In 2004, legendary game developer Black Isle Studios released what would be its final game,Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2. The hack and slash action-RPG was a shift from Black Isle’s traditional focus of CRPGs, but that’s what made it all the more exciting. Now, in 2022, Interplay is bringingBaldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2back, remastered for a new generation ofDungeons & Dragonsfans to enjoy. The new gameplay trailer forBaldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2confirms it will be arriving soon.
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2is a faithful recreation of the original hack and slash game from Black Isle Studios. That means that the remaster ofDark Alliance 2will also include five playable characters, including the human barbarian Dorn Redbear and moon-elf necromancer Ysuran Auondril. Players will experience over 80 levels of content, each filled with classicDungeons & Dragonsvillainsincluding hobgoblins, ghouls, and dragons. Naturally, there’s also plenty of loot to claim and ways to make one’s character more powerful, too.
RELATED:Baldur’s Gate 3 Is Expected to be Officially Released in 2023
It wouldn’t be a Black Isle game without an intriguing fantasy story. It starts with the originalDark Allianceprotagonistsbeing taken prisoner by the vampire Mordoc SeLanmere. The new protagonists begin their adventure with small tasks, clearing out hobgoblins and battling the Baldur’s Gate thieves guild. They come together then to prevent the reawakening of the Onyx Tower, a mission that leads them into direct confrontation with Mordoc. Needless to say, things escalate from there.
Much like with the remaster of its predecessor,Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2won’t have its multiplayer upgraded for its latest release. Instead, it will retain the same 2-player local co-op option it had when it first launched in 2004. Interplay does encourage players on Steam to use the platform’sRemote Playfeature to create a type of online multiplayer, however. It’s also confirmed to work on Steam Deck.
The return ofBaldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2does bring back some sad memories. As noted, this wasBlack Isle Studios' final game before financial issues at publisher Interplay led to its demise. In fact, Black Isle was effectively closed down prior toDark Alliance 2’s launch while the team was hard at work onBaldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 3.
While Black Isle Studios is gone, leading to the creation of Obsidian Entertainment in its shadow, its games can still be celebrated. The release ofremasters of bothBaldur’s Gate: Dark AllianceandDark Alliance 2on modern platforms makes the two hack and slash games widely available for the first time in over a decade.
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2releases this summer for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:19 Action RPGs To Play If You Like Baldur’s Gate
