Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale

 Xbox 360
User Score
5.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 52 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 52
  3. Negative: 24 out of 52

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  1. marvinkosh
    May 29, 2011
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As far as action goes, I found that Daggerdale is a good old hack and slash. As a mage, you can let loose some pretty decent area effect attacks. As a fighter, you can absorb a lot of punishment and deal a fair bit out too. In online play, there is no matchmaking service, but if you can get a game with good ping you can expect a more challenging game than if you played alone.

    There are some serious bugs though.

    Regeneration. Basically if you have an item which is supposed to heal you over time, it can stop working and need to be re-equipped. Fighters who use their Victorious Charge ability (I may not have the right name, sorry) will notice this happen.

    Poor accounting of resists. You can in some cases get the resistance bonus on your shield twice by unequipping it and re-equipping it. Switching to a different shield and then back fixes this, but it''s tempting to just leave the bug in place.

    Sometimes doors will just not open after you throw the lever. You will then be unable to progress without using the chapter select function. Fortunately, any quests you've turned in will stay completed, but...

    But chapter selecting is also kinda bugged because it does not automatically save your character, or give you the option. You have to manually save, then do chapter select, if you want to keep any newly-acquired stuff.

    Pathing is just terrible in places. There are some lovely multi-level areas which are spoiled by the AI tendency to want to try and climb up the walls instead of taking the ramp up to try and get you, for crying out loud it's all of five feet away. Any game developer should look at other games which have failed horribly in this regard, and look for a way to avoid pathing problems. Put in waypoints at the bottom and top of ramps so the AI knows to use them, like starships use wormholes in Star Trek. See, that wasn't so hard!

    The end-game is a series of horrible encounters with mages that shoot lots of purple missiles at you and make things generally irritating unless you pick them off with a ranged weapon. They respawn as frequently as a newbie playing Unreal Tournament. I haven't been able to finish it, but thanks to chapter select I've been able to collect lots of fancy items that might help.

    Online play tends to suffer from the respawning problem as well. It does get to the point sometimes where you have to run in order to get away from all the respawned critters and finish your quest.

    As I mentioned, there is no matchmaking service. But as well as that, you can't tell anything about the game you're joining except for who's running it. It would be really helpful to know just what characters are in the game already, what level they are and what chapter they're on. The ball's totally been dropped there.

    At a cost of 1200 points on Xbox Live, it needs a lot more polishing to be worth it. Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely game, but I cannot recommend it unless the commitment is there to fix it.    … Expand
  2. WhiteTalpa
    Dec 21, 2012
    5
    I liked this game and have got four level 10 characters and have played trough the game four times. however i will say that there is some bad lag when loading new zones which destroys the textures for about 4 seconds, there are also some other major bugs e.g. the last level bugged out so much that it took me and my friend 15 attempts of trying to defend the buggy boss. The game also lackI liked this game and have got four level 10 characters and have played trough the game four times. however i will say that there is some bad lag when loading new zones which destroys the textures for about 4 seconds, there are also some other major bugs e.g. the last level bugged out so much that it took me and my friend 15 attempts of trying to defend the buggy boss. The game also lack customization which is key in my option in any RPG. Finally this happened to both me and my friend our saves became unplayable you select the character to play but it then pops up an error message.… Expand
  3. afxcollin
    May 27, 2011
    7
    Great hack and slash game that keeps you engaged but does have its flaws. One of the biggest flaws is tha this does not feel like dungeons and dragons 4th edition. There are no skills and there is no role-playing, also there are a couple glitches. The biggest strengths that make the game enjoyable are the multiplayer aspects and the amount of weapons and gear that makes this title feel aGreat hack and slash game that keeps you engaged but does have its flaws. One of the biggest flaws is tha this does not feel like dungeons and dragons 4th edition. There are no skills and there is no role-playing, also there are a couple glitches. The biggest strengths that make the game enjoyable are the multiplayer aspects and the amount of weapons and gear that makes this title feel a little like diablo. In the end the game is fun albeit mindless hack and slash with a few in depth tweeks from leveling up. Its not everyones cup of tea but RPG fans should be able to appreciate the dungeons and dragons lore and gameplay.… Expand
  4. baddeadtaste
    Jun 2, 2011
    7
    Yes the game has a f few bugs, occasionally texture take a moment to come into focus. Occasionally an enemy gets stuck due to poor collision detection but this stuff is pretty minor overall. The game has an absolute load of customization options for each class as well as heaps of different weapons. You can easily replay the same class and have them perform totally differently. TheYes the game has a f few bugs, occasionally texture take a moment to come into focus. Occasionally an enemy gets stuck due to poor collision detection but this stuff is pretty minor overall. The game has an absolute load of customization options for each class as well as heaps of different weapons. You can easily replay the same class and have them perform totally differently. The story is rather average, nothing new here at all, but I did not play this game for the story. I played it for the hack and slash goodness which it has in spades!! The ability to play on line is cool as well which adds to the replay and for the low end price tag it's a great choice.All in all if your looking for something fun and a little like old school Baldurs Gate from the PS2 / Xbox days you should check this game out for sure.… Expand
  5. Dante_Ravenkin
    May 25, 2011
    7
    I didn't wait for reviews to get this game, I simply grabbed it as I'm a fan of D&D. I've been pleasantly surprised so far, and have run into only two glitches. Said glitches are the Rogue's Piercing Shot never, ever working, (but I may actually be using it wrong) and one merchant having ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to sell me, but having a full inventory for my co-op partner. The game itself,I didn't wait for reviews to get this game, I simply grabbed it as I'm a fan of D&D. I've been pleasantly surprised so far, and have run into only two glitches. Said glitches are the Rogue's Piercing Shot never, ever working, (but I may actually be using it wrong) and one merchant having ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to sell me, but having a full inventory for my co-op partner. The game itself, however, is very reminiscent of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, or D&D Heroes. It's a dungeon crawl, and does a fairly good job of capturing the 4th Edition D&D feel (very combat heavy, roleplay light). However, it is very unlike 4th edition as far as rules go. Like many action RPGs, if you're within hitting distance and swing, you'll connect. My halfling wizard became quite adept at melee combat by level 3. Also, you can use any ability you have as often as you want as there is only a cooldown period. None of 4th's "At-Will, Encounter, or Daily" powers. There is also a ton of loot and items to collect which are randomly generated. Like Fate, Diablo or Torchlight, it's based on the "(Random) (Item) of the (random)" system. So there's plenty of variety for items. Sadly, you have to choose your character from one of 4 classes: Halfling Wizard, Elven Rogue, Human Warrior, and Dwarven Cleric. Once chosen, you can rename them, and modify their starting abilities and stats. From there, only experience will allow you to change. The characters cap at level 10, which, if you're familiar with Wizards of the Coast's setup, is the first tier of D&D. Expect 2 more expansions for level 11-20 and 21-30. I've read posts elsewhere stating that the game is extremely buggy and unfinished. As I said first, I've only run into 2 glitches in about 5 hours of playtime. I have the Slim Xbox 360 so my hardware is newer and I wonder if older systems may have issues? I cannot say with certainty. Graphically, the game is nice enough. Up close in conversation the character models aren't the greatest, but for a $15 Live Arcade game, it will certainly do. Environments are also nicely done, making you feel like you're there in the dungeon. However, be forewarned: While it's mostly perfectly fine, there are times when the camera angle sucks because it's higher than part of the dungeon geometry and you can't see anything. Occurrences were rare though. Overall, I would recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, from 1st Edition grognards, to 4th Edition's new blood. It's a great game to sit down and play side by side with a friend, or even by yourself. Don't expect anything new from the genre, and you'll be just fine!
    I've given the game a 7, simply because I think it's a good game. It has it's problems (Camera, occasional glitches) but the the game is fun overall! I only wish that I could get my character to level 30, but 10 will do, for now.    … Expand
  6. YetiConfetti
    May 26, 2011
    6
    If you were a fan of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance or Dungeons and Dragons: Heroes then you should have no problem jumping into this top-down RPG. Daggerdale might not be as polished as either of those two, but it keeps the addicting gameplay intact.
  7. msherry9
    Jun 13, 2011
    6
    As someone who has been searching for a decent dungeon crawler on the Xbox 360 for quite sometime, I will say that I'm a little disappointed. I would give this game a 6.5, but that's not option so I rounded down. To start, this may be one of the buggiest and glitchiest games for the Xbox Arcade that you can possibly purchase. Just imagine the worst possible glitches that you can have in anAs someone who has been searching for a decent dungeon crawler on the Xbox 360 for quite sometime, I will say that I'm a little disappointed. I would give this game a 6.5, but that's not option so I rounded down. To start, this may be one of the buggiest and glitchiest games for the Xbox Arcade that you can possibly purchase. Just imagine the worst possible glitches that you can have in an RPG that heavily relies on leveling up various talents. That's right, if a possible glitch you imagined is disappearing talent points, then you guessed it. For some odd reason, at random intervals some of your hard-earned talent points simply vanish into thin air, completely erasing all of those invested points. If all of the points you invested in a certain spell are gone, your character literally unlearns it, and you're required to waste even more points in order to level it up again. The worst part is that the mysterious vanishing talent points never return. Oddly enough, this only happens with half of the character classes, being the warrior and rogue, while the wizard and priest never suffer from this nerve-grinding issue. This is far and away my biggest gripe about this game, and literally sucked away huge amounts of fun from it. Moving on, the dungeons and environments are all pretty bland, consisting of the inside of a cave or mine. The enemies are all quite repetitive and are only dangerous in huge numbers, which everything appears in. The storyline is so horrible that after completing the main quest twice, I still have no idea what the game is even about. The final boss fight is an absolute joke, since the actual final boss itself is easy as pie, while his minions are the real challenge, constantly winging ridiculously overpowered superspells at your character. Did I mention that they also never stop spawning? The sound effects are laughably bad, and the score is so forgettable that I cannot even remember what the main menu's music is like. The game is filled with a large host of other glitches, too many to describe in detail, but none that are gamebreaking other than the one I mentioned. The level cap is also a mere 10, so you will have a maxed out character in days. Aside from all of this trash that should've been patched but hasnt, there's still quite a bit of fun to be had. Cooperative play is especially a treat, since it features drop-in and out gameplay with any level characters and surprisingly has very little to no lag. Looting is also as much of a blast as with any dungeon crawler, and the primary combat mechanics of the game still flow nicely. Overall, a game completely bloated with glitches and bugs, and yet, it's still extremely easy to have some good fun here. Single player itself is a drag and not worth your purchase, but if you have a friend or two that are willing to invest $15 and you're waiting for better things to come, than this game will not fail you, especially if you're desperate for a dungeon crawler.… Expand
  8. reclinemusic
    May 31, 2011
    5
    Was excited about this game, although you actually had to seek this game out, instead of it finding you. In other words, this was a very stealthy release, which usually bodes ominous. So this game is an action RPG, reminiscent of diablo, baldur's gate: dark alliance, champions of norrath, sacred, etc. A top-down (or 3rd person view if you choose) action RPG that uses the D&D license.Was excited about this game, although you actually had to seek this game out, instead of it finding you. In other words, this was a very stealthy release, which usually bodes ominous. So this game is an action RPG, reminiscent of diablo, baldur's gate: dark alliance, champions of norrath, sacred, etc. A top-down (or 3rd person view if you choose) action RPG that uses the D&D license. Strengths: Graphics are decent for this type of game, its an top down aRPG which is rare these days, gear shows on your character, lots of loot. Weaknesses: glitchy - I'm wondering what quality control was performed, if any. I've heard of many glitches such as skills disappearing, quests restarting in the middle of battle, etc. Uninspired quests: usually just fetch or kill x bad guy. No voice acting, just annoying grunts - this isn't a big deal to me, but some people don't like it. Lack of customization at the start - you pick cleric, rogue, fighter or wizard, and that's it. You can't change your race or appearance, not that you see much of your character's details.

    In closing, I love these types of games, dark alliance and champions are 2 of my favorite console games. But I'm having a hard time finishing this game, and that's rare. I went back to sacred 2 before even reaching the level cap in this game.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

71
#71 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
43
#43 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
46

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 43 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 43
  3. Negative: 27 out of 43
  1. DailyGame
    Dec 12, 2011
    30
    Dungeons and Dragons: Daggerdale could have been a great title if the developers had taken the time to work out the bugs. If you're easily frustrated over games or their glitches, you most likely will be spiking your controller on the floor and walking away in bitter shame.
    Read full review
  2. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Aug 23, 2011
    50
    A grind in more ways than one. [Sept 2011, p.101]
  3. Games Master UK
    Jul 25, 2011
    54
    Rather lacklustre. [Sept 2011, p.87]
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