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A darkness is gathering in the sprawling port town of Baldur's Gate. Members of the city watch have been found dead, people are afraid to leave their homes, and there are rumors of a thieves' guild civil war brewing beneath the streets of the city. Into this deteriorating situation comes the player, the hero of the game, fresh to Baldur's Gate and fresh to the world of adventuring. Down on his luck and carrying little else except a sword strapped to his back, he has come to the big city to earn a few coins. Before his adventures in the city are through, he'll be all that stands in the way of one of the greatest threats ever to strike Baldur's Gate and the Sword Coast. [Magic Pockets]
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more... 87
Worth Playing
With the deep character growth system in place here I could have been content with twice that amount of game time.
 85
Deeko
Though the overall adventure is a bit short and the amount of items and weapons isn’t as great as those found within the console version, the Gameboy Advance version is still a highly polished game and is one that action gamers and RPG fans alike will simply eat up.
83
Game Informer
It's every bit as good as the full-size version, only smaller. More focused on action than role-playing, Baldur's Gate is one fun little fantasy (not in the dirty way) title. [Feb 2004, p.114]
80
GamePro
Though its complexity comes nowhere near that of its PC and console relatives, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance steps up and represents for the Forgotten Realms.
80
GamingWorld X
While the story isn’t as captivating and some changes have been made (including stripping away multiplayer), Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance is still more than worthy of the handheld hacker crown.
80
IGN
Even though it's missing a few key elements from the original design it's based upon, namely multiplayer and story cutscenes, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance works out very well in portable form with its fast-paced action, extensive quests, and large variety (and quantity) of enemies to defeat.
80
Nintendo Power
Although characters have the attributes and expendable skill points that you would expect to see in an RPG, the game emphasizes action over strategy. [Mar 2004, p.119]
80
Cheat Code Central
It can be completed in one day or stretched out over a weekend, as long as you don't play through it again as the different characters.
80
GBA Central
Other than EA’s "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," there isn’t a finer action RPG on the handheld. There are slight gameplay and graphical issues, sure, but it doesn’t take much persistence to overcome these, and the positives far outweigh the negatives.
80
GameSpot
It has all of the characters and story events--and a majority of the essential gameplay elements--that made the Baldur's Gate series so addictive in the first place, but now they're all on a highly portable GBA cartridge.
75
Game Over Online
No longer does incorporating the rules of Dungeons and Dragons mean a compromise between fun and complexity. Dark Alliance is a testament that both can be brought to the table -- even to a smaller one that fits in your hands.
75
GameZone
The issues with the camera, no map, long backtracking at times to get to an item shop or safe zone, and bad AI indoors hindered what could have been a really great experience.
70
1UP
The up-close character portraits and overwrought voice acting is gone, but everything else is there -- the mazelike caverns, the glorious level-raising, the seemingly endless array of equipment.
70
Gamezilla!
What really drags this game down is the fact that it uses, reuses, and re-reuses the maps – sending you back through the same dungeons over and over again to collect this key or open that new passage.
70
Pocket Games
It would be nice to see the developers expand on this and either make an original action/RPG for the GBA or bring over "BG: DA II." [Summer 2004, p.35]
50
NintendoWorldReport
I did not play all of it, but I did play enough to find AI flaws, get bored, and generally not like it at all.
47
netjak
It would appear that the transition from consoles to the GBA has sucked quite a bit of the fun out of the game; ironically, the GBA game seems dumbed-down when compared to its console counterparts.
Joey G. gave it a7: Kyle T. gave it a 3: Gerard G. gave it a 7: Marc gave it a 6: Brad List gave it a 10: Jason gave it a 2: Anthony gave it a 9: |
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