You walk into town looking to start a new life, and BAM they knock you down and steal all of your possessions. Welcome to Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance. The port town of Baldurs Gate is in disarray, held almost captive by the Thieves Guild Civil War which is running rampant in the town and in the caverns and catacombs beneath it. Armed with little more than a knife and your growing experience, you are inevitably drawn into the desperate situation that has descended upon the townspeople. For the first time on the Xbox Black Isle Studios and SnowBlind Studios bring you the fast paced RPG action/adventure title based on the Third Edition Dungeons and Dragons rule set. Utilizing the power of the Xbox to it’s potential, Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance emerses you in visually stunning graphics and compelling drama that is a must have for any gamer. So lets explore the intriguing and dangerous realms of Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance.

Storyline

In the world known as Abeir-Toril (meaning cradle of life) you begin your journey in the port city of Baldurs Gate. After being attacked and stripped of your belongings by thieves you make your way to the Elfsong Tavern to meet a cast of characters that you immediately interact with in an attempt to discover the identity of the thieves, but you discover much more. There is a long and interesting back story to Baldurs Gate that is revealed as you play through the game by interacting with the characters. The tavern is your entrance to the underground realm of Baldurs Gate, where you’ll see most of the fast paced and intense action.

Played from the third person perspective, you navigate any one of the three selectable characters at the start of the game through a top down view of the area. Vahn the Arcane Archer, Kromlech the Dwarven Fighter, and Adrianna the Elven Sorceress are among your choices. Each of the characters not only have a unique appearance, but they also have distinctive powers and abilities that develop throughout the game. Choosing a different character can have a great impact on your gameplay technique. Controlling all of the characters is identical, moving with the left thumb stick and rotating the camera with the right thumb stick. Other functions such as weapon and spell usage, jumping, aiming, attacking, blocking, healing, rejuvenation, and switching items are done via their respective controller layout. Every button on the standard Xbox controller is utilized and can seem overwhelming at first, however the pre-configured layouts are logical and seem very natural and easy to become accustomed to quickly.

Each of the characters have a number of abilities that define your them. These are strength, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, constitution and charisma. As you progress in the game you can increase your characters abilities by gaining points. Points are earned by completing levels and your performance in the game, you decide where these points are added. As you become stronger, wiser, and more skilled your character will react accordingly, possessing greater spell powers, more accuracy, better judgment and health. A great feature of the game is the export function, whereby a character can be imported into a game with his or her stats were you had built them up to previously. All of the characters have passive feats and active feats. Passive feats do not need to be activated, such as accuracy. Active feats need to be activated through the menu, and are specific to each individual. For example the Arcane Archer has exploding arrows, the Sorceress has a fire shield. There are approximately 20 passive and 20 active feats total.

There are three bars on the top of the screen as you play. A hit points bar (this is your life), your experience bar (which shows how close you are to the next level), and the Arcane energy bar. The Arcane energy bar shows how much energy a character has to perform energy dependent feats, and is very useful in determining whether or not to use a particular spell or feat. It’s quite simple to get your statistics during the game by pressing the back button. This, along with the on screen indicators keep you well oriented and informed on your status in the game. Another nice feature to Baldurs Gate are the plentiful save points, which are accessed through podiums throughout the levels. Recall potions can be used at almost anytime and teleport you back to a safe area where you can use points, buy and sell items and more.

You want enemies? You got ‘em. There are a variety of monsters to conquer, ranging from small dog-headed humanoids to giants that are twice the size of a human, some of which you will recognize from Forgotten Realms. To defeat the enemies you will utilize many different types of weapons and armor specific to the environment, which all have special attributes and will trigger different attack combinations. Learning what weapon to use in the right situation will become vital. Baldurs Gate can also be played through a cooperative mode, were both players tackle the obstacles simultaneously on the same screen, similar to the multiplayer in Hunter The Reckoning but allowing only two players. If a character dies during a cooperative game, going to one of the podiums will bring them back into the game. Like many games with cooperative mode, the gameplay is allot of fun with a friend. At the onset of the game you choose a difficulty setting; easy, normal or hard. Beating the game will unlock a new character and a new mission, and beating the new mission will unlock a new difficulty setting, further increasing the replay value.

Graphics / Presentation

The Xbox hardware was certainly put to good use in Baldurs Gate. Every item is detailed, and while the gameplay in various sections may seem similar, the details set them apart. The characters are done extremely well, and the detail goes right down to facial expressions and body language as they speak! The bartender at the Tavern even uses hand gestures that accentuate her points. All of the shadow, lighting, and bump-mapping effects are superb, and add a level of realism and finished quality to the game. The FMV sequences are done really well, and no matter what’s going on in the game the frame rate stays consistent. One of the best RPG’s we have seen.

Audio

The developer skipped no details in the making of Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance. As if the impressive story and exceptional graphics were not enough, the audio is equally impressive and memorable. A soundtrack composed by the talented Jeremy Soule accompanies the gameplay, rising and falling in intensity as the atmosphere changes. Ambient sounds and weapon effects are done convincingly, as are the sounds of the magic spells, like lightning and fire. The screams and moans of your enemies are also done very nicely, but perhaps the most impressive is the dialogue throughout your journey. The main story and small sublets are told in excellent narratives through the characters, and while many times you may want to skip through and get back to the action, the story and presentation is worth the wait.

Replay Value

While the game itself is fairly straight forward and a bit shorter than you might expect from and RPG Adventure title, there are quite a few reasons to come back for more action. Along with being able to select from three different characters, and three different levels of difficulty, the bonus level is fun in itself. Playing through as another character is a different experience, as varied techniques are required. Add in the cooperative play, and you have a game with lasting appeal.

Overall Score

Overall Score: 9.4/10 [Not an Average] Highly Recommended

Additional Comments

“Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance has allot of great features. Great graphics, audio, tons of options, varied levels, and a great storyline with lasting appeal. Presented in a fashion that you would hope other developers would take note of, Baldurs Gate is definitely well worth your time“. – Christina

“Being a long time fan of Baldurs Gate, and highly enjoying the Playstation 2 version, I felt it necessary to allow another reviewer the opportunity to provide an unbiased opinion of the Xbox version of this title. It would seem she shares my views on BGDA, as I am sure many others do. So just as a follow up to my previous statements …. Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance Rocks!” – xbox

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