The new Dungeons and Dragons video game - the first based on the 5th Edition of the tabletop rules - now has a release date. The game will arrive on 8 September for Windows, Mac and Linux, with XB1 and PS4 versions to follow.
Sword Coast Legends will be set in the Forgotten Realms universe along the titular Sword Coast, where both the Neverwinter Nights series and the Baldur's Gate series were located (although in different parts of it). The new game will comprise a story-driven campaign which can be played solo or co-op as well as a robust multiplayer engine where one player can assume the role of the Dungeon Master and create new scenarios for players.
The game is played from a top-down, isometric viewpoint and looks like it has been inspired by the recent success of crowd-funded CRPGs like Divinity: Original Sin and Pillars of Eternity. Most intriguingly, there is no major publisher involved. The last few official D&D games were MMORPGs and action titles, with this being the first actual, proper CRPG in the setting since 2007's Neverwinter Nights 2.
Sword Coast Legends is a forthcoming computer roleplaying game set in the Forgotten Realms world and using a modified version of the new rules for the 5th edition of Dungeon and Dragons. Below is a 10-minute video showing some of the single-player campaign.
Sword Coast Legends is the first official 'big', single-player focused CRPG for the franchise since 2007's Neverwinter Nights 2 and its well-received expansions, Mask of the Betrayer and Storm of Zehir. Of subsequent games, Daggerdale (2011) was a short, quickie action title whilst Neverwinter (2013) was an MMORPG. Sword Coast Legends is being marketed as a spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights series and, if successful, may open the floodgates for more D&D CRPGs, so there is a quite a lot riding on its success.
It also looks like the game has taken some cues from recent crowdfunding successes, such as last year's Divinity: Original Sin and Wasteland 2, and Pillars of Eternity which comes out this week. On the plus side, the graphics look reasonable, the interface seems clean and logical (a bit of a relief after embracing Wasteland 2's cheerfully click-mad interface for over 50 hours) and the game has an old-school feel. On the minus side, the dialogue is pretty risible and the voice acting is not stellar at this point. Hopefully those can be addressed before release.
As well as a single-player campaign of uncertain length, the game will also feature a multiplayer mode allowing a player to create new campaigns and work as the Dungeon Master, similar to features in the Neverwinter Nights games.
Sword Coast Legends is being targeted for a late 2015 release at a budget price point, and so far is a PC exclusive.
Unexpectedly, Wizards of the Coast have announced that the first Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition video game will be a lower-priced RPG heavily influenced by classic RPGs Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights.
The game, Sword Coast Legends, will be set on the Sword Coast of the Forgotten Realms (the new edition's default setting), like the Baldur's Gate series, and will allow anyone from 1 to 4 players to take part in an epic adventure. The game will also feature DM tools, to allow aspiring creators to craft their own adventures. The game will be a PC-only release, likely at a lower price point than normal. The game will be played from an overhead, isometric perspective but in full 3D, bearing more than a passing resemblance to last year's extremely successful Divinity: Original Sin.
The news is surprising but welcome. The gameplay looks solid and the developers, n-Space and Digital Extremes, worked on the pleasingly bonkers recent action game Warframe. Lead director Brent Knowles was also a veteran of BioWare's heyday, working on a number of titles including being one of the main creative forces on Dragon Age: Origins. He quit when EA mandated a quickie action sequel (which became the troubled Dragon Age II) rather than investing in a proper, large-scale epic sequel. His presence should hopefully mean that the game is quite epic and will feature more tactical combat (which already seems to be the case). Hopefully we should learn more soon.
Meanwhile, Beamdog, who recently updated the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale games to modern standards, are continuing work on an all-new interquel set between Baldur's Gate and its sequel, using the original game engine. Both games are expected for release in late 2015.
