Developer: Black Isle Publisher: Interplay Release: 01/20/04 Genre: Action RPG
Computer RPGs have always been a hard sell for console gamers. The complex interfaces designed for a mouse and keyboard were usually butchered while trying to fit on a limited controller. For this reason spinoffs were usually better and Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance was one of the better ones. As a hack and slash action RPG it may have been simple but was incredibly fun, especially with a friend. Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance II expands on what made the first game great and offers more options in every category. Action RPG fans should pass this one up.
Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance II picks up immediately where the first game left off. After passing through the portal at the top of the Onyx Tower the original three heroes are captured by vampire Mordoc. Five new heroes come to Baldur’s Gate for their own reasons but will soon come to the defense of the city and eventually uncover what happened to their erstwhile predecessors.
Take everything you liked about the first game and add more and you essentially have Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance II. That is a simplification but largely true. There are five characters to choose from and their classes couldn’t be more different. Dorn is a barbarian adept at dual wielding both one and two hand weapons. Vhaidra is a monk better at using her hands while Borador is a dwarven rogue capable of disarming traps and setting explosives. The two magic users are wildly dissimilar. Alessia is a cleric with a cache of healing spells and buffs. Lastly Ysuran is a necromancer capable of summoning a skeletal familiar to occupy enemies while he casts spells from the back.
A lot of work went into making each character distinct aside from their class. While there is a set pool of skills everyone has access to there are a number that are unique to each character. Generally these allow you to specialize in specific categories such as making Dorn more proficient with ranged attacks than in melee combat or Alessia a buff bot for multiplayer. Midway through the game everyone receives a class specific quest that unlocks further unique skills. While cool it is a bit late in the game to dedicate points to these skills unless you grind out levels which is a tedious task. You are better off using the new crafting system instead.
The greatest bit of customization comes in crafting. In the game’s workshop you can use any of around twenty gems to create unique and specific pieces of weapons, armor, and jewelry. All that is necessary is an above average item and a runestone. There are two slots for other gems with each producing different effects. These effects can range from adding elemental damage to a weapon or boosting one of your skills a few points. You can stack up to sixteen of each gem in one item which increases the individual effects exponentially. The system is deep; want a sword that reduces the targets armor and burns them with fire damage over time? It is possible. The only limit is gold; it gets expensive the more gems you use but it is worth it.
The world is considerably larger than the first game and offers more side quests. The critical path is the same for every hero. However most of the first three acts are nonlinear to a surprising extent. As well there are character specific quests at a few points. That being said the game is still light on plot. At its core Dark Alliance II is still a dungeon crawling action RPG first and foremost. That means you will spend the vast majority of your time visiting increasingly longer dungeons that begin to grow tedious in spite of the further customization options in the game. I suppose the light story is to facilitate the various characters but the game could have used branching paths or more character specific content.
Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance was an easy game for a variety of reasons. The dungeons were not highly populated and the game literally showered you in healing potions to the point of absurdity, especially toward the end. The sequel is harder but not by much at first. Even without delving into customization gear drops are pretty strong initially. The few bosses early on are simple as well. By Act III and its elemental planes there is a considerable jump. The enemies hit hard and swarm in greater numbers, necessitating frequent recall trips for resources. The bosses become incredibly cheap and honestly not fun. Depending on the class you will probably have to cheese your way to victory. The final set of bosses spike so hard I questioned if I did something wrong. Be warned.
In Closing
Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance II is easy to sum up. If you liked the first game you will love this one. It has everything you liked and more. Those who were unimpressed with Interplay’s first effort will find nothing that will change their mind. I like it but also recognize that it can grow monotonous over time. Still, this is a quality game.
