The tabletop RPGDungeons and Dragonshas spawned no small amount of side content. There’s books, movies, and —naturally—video games all set in various settings that Wizards of the Coast has created over the years. When it comes toDnDgames, a lot of fans probably haveBaldur’s Gate 3on their minds, since it went into early access last October with much acclaim already. However, that’s not the onlyDnDgame hoping to make waves in 2021.Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Allianceis poised to release sometime this year, promising players adventures with the legendary drow heroDrizzt Do’urden and his Companions of the Hall.
However,Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Allianceisn’t just a big deal because it stars a classicDnDcharacter. The people working on it matter too. It’s been known for some time now that the author R. A. Salvatore is a part of this project, yet it feels understated ho crucial to the quality of the game’s narrative and characterization that. Salvatore has been writingDnDnovels for decades, and it so happens that Drizzt and the Companions of the Hall are characters of his creation. That means that there’s nobody more worthy of working on this game and bringing the characters to life for an action RPG.
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Salvatore’s Legacy
Some fans might argue that Salvatore is one of the authors with the biggest impact onDungeons and Dragonshistory. He’s been writing a veritable saga of novels calledThe Legend of Drizztsince 1988, back whenDnDwas still on theAdvanced Dungeons and Dragonsedition and far from the 5th edition ofDnDthat players are familiar with today. The characters of Drizzt, Catti-brie, Wulfgar, and Bruenor Battlehammer are about as old as some ofDnD’s most veteran players,fleshing out the Forgotten Realmsfor the last thirty years. As a result, it’s hard to find writers as deeply rooted in the Forgotten Realms as Salvatore is.
Even outside of his celebrated career writing forDnD,Salvatore is a seasoned author on the whole. Over the years, twenty-two of his books have earned the coveted title ofNew York Timesbest seller. He’s written books for theStar Warsuniverse as well, and has over 20 books in original settings to his name. What’s more, this isn’t even Salvatore’s first experience working on a video game. For instance, in 2004, he worked onForgotten Realms: Demon Stone.The game was positively received on the whole, and Salvatore was often spotlighted with praise for his writing. Seeing how much Salvatore has to bring to the table, it’s only logical that he would becrucial toDark Alliance’s development.
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The Quest Ahead
It’s unclear for now whenDnD: Dark Alliancewill release. The game was originally going to premiere in fall of 2020, but was pushed back to 2021. Tuque Games hasn’t had much to say about the game recently, so players are left wondering when Drizzt’s next adventure will arrive. In a year defined in large part by game delays, it wasn’t surprising, but that doesn’t mean fans want to wait forever.DnDplayers and RPG fans in general are always looking forward to their next adventure. Consideringhow wellDungeons and Dragonsis doingin the last few years, odds are good that this game will attract a lot of players.
In a way, it’ll be something that unites various generations ofDnDplayers. Young players who got into the game withthe simplified 5th editionprobably aren’t familiar with Drizzt and his legacy and may be curious about Salvatore’s golden child. Conversely, seasonedDnDplayers are bound to recognize Drizzt and his Companions and feel drawn to reliving Drizzt’s adventures. This isn’t the first time that Drizzt has been in a game, but not every game has had Salvatore there to write him. Whatever storyline Salvatore and Tuque Games have planned, it’s got everything it needs to be gripping, nostalgic, and plenty of fun.
Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Allianceis will release in 2021 for PC and consoles.
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