Dark Alliance is a great WRPG experience that is over all too soon
Story 4/10
There's not much of a story at all. Your character has been mugged on their way into town. You recover at a local tavern, start your mandatory quest of killing rats in a sewer which somehow evolves into you saving the world.
Characters 9/10
Dark Alliance gives you three different character classes to choose from. A diminutive dwarf, a human archer and your classic sultry elven sorceress. One of the best parts about this is that because the game is so short, you can go back and play as the other characters. I went through the game my first time as the human archer. I think this is the best character to play with as he is basically a blank slate. Archery is not really my forte so I turned him into a melee powerhouse through the leveling up system. At each new level you receive orbs which you can stick into your typical WRPG stats. Agility, strength, intelligence. Your different character classes also come with unique abilities that enable them to learn skills. Your sorceress has her assortment of spells, starting off with the ever classic magic missile. The archer has an array of different elements and powers to infuse his bow with, and I don't know what the dwarf has because I didn't play as him. The other great thing about the character classes is that it allows for great multiplayer. Boss fights go a lot faster when you're playing as the dwarf, hacking away at close quarters while your friend gives support from behind in the form of magic or a barrage of arrows.
Sound 5/10
There's really nothing to be said about this. Pretty much the same music the whole way through.
Gameplay 8/10
As per your usual WRPG you control your character from a top down perspective, encountering and defeating foes along the way. You are given the choice of several weapons to choose from, bows, swords, daggers, maces, each with it's strengths and drawbacks. The best part about this whole system was the ease of which you could heal. Instead of fumbling around for the right button combos to give myself a potion, all I had to do was press a simple button. Same with the magic use, but I wish I could have customized different buttons to use different spells instead of having to scroll through them all to find the one I wanted.
Dark Alliance is a very short game. Topping off at 8 hours at the most with nary a sidequest to be had you can put this one to bed in an evening. But with three different character classes to choose from, there is replay value.