Dungeons and Dragons: Daggerdale

Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale is an action role-playing game from Bedlam Games. It is a licensed game based on the role-playing set of rules Dungeons & Dragons and is based on the 4th edition of the rules. It was published by Atari on May 25, 2011 for Windows and Xbox 360 , and a year later for PlayStation 3 .

action

The action takes place in DR 1420 in the Dagger Valley, which lies in the valley lands of the Forgotten Realms . Below the surface of Dolchtal are the ruins of the fallen dwarf kingdom of Tethyamar, next to a mighty tower of the power-hungry organization of the Zhentarim rises above the landscape. The tower, accessible only underground via the dwarf ruins, is ruled by Rezlus, a follower of the god of fear and hatred (Tyrannos) and an antagonist of the player. Within the Zhentarim, Tyrannos' followers compete with Cyric's followers for sovereignty over the organization. From the tower, Rezlus coordinates his plans of conquest in order to restore the rule of the Zhentarim over the dagger valley and to reduce the influence of Cyric in the spirit of his god. Lorin-Aria, a former Tyrannos priestess, instructs the player to stop Rezlus.

Gameplay

The game can be played individually as well as cooperatively with up to three players. The gameplay of Daggerdale is shown from a third-person perspective , the battles are carried out in real time, similar to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes . In terms of the character system, the game is based on the 4th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons set of rules , but does not implement them in detail. The player chooses his player figure from four pre-generated characters - a human warrior, a dwarf cleric, a halfling wizard and an elven villain - to whom he can give an individual name. The basic characteristics, however, are given. As usual in action role-playing games, character development takes place by killing monsters and completing tasks (quests) for which the player receives experience points and which lead to a level rise when certain points are reached. As he leveled up he can improve his hero's attributes, skills and talents. With level 10 the level limit is reached. Further improvements of the character are also possible through the equipment (weapons, armor, etc.).

development

Work on Daggerdale began in March 2010, using the Unreal Engine 3 as the basic framework . In December 2010 the game was announced as the second D&D title after Neverwinter and explicitly for the distribution networks Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network as well as Microsoft Windows . When Bedlam merged with BitHeads to form Ascension CrossMedia on January 19, 2011, around 60 developers were working on the game. On May 24, 2011 Atari announced the completion of the work and the release of the game the next day. However, the PS3 version was not released on May 31, 2011, as originally announced, but only on May 22, 2012.

reception

The ratings of Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale were mostly negative ( Metacritic : 46% (Xbox 360 & PS3) and 49% (Windows)).

“To be honest, I was actually looking forward to Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale. I didn't expect a Diablo killer [sic] - rather a nice Acton role-playing game [sic] for in between. But what Bedlam Games have delivered should be thrown into the next dungeon immediately. Poor technology, moderate scope, numerous errors and an unclean PC control. No thanks, I'd rather wait for Diablo 3. "

- André Linken : Gamesworld

"Incredibly short, unsightly and carelessly cobbled together dungeon crawler with serious bugs and design errors."

- Jens Bischoff : 4Players

“It might take most players six hours or so to reach the game's climactic battle and experience its strange cliffhanger. Unfortunately, there are too many issues plaguing Daggerdale to make the implied prospect of more adventures to come an enticing one, and those glaring issues also make the game's $ 15 price tag tough to swallow. There are far more attractive opportunities out there for would-be wizards and warriors. "

“It should take most players around six hours to reach the main battle of the game and see the strange cliffhanger demonstrated. Unfortunately, Daggerdale is plagued by too many problems for the further adventures suggested to sound enticing; and these screamingly noticeable flaws make the $ 15 price tag a hard-to-swallow toad. There are far more attractive options for would-be magicians and warriors out there. "

- Carolyn Petit : Gamespot

continuation

Dagerdale was to be the first part of a trilogy. Each sequel should increase the level limit by ten levels. However, these were never published. At E3 2011, Bedlam and Atari announced the title Gamma World: Alpha Mutation , another license from Wizards of the Coast . But this title was never published either. In October 2011, Joystiq reported that the studio had laid off most of its employees and was effectively about to close.

Web links

Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale at MobyGames (English)

Individual evidence

↑ GameZone Preview for Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale Hands-On - PC ( English ) In: GameZone . Archived from the original on September 21, 2011. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 2, 2019. @1@ 2

↑ Joe Griffin: Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale ( English ) In: Irish Times . June 10, 2011. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 1, 2012. @1@ 2

↑ ^a ^b Daggerdale: The Future of D & D Games? ( English ) In: EuroGamer .

↑ D & D Daggerdale Developer Interview . Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2019.

↑ Kat Bailey: Atari Announces Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale ( English ) In: 1UP.com . Point Davis . December 22, 2010. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved on December 22, 2010.

^ Griffin McElroy: Dungeons and Dragons Daggerdale coming to XBLA, PSN and PC next year . In: Joystiq . AOL . December 22, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2010.

↑ Pilieci Vito: Bitheads, Bedlam Join Forces ( English ) In: Ottawa Citizen .

↑ Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale - Roleplay work completed . May 24, 2011.

↑ Ben Gilbert: Atari: Daggerdale to miss May 31 PSN launch, game may fall into publishing queue [update ] . Joystiq . May 25, 2011. Archived from the original on May 29, 2011. Retrieved on June 17, 2011.

↑ ^a ^b Dagger Dale (WIN) . In: Metacritic .

↑ ^a ^b Dagger Dale (PS3) . In: Metacritic .

↑ ^a ^b Daggerdale (Xbox 360) . In: Metacritic .

↑ ^a ^b Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale - Test, role-playing game - 4Players.de .

↑ Kristen Reed: Download Games Roundup - Review ( English ) In: Eurogamer . May 27, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2011.

↑ ^a ^b Carolyn Petit: Dungeons and Dragons: Daggerdale review ( English ) In: GameSpot . May 28, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2011.

↑ Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale in the test - Thin & Dumb . June 30, 2011.

↑ GameTrailers .