Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance

74%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,345 reviews
  • graphics
  • story
  • gameplay
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance Game Cover
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance has sadly not held up for a modern audience. If you already enjoyed the game, then this is a decent port to current hardware. For everyone else, the game is clunky, drab, and boring.
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"Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is a Dungeons & Dragons action RPG that offers a ground-breaking adventure with intense action, intricate puzzles, and sinister intrigue. Play as one of three customizable characters, each with unique abilities, and experience explosive spell effects and detailed environments. Battle alone or in two-player cooperative mode, and replay with different characters or in Extreme mode for an added challenge. Immerse yourself in this epic saga with Dolby Surround sound."

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Linux
  • Nintendo Gamecube
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 2
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

74%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,345 reviews
graphics42 positive mentions
stability24 negative mentions
  • The game brings back a lot of nostalgia for players who enjoyed it on consoles like PS2 and Xbox.
  • Gameplay is straightforward and fun, with a solid hack-and-slash experience that appeals to both casual and hardcore players.
  • The port runs smoothly on modern hardware, with good performance and the ability to play with friends via Remote Play.
  • The port lacks graphical options and quality of life improvements, making it feel like a lazy cash grab rather than a remaster.
  • There are significant issues with difficulty scaling, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, especially on higher difficulties.
  • The price point of $30 is considered too high for a 20-year-old game that offers little in terms of new content or enhancements.
  • graphics193 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally viewed as dated, reflecting its origins from the early 2000s, yet they still hold a certain charm and nostalgia for many players. While some appreciate the minor updates and polished visuals, others criticize the lack of significant graphical enhancements and options, particularly for a $30 price tag. Overall, the visuals are considered acceptable for their time, but many players feel that the port could have benefited from more comprehensive graphical improvements and settings.

    • “The graphics hold up well for its age, the water physics still impress me to this day.”
    • “This was originally a GameCube game, so the first thing you notice is that the graphics are great, with very rounded textures and shaders making it feel incredibly polished.”
    • “Great eerie music, fantastic graphics for its time and still impresses me today.”
    • “As soon as I saw that, and the Might & Magic 6 graphic quality, I ditched out and asked for a refund.”
    • “The game menus are filled with graphical glitches making equipping new gear, or basic inventory management completely pointless as it makes nearly everything unreadable unless you disable the Steam overlay.”
    • “It's just the people who made it don't give a shit about your experience and are after a cash grab on this 2001 'remaster', I say that in quotes because it doesn't look like they put much effort into updating the graphics at all, pretty similar to PS2.”
  • story115 mentions

    The story in "Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance" is generally described as straightforward and minimal, focusing on a hero's quest to thwart an unknown enemy threatening the titular city. While some players find the narrative charming and nostalgic, others criticize it for lacking depth and memorable characters, making it more of a hack-and-slash adventure than a story-driven experience. Overall, the game offers a fun, albeit basic, storyline that appeals to fans of classic RPGs, but may not satisfy those seeking a rich narrative.

    • “The storyline is straightforward, making it a great adventure/role-playing game.”
    • “Npcs are brilliantly voice acted, items and spells feel unique and meaningful, monster mechanics/design and the story line are expertly crafted while being faithful to the lore of the Forgotten Realms.”
    • “Tells a fun story set on the Sword Coast, and ends with a cool boss fight, and a great closing cut scene.”
    • “As for the story... there really isn't one.”
    • “There isn't enough story to make up for the lack of environment.”
    • “It starts out okay... although, nowhere near enough story from what I expect from a D&D game.”
  • gameplay85 mentions

    The gameplay is generally described as simple and straightforward, offering a mix of fun and challenge, particularly for those familiar with its mechanics. While some players appreciate its nostalgic charm and solid mechanics, others criticize its dated design, difficulty spikes, and lack of depth, leading to a mixed reception overall. Despite these issues, many find the cooperative experience enjoyable and the RPG elements satisfying, making it a worthwhile play for fans of the genre.

    • “The mechanics still feel pretty solid, and the game is still fun to run through with a friend after all this time.”
    • “Gameplay feels smooth, responsive, and has the best atmosphere ever!”
    • “It's a testament to how solid the gameplay is that after almost 19 years and so many RPGs since then, I still love this game.”
    • “This game is kind of like that, if the catacombs were right after the undead burg, the game gave you barely an iota of experience to level up, absolute garbage tier gear every step of the way, and had its gameplay mechanics reduced to WASD, jump, and mouse 1.”
    • “It was clear the gameplay wasn't going to get better at all, with it actually getting worse.”
    • “Bugs, poor mechanics, bad controller response, and no fun factor.”
  • stability36 mentions

    The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many users reporting significant graphical glitches, particularly in menus and inventory management, which can hinder gameplay. While some players experience crashes and save corruption, others find the game runs smoothly with minimal bugs that are not game-breaking. Overall, the port retains a nostalgic feel but suffers from various stability issues that may frustrate players.

    • “So far, it runs great and has yet to crash.”
    • “That said, the game runs great and does so with no issues.”
    • “This is a phenomenal game, runs great (granted there are no graphics options, which will undoubtedly upset a few people) and is exactly how you remember it.”
    • “The game menus are filled with graphical glitches, making equipping new gear or basic inventory management completely pointless, as it makes nearly everything unreadable unless you disable the Steam overlay.”
    • “12 hours in, the game freezes, crashes, and corrupts the save.”
    • “The inventory screen and shop screens are buggy as hell, with constant graphic tears.”
  • music30 mentions

    The music in the game, particularly the soundtrack by Jeremy Soule, is highly praised for its nostalgic and immersive qualities, with many players fondly recalling the iconic elf song from the tavern. While the overall sound design, including voice acting, is considered decent, some users express frustration over the lack of control over audio settings. Despite these issues, the music remains a standout feature that enhances the gaming experience.

    • “One of my favorite old hack n' slash titles from the PS2 era with an amazing soundtrack by Jeremy Soule.”
    • “The soundtrack and having full voice acting is amazing!”
    • “Great eerie music, fantastic graphics for its time and still impresses me today.”
    • “I highly recommend doing a playthrough with the game music muted and playing the Dethalbum by Dethklok in the background.”
    • “Even comes with the 'can't turn down background noise, just music and sound effects' bug that plagued the first.”
    • “I really don't like how I don't have control over the options, such as bloom, motion blur, dialog volume, ambient music/sound volume, vsync, and any filtering of the textures.”
  • optimization20 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many users noting that while it runs smoothly under certain conditions (like capping the FPS and using v-sync), the overall port is poorly optimized for PC. Issues such as unstable controller support and reports of fuzzy graphics have been highlighted, although some players have experienced fast load times and no significant stuttering. Overall, the consensus leans towards dissatisfaction with the optimization of the PC release.

    • “The game does seem to run smoothly, but I bought this game with the intent to play with others mostly.”
    • “Performance is fine provided you cap the FPS to 60 and enforce V-Sync to prevent heavy screen tearing, but in my experience, controller support is suspect/unstable and randomly disconnects the controller.”
    • “It was even better with graphical enhancements via PCSX2 emulation but took some performance hits to do so.”
    • “This game is poorly optimized.”
    • “Cons: it doesn't seem to be optimized for the PC release.”
    • “Performance is fine provided you cap the fps to 60 and enforce v-sync to prevent heavy screen-tearing, but in my experience, controller support is suspect/unstable and randomly disconnects the controller.”
  • replayability18 mentions

    The game offers solid replayability, rated around 8/10, primarily due to the variety of character classes and the challenge of playing on higher difficulties, which rewards players with better loot. Additionally, the ability to play cooperatively without requiring a second purchase enhances its replay value. However, its linear storyline may limit some aspects of replayability compared to other titles in the genre.

    • “It has great replay value; at least once for each character class.”
    • “There is a fair amount of replayability with Dark Alliance; playing on hard difficulty with a new character can be very challenging but also rewarding with better loot!”
    • “This game has decent replayability because of the characters alone, allowing you to unlock their abilities and level up.”
    • “It has some replay value in the form of a secret unlockable character and the extreme difficulty that comes with them.”
    • “It has easily withstood the test of time in terms of replayability and is only limited by its linear storyline.”
    • “Maybe someone can convince them to do so for bgda2, as that's the game with far more replay value.”
  • monetization16 mentions

    The monetization of this game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with reviewers expressing disappointment over the lack of effort in the port and the high price point that rivals modern titles. Many feel that the nostalgic appeal is exploited without delivering a true remaster, leading to frustration over the perceived low-quality product and broken features. Overall, the sentiment is that this release prioritizes profit over player experience.

    • “It's just the people who made it don't give a shit about your experience and are after a cash grab on this 2001 'remaster'. I say that in quotes because it doesn't look like they put much effort into updating the graphics at all, pretty similar to PS2.”
    • “This is not a remaster, but it definitely should be, as that would at least justify the price over this blatant nostalgia cash grab.”
    • “Don't let the nostalgia rip you off; this really seems like another low effort cash grab.”
  • grinding14 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often lacking challenge, with some scenes feeling nearly impossible without significant health resources or cheats. Many report spending considerable time grinding, with mixed feelings about the necessity of this process, especially given the game's controls and overall pacing. Overall, while grinding is a significant part of the experience, it can detract from enjoyment for some players.

    • “It does sound tedious and boring not having a challenge when you play, but there is a scene in the game where you are constantly being attacked by mice, and it almost seems impossible to beat them without dying or without a lot of health potions, so you have to cheat a little.”
    • “Still have weeks' worth of grinding left to do and already praying they release the rest of the games.”
    • “I'm at the final boss 11.3 hours in and I spent about an hour, collectively, grinding.”
  • character development4 mentions

    The character development in this RPG is praised for its depth and detail, featuring charismatic designs and impressive voice acting that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the nostalgic value and timeless quality of the characters, making it a worthwhile choice for both new and returning fans.

    • “Oozing with detail, charisma, amazing character design and voice acting, and truly ahead of its time - I really had a blast playing this when I was a kid on the PS2, and now again with the PC port.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as hilarious and absurd, with players finding amusement in the ridiculous premise and unexpected ambushes that occur in mundane settings, such as an empty street. The comedic elements are highlighted as a standout feature, contributing to the overall enjoyment of the game.

    • “The premise is so dumb that your character gets ambushed in the most hilarious way possible, on an empty street (not even an alley, a street).”
    • “Hilarious, I cleansed the gene pool.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its smooth and responsive gameplay, complemented by attractive visuals that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the immersive environment, making it a joy to engage in couch co-op sessions while facing challenging gameplay.

    • “Gameplay feels smooth, responsive, and has the best atmosphere ever!”
    • “An incredible porting job - smoother than butter, attractive, atmospheric visuals, couch co-op is always a joy, and a long, difficult challenge to overcome.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is generally viewed as lacking depth, with reviewers noting that it does not offer a compelling story or memorable characters. Instead, the focus is on the enjoyable gameplay experience of a remastered hack and slash title.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

68% average critic score

Buy Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance

Play time

19hMedian play time
15hAverage play time
12hMain story
19hCompletionist
5-24hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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