D&D: Dark Alliance Features Familiar Faces, All New Adventure
Dungeon & Dragons Dark Alliance might feature the familiar faces of Drizzt and the Companions of the Hall, but it’ll send players on an all new adventure.
Drizzt Do’Urden and the Companions of the Hall–at least a few of them–are taking the center stage of a new hack and slash game in the Dark Alliance line from WotC’s newly-acquired game studio, Tuque Games, who recently announced Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance at the creatively named Video Game Awards which featured many new reveals and announcements of brand new games that are all mostly sequels or remakes of old favorites, new spins on popular IP, or a game where you play as a murderous shark, straight out of a Syfy/Asylum Pictures film.
But we’re not here today to talk about Sharks, at least not until a major RPG publisher stops being a coward long enough to release an official Street Sharks RPG. No today we’re here to talk about the Dark Alliance series, which has two games prior. But the third, the newest one, seems like a departure from the first. Not the least of which is because the game is leaving behind the balmy climes of Baldur’s Gate and headed for Icewind Dale.
But the changes keep rolling in, instead of playing as a specific race/class combo, akin to the generic sorcerer/barbarian etc. from Diablo, players are taking on the role of one of four characters out of R.A. Salvatore’s saga of drow and dual-scimitars. That is to say they’ll be playing Drizzt, Cattie-brie, Bruenor, or Wulfgar. And there are even more details filtering out, according to a recent interview with Kevin Neibert, who spoke to the folks at io9.
According to the interview, Tuque Games is excited to work with characters that Neibert resonated with growing up. The legendary ranger and his companions seemed like a natural fit for this co-op hack-and-slash fest that supports all manner of co-op play (and will be out on all platforms sooner or later). And while Neibert wouldn’t yet comment on which characters from the Companions of the Hall make an appearance beyond the main four already mention–notably absent is the portly halfling that everyone loves, Regis, our once and future king…
…Neibert did reveal that the new Dark Alliance game follows our four friends on an all-new adventure:
Early on in the concept phase of the game, we brought in R.A. Salvatore to discuss potential story ideas and places we could take the characters that differ from what has come before. Obviously, we’re inspired by the 30-plus books and D&D adventures, but this quest is entirely new and unconnected to anything that exists.
And on the subject of Icewind Dale, the reason for changing the location is to cement that this isn’t another Baldur’s Gate related game–but rather it’s all about the Dark Alliance.
It moves the action to a part of the Forgotten Realms that is very harsh, violent, and unforgivable. It allows us to break out of the shadow of the old games and define a new beginning for Dark Alliance.
Other remarks hinted at a jump in action. The game “prioritizes companionship and cooperation” while remaining “much more action-heavy, but [still able to] capture the accessibility that Dark Alliance brought to the table.” The game is set to release in Fall 2020.
Happy Adventuring!
