Tuque Games Talks Dark Alliance – Emergent Combat, Local Co-Op and More

Dark Alliance Update 1.05

In case you didn’t know, a new Dungeons & Dragons game has launched this week titled “Dark Alliance.” Compared to past games in the fantasy franchise, this one has a more action-oriented slant than RPG. Before the game launched, however, MP1st had the pleasure of talking to Tuque Games where we asked about local co-op, crossplay, and lots more.

Answering the questions is François Champagne, Lead Mission Designer.

MP1st: How will “Emergent Combat” differ for those who are more precise with what they’re doing? Will there be moves excluded from this playstyle (more button-mashing), than being precise?

François Champagne (FC): At the easiest levels of difficulty, players can survive with simple button-mashing, but on higher difficulty settings, knowing when to parry and what move does what and when and how to chain moves together is pretty much a requirement. The most advanced moves require the right input at the right time to be chained, so button-mashing will limit the number of combos a player can pull off on higher difficulty settings.

MP1st: We know there’s no local co-op, but can people play in a party solo with the team members controlled by AI?

FC: The is no friendly AI in Dark Alliance but we will be bringing two-player couch co-op to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC hopefully with the first free DLC this summer. We’re investigating how to support two-player couch co-op on PS4 and Xbox One after that.

Dark Alliance Review Screen 2

MP1st: Will the game always need to be online?

FC: No, the game doesn’t always need to be online. It is possible to play offline and complete the entire game in solo mode.

MP1st: Will there be different settings like outdoors and such or are areas tied to dungeons?

FC: We have many different locales and environments in the game, both interior and exterior. The game isn’t designed to be open world; however some levels are more open and can be explored, but they all follow a similar mission structure and flow. 

MP1st: Will there be towns where players can pick up quests, sell items and maybe upgrade armor and items, too?

FC: There aren’t towns, but in between missions players can hang out in the base camp where they can upgrade armor, sell and purchase items, etc. 

Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance Review

MP1st: Will crossplay and cross-progression be available? Or is this something the team wants to do post-launch

FC: There will not be full crossplay, but there is crossplay between similar platforms (i.e., PS4/PS5, Xbox One/XBOX Series X). There is currently no plan to support full crossplay post-launch. If you buy the game for Xbox One or Xbox Series X, there is an infinite transfer between saved games on those consoles if you’re using the same account. For PlayStation, there is a one-off saved game transfer from PS4 to PS5, however this might be delayed until after launch.

MP1st: For some reason, seeing the trailer reminded me of Monster Hunter World, has the studio taken any inspiration from that title/franchise? If so, what?

FC: Maybe it has something to do with our choice to focus the game on the great monsters you will face, but our inspiration came entirely from Dungeons & Dragons. Honestly, the D&D franchise has enough content to explore to keep us inspired for a couple lifetimes.

MP1st: Will the game utilize the DualSense’s special features and if so, in what way?

FC: We aren’t taking advantage of the DualSense’s special features in Dark Alliance.

MP1st: What frame rate and resolution is the studio targeting on PS4 and PS5?

FC: On PS4 you can run the game at 30 FPS at 1080p. On PS5 you can run it at 60 FPS in glorious 4K.

MP1st: The game features something called “short rest” right? Does this come down to a voting option (majority wins) in a multiplayer group session if this will be activated or not

FC: The short rest isn’t a majority vote; any player in the party can trigger and/or cancel the short rest.

MP1st: Given there are loads of levels to progress through and loot, does the title feature an endgame of sorts? Challenges for max builds?

FC: One aspect of building the ultimate companion is to get the best gear, and getting the best gear requires you to play on the hardest levels of difficulty. Mastering the combat system, teaming up with friends and finding the best sets for specific challenges as you tackle the game at the highest difficulty can keep you engaged for a long, long time. And when your main is all geared up and has become the ultimate bad ass, there’s three other companions with completely different fighting styles for you to explore and upgrade as well.

MP1st: Looking at the trailer, it’s clear that the game has a “lighter” tone, compared to say other RPG such as Wasteland and Fallout. I’m all for it, but what was the reasoning going with the more lighthearted approach versus the other?

FC: D&D is a huge license with millions of unique fans that play the game in different forms with different interests in mind. Wizards of the Coast encouraged us to take the characters and setting and to make it our own; we wanted to offer something that stood out as its own thing and the tone we’ve chosen is certainly one of those aspects.

Dark Alliance Review Screen 1

MP1st: We’re seeing a lot of excitement around Drizzt, and for good reason given how iconic his role is in the D&D universe. It’s pretty f-ing amazing to see him star in Dark Alliance, as with the rest of the named cast. Can we expect to see the story stem deeply from the source material? Or is this more of a unique take that the studio is going with?

FC: The story of Dark Alliance takes place after the event of R.A. Salvatore’s The Crystal Shard and is its own thing, but fans who take the time to explore and read all lore entries will recognize the characters and setting.

MP1st: We couldn’t help but notice that the trailer theme music is from Ozzy Osborne, it would be a shame if he didn’t make a surprise cameo of some sort in Dark Alliance, “wink” “wink”. Can we expect to see one? What about from other characters deeply rooted in the D&D universe, you think long time fans will be surprised to see some of them outside of the ones revealed?

FC: It would indeed be awesome. Sadly, the technology that would allow us developers to render Ozzy in all of his required glory hasn’t been invented yet. As for other characters, I’m not at liberty to say.


We’d like to thank Tuque Games for taking the time out of their busy schedule to answer our questions, Dark Alliance is available now for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC. You can read our review of the game here.

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