Sword Coast Legends

There’s a reason why games like Baldur’s Gate, Planescape: Torment and Neverwinter Nights are held in such high regards to this day: they told great stories. Dungeons & Dragons is all about role-playing and adventuring, which is why a great set of characters and a memorable story are required to make the experience unforgettable. It doesn’t always work, and developers can also opt for a combat-oriented approach, but they have to make their intentions clear from the get-go.

Sword Coast Legends wants to revive the isometric D&D RPG genre, much like Pillars of Eternity did a short while ago. By declaring this to the public, gamers have certain expectations, and they are usually more than eager to be merciless if the end result does not satisfy their conditions. Well, the game certainly tried its best to bring back some of the magic from the isometric era, but it didn’t quite get there in the end.

Sword Coast Legends was designed with the help of Wizards of the Coasts, the notorious D&D company that delighted the fans so many times in the past. However, you’ll notice that the game itself is a bit more hack and slashy than you would expect in the genre, so be prepared to deal with some disappointment from early on. This is not a death sentence, on the other hand, because it’s still possible to have a memorable experience even if you are engaged in battle more often than not.

The story is about as classic as it gets in the world of Faerun, and it involves almost every kind of legendary creature you might expect to find in a D&D adventure: dragons, trolls, bandits and all sorts of hellspawns. The cast of characters includes a few interesting personalities as well, but it’s quite obvious not the main focus of the game. You might still get attached to some of them, but only for a short while, because they lack that certain spark required to make a lasting impression.

As far as the quests are concerned, they are cleverly disguised in all sorts of ways, but most of them end up being the usual kill & fetch type. The fact that it’s not that obvious is good news, on the other hand, because you get plenty of chances to exercise some role-playing along the way. There are some exceptions as well, but this not even on par with modern titles like The Witcher III or Dragon Age: Inquisition, unfortunately, let alone classics like Baldur’s Gate.

This is where the fun part begins, because the game puts a great emphasis on cooperative play and multiplayer. You can create parties with people from all over the world, or invite your friends directly. Thanks to this, the game feels a lot more like authentic D&D campaigns from the tabletop version, and the experience has the potential to be much more memorable.

The combat can be paused at any time to give commands to your characters, much like it was possible in the old-school RPGs. You can use potions and scrolls, cast spells or activate special abilities to neutralize your enemies. It’s actually quite a nice touch, and it provides you with the opportunity to tackle each battle with precise tactics and strategies. It’s not a perfect system, on the other hand, and there are annoyances that may upset the hardcore D&D fans when it comes to how the damage is handled.

Speaking of which, you might remember that classic D&D games have the option to rest in order to regain hit points and recharge spells. This added another layer of difficulty to the formula, because there were certain areas where resting was not possible, and it forced you to think before wasting any spells or special abilities. In Sword Coast Legends, the rest option is not available, and the skills just recharge after enough time has passed.

To appeal even more to D&D fans, the game also comes with a Dungeon Master mode, which allows you to create your own adventures and be in charge of the world while your friends explore it. You can place traps and really make the most out of the role-playing aspect, at least if you have some friends willing to do it right. It’s not perfect, and there are some bugs and inconsistencies that might annoy you along the way, but it’s definitely enjoyable.

The multiplayer is where all the fun is at, actually, because the single player mode lacks the brilliance needed to make the game a modern classic. It might be due to the fact that the developers tried to fit in so many options and content, but that’s not a very good excuse. Once you join with a group of friends and head into the online component of the game, things change for the better, so it kind of evens out in the end.

The graphics are more than decent as well, albeit nothing to impress in this regard either. The isometric perspective is certainly nostalgic, but you obviously have the option to rotate the camera and zoom in on the action as much as you want. A lot of work went into the environments and the level design as well, but some sections are a bit too linear and repetitive. Still, the textures and the general object design is above average, at least if you have a computer powerful enough to run the game on full details.

In the end, it must be acknowledged that Sword Coast Legends is not the revolution it tried so hard to embody. The single player mode is too weak and unimpressive to compare itself to the classics, while the story has nothing remarkable going for it either. While the pause option is certainly a sight for sore eyes, the actual combat mechanics are somewhat disappointing, mainly because of the simplified skill trees and lack of a proper challenge in most cases.

Even still, one can’t deny the pure entertainment offered by the multiplayer mode. It may not excel that much in normal co-op, but once you add a Dungeon Master to the mix, you start to remember why D&D is so beloved by millions of players around the world. The gameplay mechanics could use some refining, but as long as you’ve got some willing friends to play with, the experience is well worth the money.

In the end, Sword Coast Legends is the kind of game that hits home with some people, or completely strikes out with others. It has flaws and strengths, but the overall quality level is somewhat disappointing. However, if you know all this and are willing to put up with its annoyances, the game can provide you with many hours of entertainment in multiplayer.