Harkening back to the Baldur’s Gate spin-offs of old, Wizards of the Coast and Tuque Games has touted Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance as a modern reimagining of the classic action-RPG series. Featuring an updated third-person perspective, a bolstered co-op experience, and a particularly heavy metal aesthetic, the tabletop-influenced adventure has looked to offer no shortage of dungeons to crawl, monsters to slay, and chests to loot.

With the game’s release upon us, reviews have begun to appear for the spiritual successor, offering the first critical consensus for Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance. So, what are the critics saying? According to emerging reviews, Dark Alliance is offering a decidedly mixed experience. While the game is appreciated for its fun adaptation of D&D’s Forgotten Realms, criticism has also been raised regarding its unpolished and repetitive structure at launch.

• GamesBeat – 60/100

“Dark Alliance feels like many D&D adventures: Sometimes, you gotta slog through some combat in order to learn more about the world and enjoy a good story.”

• Game Rant – 70/100

“This game is a worthy successor to the Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance titles. Though the combat can become a bit repetitive, it’s fast-paced and engaging for the most part. While playing solo, it’s fun and challenging, and it’s easy to see how it would flourish with a full group of players. It isn’t perfect, but the over-the-top voice acting and character models, respect for Dungeons and Dragons lore, and intuitive combat make for a charming package. It’s casual enough for anyone to pick up and play while retaining enough Dungeons and Dragons standards to keep experienced players of the tabletop game content. Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance is a fun action RPG, that has an opportunity to open up Dungeons and Dragons to a wider audience.”

• IGN – 40/100

“I badly wanted Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance to be an awesome co-op version of the pencil-and-paper tabletop RPGs I’ve loved for decades, but it just isn’t. It’s a bland, boring trek through repetitive encounters that’s filled with bugs and annoying design choices, and though it allows you to play alone you absolutely should not do that because it’s an imbalanced nightmare. I can praise its faithful look and feel, which captures much of what makes Forgotten Realms a great setting, but there’s very little else to recommend about this unpolished mess of a hack-and-slash RPG.”

• PC Gamer – 82/100

“A furiously entertaining action RPG whose horrible monsters are a delight to slay, whether you’re playing solo or co-op.”

• Windows Central – 60/100

“Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is a decent brawler if you’re looking for casual fun while chatting with your friends on Discord. If you’re expecting much depth from the plot or combat mechanics, you’ll likely be disappointed.”

Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is now available for PC, ​​PlayStation 4, ​​PlayStation 5, ​​Xbox One, ​​Xbox Series X/S as well as Xbox Game Pass. What do you think? ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Are you thinking of picking up the game yourself despite the mixed reviews? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day!

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