Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance cover art

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance

An action RPG dungeon crawl where real-time dodge timing and feat selection determine character power.

On Steam ↗
Here's the argument for where this game sits - disagree freely.
Match your experience?
EXECUTION6 /10READS1 /10VARIANCE3 /10OPTIMIZATION6 /10

the cheat-test profile

The four axes - the argument

Each axis is rated on its own - how far one cheat would trivialize the game here. They don't trade off; low on all four means the game is an experience, not a contest.

  1. Execution

    cheat: Aimbot - perfect inputs

    6/10

    Action RPG in real-time; dodging and attack timing matter substantially

  2. Reads

    cheat: Out-predict an adaptive opponent

    1/10

    All dungeon enemies run scripted patrol and charge routines

  3. Variance

    cheat: See what's hidden / map the RNG

    3/10

    Random item drops add light hidden-information variance to each run

  4. Optimization

    cheat: A perfect solver / coach

    6/10

    Feat and skill selection have clear dominant paths for each class

How to read this

Each axis is named by the cheat that would break the game along it. Execution is the hands. Reads is out-thinking an adaptive opponent. Variance is hidden information & RNG. Optimization is the solvable systems layer. A game's region is the top one or two axes.

These four aren't one rating split four ways - they're independent 0-10 questions. A 9 on one axis takes nothing from the others, and a game low on all four isn't missing data: it's telling you there's no skill here to cheat.

The basis is how the majority actually plays this game - not a niche mode or a personal run. For a game with very different modes (a story campaign versus ranked multiplayer), that's the version most people mean.

Compare with

Similar games

see all →

Ranked by shared genre first, then by how closely the cheat-test profile matches - a cross-genre tag means a pick matched on skill profile alone.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor cover art

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

Practiced Mastery · open-world action

E
R
V
O
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings cover art

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Practiced Mastery · action RPG

E
R
V
O
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Dying Light cover art

Dying Light

Practiced Mastery · parkour survival

E
R
V
O
Dying Light
Dead Island cover art

Dead Island

Practiced Mastery · zombie action RPG

E
R
V
O
Dead Island
Payday 2 cover art

Payday 2

Practiced Mastery · co-op heist shooter

E
R
V
O
Payday 2
Kingdom Come: Deliverance cover art

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Practiced Mastery · sim-RPG

E
R
V
O
Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Game details

Released
2001
Developer
Snowblind Studios
Franchise
Dungeons & Dragons
Platforms
Series X|S, XBOX, PS4, NGC, Linux, Android, PC, iOS, Mac, XONE, Switch, PS2
Modes
Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
IGDB critics
85/100
IGDB users
81/100
Role-playing (RPG)Hack and slash/Beat 'em upActionFantasy