NEW YORK – The latest D&D videogame is cheap, cooperative, and beefier than you might expect.
Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale, a downloadable game that Atari will release this spring for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, feels like a hybrid of the action RPG Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and the classic arcade game Gauntlet series. It's a hack-n-slash adventure filled with loot, magic, and enough detailed statistics to satiate even the geekiest D&D fan. Atari says the game contains over 10 hours of gameplay, which is solid for a downloadable title and perfect for a weekend of virtual gallivanting with your friends.
Daggerdale is fun, too. Last week Atari showed me the first level, in which you delve into an Orc-infested mine, dodging arrows and smashing barrels as you save a handful of dwarves from their green-skinned captors. Though the game supports up to four players, I was stuck flying solo. Regardless, I still enjoyed my time with Daggerdale's simple combat system.
Players can choose between four combinations of race and class: a human fighter, a halfling wizard, a dwarven priest and an elven rogue. As the rogue, I was able to hack apart Orcs with a combination of bow shots and dagger swipes, only stopping the slaughter to occasionally gulp down a healing potion.
Combat is streamlined and fun, with an interface that resembles the console version of Dragon Age: Origins. You can assign attacks to buttons on your controller, and use the left trigger button to open up a second set of options. As you level up, you'll be able to choose among new class-specific skills and spells for optimal hacking and slashing.
Characters develop much as you might expect in a Dungeons & Dragons game. You'll get to distribute points among the usual stats like Charisma and Intelligence, buy new weapons and armor from various merchants, and compete with your buddies to see who can maim things faster.
There's no official release date for Daggerdale yet, but Atari says it will be out at some point this spring at an expected price point of $10. So start making friends now.
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