Fans of Drizzt Do’Urden by author RA Salvatore and the original Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance games let out a collective sigh in 2019 when Wizards of the Coast announced Dark Alliance, a reboot of the action RPG series. While developer Tuque Games tells Polygon that the new Dark Alliance was built from the ground up for online multiplayer, local co-op will not be an option when the game is released.
The original Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance it was an instant success, thanks to its pleasant real-time riff in the then new rules of the 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons. The 2001 game and its 2004 sequel were loved for their hack-and-slash action, stunning visuals and local two-player cooperation. But the classic Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance titles were top-down 3D games; the new Dark Alliance is in the third person.
Speaking to Polygon during a hands-on preview, the game’s creative director said the development team spent a lot of time and energy on improving its gameplay, but also on the game’s features. This did not leave much time for the cooperative sofa mode that was originally announced.
“All environments have a unique appearance, and we wanted to bring the Forgotten Realms to life,” said Jeff Hattem. “Icewind Dale, in particular, is a very hostile environment. We wanted to bring this to life, which is partly why we got ahead and why the local cooperative is not under construction at the launch. We had to make a choice at some point. Do we fully perceive these environments, these monsters, and make them as immersive as possible? We put our foot on the accelerator on that front. “
Cooperative sofa play may come at a later date, said Hattem, along with many other features – new missions, new locations, new characters and new sets of equipment, for example. It all depends on the success of Dark Alliance, and what the community expects from the game going forward.
Dark Alliance will be released on June 22 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC (via Steam), Xbox One and Xbox Series X. The game costs $ 39.99 and will offer a deluxe version with access to the first bit of downloadable content for $ 59.99. For details on the game, check out our practice preview.