Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale

A grind in more ways than one. [Sept 2011, p.101]

Rather lacklustre. [Sept 2011, p.87]

Pales next to the likes of Torchlight and the DeathSpank games. [Issue#74, p.102]

Just don't expect it to live up [to] the potential of the D&D license. [Issue#111, p.112]

An action RPG based on a classic brand. But this production for digital delivery is not worth it, because of the too many bugs and graphics issues that hamper the experience.

It's not worth its money. It is boring and full of bugs. The only thing that would be an argument for downloading this game is that it is placed in the D&D-Universe. But unfortunately it is hard to find elements from D&D in the game.

In the end, Daggerdale is a passable hack and slash that seems like it needed another few months in the oven before release.

Do yourself a favor and download the far superior Torchlight instead. It's not D&D, but it's a heck of a lot more fun to play. [Aug 2011, p.82]

Dungeons & Dragon's: Daggerdale starts off well enough, but you quickly discover that this games is a collection of infinite loops. The gameplay, story and setting is unimpressive in what really is an unremarkable action RPG.

For fifteen dollars, there are better titles out there to download. Daggerdale will certainly give fans of repetitive combat what they look for, but little else.

Unfortunately, the gameplay experience in Dungeon & Dragons: Daggerdale suffers from a lot of gameplay problems including poor music, shoddy voice work, and a whole lot of repetitious combat. All of these issues ultimately take a lot away from this title, which had whole lot of potential when first announced. Although you have the opportunity to save Daggerdale in the game, there is unfortunately not a whole lot to go on to save this title from mediocrity

A simplistic hack-n-slash game, with various co-op options for local and online gameplay. The basic action/ RPG part works, but overall the game feels unfinished and with many serious bugs.

A disappointing game due to an unconvincing story, repetitive gameplay and environments, bug-ridden online co-op and a generally lacklustre technical production.

Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale is a game that means to serve the fans, but is a let down in so many areas. With the stellar Torchlight hitting the marketplace as well, the only thing Daggerdale has on it is cooperative gameplay, and it even does that poorly. Only the most hardcore D&D fans should venture forth, everyone else should cast a haste spell and run away...quickly.

A missed opportunity. The source material is strong, but in this example is executed poorly.

I am a huge fan of co-op games, and believe very strongly in the notion that a poor game can be made better by having someone else to play it with, but Daggerdale isn't just a poor game, it's a frustrating, shoddy, broken mess of a game that never should have been released in its current state, made even more upsetting by the fact that you have no recourse to get your money back. Do not buy this game.

Daggerdale, as these things go, isn't bad, and you do get a lot of game for your money here, particularly if you go through it cooperatively. There are never quite enough co-op dungeon crawlers on the market, and while this isn't a particularly pretty or intuitive one, it allows you to kill a whole boatload of monsters while stealing all their money to spend on ways to improve your ability to kill entire boatloads of slightly tougher monsters, and that's pretty much all you need out of this kind of game.

By the time you reach the end boss, complete with compulsory quick-time events, you'll be glad it's over. Daggerdale doesn't do anything out of the ordinary – it's a typical plod through the world of D&D, and a stale one at that.

Dungeons And Dragons: Daggerdale barely has any memorable features to it, as it is nothing more than a generic dungeon crawler. This is worsened by the repetitive missions and a lack of checkpoints. The decent controls and the co-op add a little enjoyment, but cannot save this game from disaster.

Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale is a very elemental and simplified game. For good and bad. Many of the expected components are there, but the end result is uninspiring. The fact that you can play with three friends over the Internet or in your couch enhances the experience somewhat – but for the most part this game cannot challenge its competitors.

A dismal failure. Tedious, slow and repetitious: here is the best way to describe the latest Atari's work.

This is a game that could have been a lot better than it is. But it is not better. It is exactly as good as it is, and that is not good. It is, in fact, bad.

Daggerdale is a lengthy adventure, but most of the monsters and quests start to feel reiterative after the first couple of hours. Nonetheless, there are few other places to go right now for a downloadable fantasy game with co-op included. Someone should really get on that problem, because Daggerdale isn't the solution.

An epic fail on the quest for fun.

At one point I put the game down and was planning on going to bed, but I soon realized I wasn't as tired as I thought and opted to tackle another quest or two.

For those waiting for the next great dungeon crawler, your ship hasn't yet come in. Take heart though, the future looks bright for the genre.

That's no way to exploit an historic license. This is not Dungeons and Dragons, it's more like a buggy and unpolished hack'n'slash.

In the end, Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale doesn't offer the gamer anything new in terms of gameplay but gives players a classic sword and sorcery experience plus 10 or so hours of gameplay. It may not be the most exciting game of the year but considering the cost, it's actually not that bad either. If you are a fan of the classic Dungeons & Dragons rules and game settings than you really should check out this game, provided you like button smashing.

Unfortunetly, Daggerdale doesnt live up to the Dungeons & Dragons licence at all. It feels rushed, don't offer interesting challenges and is so cliché ridden that even hard core fantasy fans will have a hard time to accept it.

Ultimately, the one thing that Daggerdale manages to accomplish is providing a proof of concept: Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition can work well in a video game. Unfortunately, Daggerdale is not that video game. Buggy, flawed, and bland, Daggerdale is the dice without the creativity of the players throwing them. While I'm sure we haven't seen the last of 4th Edition in the video game world, it's safe to give Daggerdale a critical miss.

As miserable a waste of a good licence as we've ever seen and the most bug-ridden and unimaginative download of the year so far.

From UI, to writing, to systems, this feels like an ancient game that was also, tragically, not given enough time in the oven.

The decent hack-and-slash action of Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale is plagued by more problems than its heroic adventurers can handle.

Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale is a technical mess. Tons of bugs ruins the experience, transforming a potentially good game in an old chinese torture. The only good element of the package is the multiplayer mode, but some strange lag issues destroy all the fun.

Perhaps the main selling point is the presence of four-player co-op - especially given its online and local credentials. A bit of Gauntlet-style adventuring isn't something to sniff at, and far more enjoyable than button-mashing solo forays, where death results in having to replay entire missions from scratch. Nein, danke.

Daggerdale could have been at the minimum a great appetizer for those awaiting the launch of Diablo III, especially for D&D fans. Instead, it ends up being a bland and buggy exercise in tedium.

At the risk of repeating myself, the game is just broken. And in this age of "eh, we'll fix that with a first-week patch," it's particularly sad to see what feels like so little effort put into living up to what can even objectively be described as a legendary property.

Dungeons and Dragons: Daggerdale is a fine, if unexceptional, game.

A race to the bottom, buggy and ill-inspired by genre clichés.

Daggerdale comes across as a careless and sloppily executed venture. Even if such problems are eventually addressed, this rigid and uninspired quest is little more than an adequate adventure, legendary namesake be damned.

Though it may not be a technical powerhouse or gain any marks for innovation, it's a decent, party-friendly adventure that lasts a good 12 hours for one playthrough and it will likely be patched within the first week.