Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II Review Summary

Improved gameplay over predecessor: The game improves upon its predecessor in many aspects. Reviewers noted enhancements to combat, character options, story, and overall gameplay, making it a more polished and enjoyable experience than the original.

Evokes strong sense of nostalgia: Many reviewers express strong feelings of nostalgia for the game, often reminiscing about playing it in their childhood or on older consoles. This nostalgia significantly contributes to their enjoyment of the game, especially for those familiar with the original release.

Well-optimized and functional PC port: The PC port is well-done and optimized, with reviewers praising the higher resolution, smooth controls, and compatibility with various controllers. The game also runs well on the Steam Deck, making it accessible to a wider audience.

Enjoyable and functional co-op mode: The game features a well-implemented co-op mode, both local and online, enhancing the overall experience. Reviewers appreciate the ability to play with friends, either through local split-screen or using Steam's Remote Play Together feature.

Great music and sound design: The game features a fantastic music and sound design that enhances the overall atmosphere. Reviewers specifically praise the soundtrack for fitting well with both calm and tense moments.

Poor port, lacks enhancements: The game is a poorly executed port of the original PS2 version, lacking significant enhancements and plagued by outdated graphics, reused assets, and a general lack of polish. Many reviewers feel it doesn't justify its price point, especially considering the numerous bugs and lack of quality-of-life improvements.

Repetitive gameplay, pacing issues: The game suffers from pacing issues, repetitive gameplay, and inconsistent difficulty. Some reviewers found the story drawn out and the late-game content to be lacking, while others experienced difficulty spikes and a need for excessive grinding.

Poor PC control implementation: The game's PC controls are poorly implemented, with awkward keyboard and mouse bindings, limited customization options, and issues with camera control. Additionally, sound mixing problems and mismatched key bindings further detract from the user experience.

Price too high for value: Many reviewers consider the game's price of $30 to be too high, especially given its age, lack of improvements, and the presence of game-breaking bugs. They suggest a lower price point would be more reasonable.

Lacks online co-op, buggy remote: The lack of online co-op is a major disappointment for many players, especially since the game seems optimized for multiplayer. Remote Play Together is also poorly optimized, causing significant bugs and making it unplayable in co-op.

Varied playable characters/classes: The game features multiple playable characters (5 initially, with more unlockable), each with unique skills that impact gameplay. The experience can vary significantly based on the chosen class, and additional classes can be unlocked upon completing the game, encouraging replayability. This is a change from the first game, which had only three character choices.

Classic, simple ARPG gameplay: The game is a classic isometric action RPG, drawing comparisons to Diablo and older titles like Bard's Tale. It emphasizes simple controls and dungeon crawling, reminiscent of simpler times in gaming. Some reviewers use the term 'oldschool jank' to describe it.

Improved enemy combat behaviors: Enemies now have more complex behaviors, such as blocking attacks and using critical attacks with telegraphing. Stunned enemies are also clearly indicated, providing players with more information during combat. These changes require players to adapt their strategies and utilize blocking mechanics effectively.

Open-ended chapter-based structure: The game features a chapter-based structure with unlockable areas, refuge points, and a world map that allows players to choose the order of some missions. The game is more open-ended than previous installments, with optional areas and quests, and a larger variety of locations to explore.

Expanded character skill progression: The game features character progression through leveling up, skill selection, and skill upgrades. The skill tree has been expanded, requiring specific skill levels for heavier armor, and players can now specialize in specific weapon types, adding depth to character customization.

Poor ultrawide monitor support: The game has issues with ultrawide monitor support. UI elements do not scale correctly for 21:9 aspect ratios, and menus are pillarboxed to 16:9, indicating a lack of proper ultrawide optimization.

Inconsistent texture quality: The texture quality is inconsistent, with some areas like Bloodmire Manor having noticeably low-quality textures. This detracts from the overall visual experience.

Includes achievements: Unlike a previous Dark Alliance port, this version includes achievements. This is a positive addition for players who value achievement hunting.

Wait for sale/patches due bugs: Many reviewers suggest waiting for a sale due to bugs, crashes, and lack of optimization. Some even recommend waiting for patches or community fixes. Some reviewers requested a refund due to the issues experienced.

Excellent Steam Deck experience: The game plays exceptionally well on the Steam Deck. Reviewers highlight its ease of use and enjoyable experience on the platform.

Digital masterpiece: Reviewer expresses strong positive feelings about the game. This point shows signs of review bombing due to the emotional language without specific details, so the importance score is reduced by 90%.

AMD cards: use emulator: Players with AMD graphics cards are reporting incompatibility issues. The recommendation is to use an emulator instead.

Disable Steam Overlay: Deactivating Steam Overlay may resolve many problems. This is a specific, actionable piece of advice.

Unlockable characters exist: Drizzt is unlocked by beating the game on any difficulty. Artemis the Human is unlocked by completing the game on Extreme Difficulty and starting a new game, then selecting Alessia Faithhammer and pressing DOWN, DOWN.

Evokes D&D aesthetic: The game's art direction successfully captures the aesthetic of Dungeons & Dragons from the 90s and 00s. The game is inspired by D&D.

Best played with controller: The game was originally designed for consoles, so a controller is recommended for the best experience.

Ends with a cliffhanger: The game's story concludes with a cliffhanger ending, which may leave players wanting more.

Remote play tip provided: When using remote play, utilize the Steam overlay (Shift+Tab) to invite another person.