dragons passionately the same way gamers do with video games today, and back then all you had was a set of dice, a few plastic figures and a piece of cardboard. Video games were meant to be the future of fantasy role playing games, but in this case, D&D Dark Alliance was a STEP BACK in evolution! You're far better off playing real D&D with dice, plastic and cardboard! If there ever existed a D&D Tiger handheld game, I bet even that would be better than D&D Dark Alliance.    … Expand
  39. Zuensmoker
    Jul 2, 2021
    0
    Saying in April 2021 crossgen ps4-ps5 is fully supported only to discover on Juni 22 on release ps4-ps5 crossplay is not there and added later.
    Tried emailing when, nobody knows
  40. Jaytown
    Jul 5, 2021
    0
    Corrsplay ps4 ps5 as stated in april by the producers, is a big fat lie! Doesnt work
  41. MagmaFang9465
    Aug 30, 2021
    1
    Why only up to five at a party? Why such a big amount of bugs? Why is the combat so poorly optimized? Models and environment may be decent, but I would rather play 5e than this waste of a game. (In fact, I do play 5e with my IRL friends.)
  42. Lord_Narcess
    Sep 17, 2021
    1
    TL;DR Go play Warhammer: Virmintide 2, its less buggy. Voice acting of the characters is the only redeeming quality.

    The hype for this game had me sooo ready for a great experience. Aaand....what a let down. While the games vocal acting is amazing it game mechanic is a glorified Warhammer: Vermintide. If that is not bad enough the story line is pathetic at best. Lastly it is buggy    TL;DR Go play Warhammer: Virmintide 2, its less buggy. Voice acting of the characters is the only redeeming quality.

    The hype for this game had me sooo ready for a great experience. Aaand....what a let down. While the games vocal acting is amazing it game mechanic is a glorified Warhammer: Vermintide. If that is not bad enough the story line is pathetic at best. Lastly it is buggy as a meth-house. From character drift, hit box drift, clipping...etc. Now I may be poopie because I had such high hopes, but this was just a massive let down.    … Expand
  43. DwydeShrude
    Oct 16, 2021
    3
    Old casual here. I'm not a major D&D afficianado but I love the theme. I saw Dark Alliance on Game Pass and gave it a shot. I wish I'd have read the reviews first because y'all are right. Everything is laggy - even offline solo play. The story has some potential from the intro scenes, but that is not developed during gameplay. I gave up and uninstalled the game after a few hours ofOld casual here. I'm not a major D&D afficianado but I love the theme. I saw Dark Alliance on Game Pass and gave it a shot. I wish I'd have read the reviews first because y'all are right. Everything is laggy - even offline solo play. The story has some potential from the intro scenes, but that is not developed during gameplay. I gave up and uninstalled the game after a few hours of play. I'd rather go another round with Witcher 3 or Diablo 3 again than keep on playing this.… Expand
  44. ChampionofDeaTH
    Oct 25, 2021
    3
    худшая херня даже и 30 минут не смогли поиграть , полный провал я считаю это так
  45. KinimodYunmi
    Mar 11, 2023
    3
    Der Delay von Aktionen ist so groß, dass ein vernünftiges Springen, so wie Ausweichen nicht möglich ist.
    Das Sammeln von Gegenständen, das Ausrüsten von Gegenständen ist ebenfalls eine ganze Sekunde verzögert.
    Die Angriffe treffen meiner Meinung teilweise direkt, ich bin mir da aber nicht sicher, da das gesamte Spiel einen Delay hat. So ist das Spiel nicht spielbar! Es ist eine    Der Delay von Aktionen ist so groß, dass ein vernünftiges Springen, so wie Ausweichen nicht möglich ist.
    Das Sammeln von Gegenständen, das Ausrüsten von Gegenständen ist ebenfalls eine ganze Sekunde verzögert.
    Die Angriffe treffen meiner Meinung teilweise direkt, ich bin mir da aber nicht sicher, da das gesamte Spiel einen Delay hat.

    So ist das Spiel nicht spielbar!
    Es ist eine Frechheit ein Spiel in diesem Stand zu releasen!    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

38
#38 Most Discussed PC Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
53

Mixed or average reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 37
  3. Negative: 13 out of 37
  1. Riot Pixels
    Sep 12, 2021
    33
    You know that a cooperative game is stillborn when you spend several minutes looking for random players to team up with even on a launch week. Probably because it’s one of the worst D&D games in ages.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Sep 1, 2021
    60
    Dark Alliance is a disappointingly run-of-the-mill action RPG whose most distinctive features are bugs and connection issues. Solid combat and levelling systems are not enough to outweigh repetitive, boring environments and the lack of decent endgame content. [09/2021, p.44]
  3. Malditos Nerds
    Jul 22, 2021
    30
    Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance is a blemish on a franchise that is always fondly remembered by its fan base. None of its features is up to the series and doesn't even allow us to fulfill the role-playing fantasies that Dungeons & Dragons has given us for so many decades.
    Read full review
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