Everything old is new again: Twenty years after its original release, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance is getting re-released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S — tomorrow, in fact. It’s getting 4K support so it’ll look good on the new and current-gen machines. PC and mobile releases are also apparently planned for later this year.
Dark Alliance is a hack-n-slash RPG originally released for the PS2 and Xbox in 2001. The game was developed by Snowblind Studios and published by Interplay Interactive. It received a sequel in 2004. Now, according to IGN, Interplay is bringing the game forward for a new generation to enjoy. Despite its age, it still looks fun, and the trailer promises that it’s the same game players remember.
For the record, this is not the same game as Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance, though I confess I did mistake one for the other at first. D&D: Dark Alliance comes out on June 22 and is a spiritual successor to the two Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance games. To clarify, that game is being developed by Tuque Games. I do find it ironic, however, that Tuque studio head Jeff Hattem said, when asked about the connection between the two games, said they considered it a spiritual successor because: “It’s been so long since the original Dark Alliance and Dark Alliance 2 – it’s generations ago, console generations.”
It’s a bit odd that the game is being re-released, not remastered or remade, but I suppose not everything needs to be given a fresh coat of paint. But $29.99 seems like a lot to ask for a 20-year-old game that’s not getting any new features or even a new look. Still, it will have 4K support, and it retains local co-op from its original release, so I suppose there is that.
Source: IGN