D&D Dark Alliance - co-op action brawler where you play Drizzt's party

[nikolokolus]

I would have been more impressed if all of the characters had Go-Pros prominently mounted on their helmets.

 

[gestalt11]

That camera work is hilarious. Who thought this was a good idea?

Its the definition of cringe.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

I would have been more impressed if all of the characters had Go-Pros prominently mounted on their helmets.

Clearly, they took that thought and turned it up to 11. They put a go-pro on the end of every swinging sword and arrow loosed. Reminds me of early MTV trash cinematography.

 

[NJClaw]

Why even PAIZO is able to find some unknown eastern european developers to give us a decent RPG experience and WotC has to do this? Is everyone in that company actually retarded?

 

[thesheeep]

It is awesome how everyone tears this trailer apart.

And it is mysterious what the hell they were thinking.

 

[Thonius]

I kinda liked it becouse it's not another - dark screen - deep voice saying something like "troubles are brewing in land of ice wind dale" - logo reveal - dramatic quick change of short snippets of video 2sec each.

 

[Makabb]

That camera work is hilarious. Who thought this was a good idea?

Wizards (of the coast)

 

[mindx2]

 

[Silly Germans]

They look smart ...

 

[Darkzone]

Wizards (of the coast)

Spoiler

Which departement is this, because WotC are not that small? WotC Games has the Magic the Gathering (section with the largest profit as far as i remember), DnD and Avalon Hill (Board Games). And if this is the DnD department then where is Chris Perkins (the one with the mask)?

 

[mindx2]

My God that music.... ... let along the so-called "cinematics".

 

[santino27]

That camera work is hilarious. Who thought this was a good idea?

Wizards (of the coast)

 

[LESS T_T]

Short interview in the latest issue of Dragon+: https://dnd.dragonmag.com/2019/12/13/in-the-worksdark-alliance/content.html

Dark Alliance

If the trailer reveal for Dark Alliance came as something of a surprise when it aired during The Game Awards 2019, spare a thought for Jeff Hattem. Tuque Games’ Head of Studio has been waiting six years to blast Norwegian alt-rock over images of battle and scream from the rooftops that he’s working on Wizards of the Coast’s first published D&D video game.

“I’m super excited to finally be announcing the game,” he tells Dragon+ after giving us a sneak peek at that trailer. “I originally approached people in 2013 to make this game, so it’s been a long time coming. Finally, we get a chance to show the world what we’ve been working on.”

Hattem reveals that at one stage he might have found himself announcing a game with a very different title. When his team were designing and building the video game they highlighted the four “Companions” made famous by author R.A. Salvatore in his Drizzt novels. So much so, the game actually took on the codename Companions of the Hall. Then the D&D Team got their first look at it and memories of Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance started to fire.

“When we saw it, we thought it’s the exact thing we remember from the PlayStation 2,” says Nathan Stewart, Head of Franchise for Dungeons & Dragons. “We pulled out the PS2 and started playing Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance and thought, ‘It is Dark Alliance!’ It was an easy decision to reboot the game as the spiritual successor to those previous games—it just so happens the characters you’re playing are Wulfgar, Bruenor, Drizzt and Cattie-brie.”

As the trailer and the series’ previous instalments suggest, players can expect frantic action as they battle the humanoids and beasts that make Icewind Dale their home. Each of the four playable characters carries their signature weapons from the R.A. Salvatore tales: Drizzt is dual-wielding two scimitars; Wulfgar has a sturdy and colossal war hammer; Bruenor has his battle axe; and Cattie-brie has her trusty bow.

“I think it’s pretty clear that our game starts when the Dungeon Master says, ‘Roll for initiative.’ It’s throwing down with monsters, grabbing the good loot, and upgrading your character. That’s where we shine and where we’re trying to make something special,” Hattem says.

“My favorite thing about the game is that we’ve designed it to be super accessible but also deep. Based on the fact each character has their signature weapons they all play completely differently from a combat perspective, so there’s something for everybody.

“Each of the player characters also have their own charisma. That affects the aura they share with other characters and gives them buffs based on their proximity. It encourages players to stick together.”

Yet Dark Alliance—as its name suggests—is not all about the Companions of the Hall. In the best stories, the hero is only ever as good as the villain and the Icewind Dale promises to provide some tough opposition. While the trailer shows Drizzt and his friends hacking and slashing their way through waves of those frost giants, goblins and gnolls, a lot of care has gone into creating those enemies.

“We put a lot of love into fully realizing the Icewind Dale environment and the monsters that live there. It’s a harsh and dangerous place and we didn’t want to simply plop down monsters so you can go and bash them,” Hattem explains.

“Frost giants, goblins, and gnolls all have their own ways to survive there and we’re bringing that to the forefront to give them some character. They might have their own rituals and ways of getting power and that allows us to introduce them in interesting ways.”

In another throwback to the PS2 games, Dark Alliance will feature co-op gaming for up to four players. That will allow all four of the Companions to fight side-by-side, either online or locally on the same console or PC.

“What stands the test of time with the original Dark Alliance games—even though today’s games have a lot more bells and whistles and better performance—is that they were super fun to play with your friends sitting on the couch,” Hattem says.

“Dark Alliance offers gameplay that is reminiscent of classic couch co-op action RPGs that you’ll want to play over and over again with your friends. And that element of playing with your friends is what drives Dungeons & Dragons in general.”

Third-person action RPG Dark Alliance is coming to PC and consoles in Fall 2020. Visit the official Dark Alliance website to learn more.

 

[Barabus]

this is gonna be dope and im gonna play this song the entire time i play

 

[Makabb]

Which departement is this, because WotC are not that small? WotC Games has the Magic the Gathering (section with the largest profit as far as i remember), DnD and Avalon Hill (Board Games). And if this is the DnD department then where is Chris Perkins (the one with the mask)?

Magic the Gathering section:

 

[Theldaran]

Dark Alliance 2020 huh...

The models of Bruenor's clique look like something out of Fortnite. Terrible.

Of course it will plainly be arcade button-masher, the original games were too, I think (it's been a lot of time).

 

[Lilura]

Drizzt party in Baldur's Gate:

Spoiler

 

[Theldaran]

Wow, such good rolls.

And then the Player's Handbook told you "don't worry if you have some dump stat, it's only natural, just roll with it lol", of course nobody swallowed that shit, and players were always asking for roll systems where their rolls were decent, and the DMs were always reluctant.

 

[Lilura]

Who cares about PnP? This is a cRPG forum. Powergaming and efficient killing is everything.

 

[Duraframe300]

D&D: Go-Pro Alliance

 

[J_C]

Why does Wulfgar look like a wimp in the trailer? I always imagined him a tower of meat and muscle, like a bodybuilder.

 

[Makabb]

Who cares about PnP? This is a cRPG forum. Powergaming and efficient killing is everything.

I do, Li-Lura San.

 

[Theldaran]

Who cares about PnP? This is a cRPG forum. Powergaming and efficient killing is everything.

Completely possible to beat BG with derp character with low stats, but you need some broken class like Bounty Hunter.

Obviously you don't need any rolls and you can be a babbling monkey as long as you can set devastating traps that kill everything on sight.

Or you can play a geek persona where every stat is abysmal except for Intelligence 18 (wizard obviously).

A PNP game offers some fresh challenges where you have to actually wrack your head, like negotiating with some nobleman or infiltrating some guarded place.

Also, isn't WOTC like a bit incloosive? When I played 20 years ago, there was a grand total of 0 women playing Magic with me. It was a sorry sausage fest.

 

[gerey]

That camera work is hilarious. Who thought this was a good idea?

Wizards (of the coast)

Gender Wizards of the West Coast more like.

Also, whoever is responsible for that trailer should have his whole family tree eradicated.

 

[Reinhardt]

Hey! You can't name game DARK just because main character is black! Dat's raycist!