Whenever an established IP like a book or a movie gets a game adaptation, fans have to wonder how faithful the game will be to the source material. In the case of Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance, odds are good it’ll be very faithful. One of the people working on Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance is RA Salvatore, the author behind the books the game is based on, so it stands to reason the contents of the Icewind Dale trilogy will probably shine through. Salvatore might even have some references to the Forgotten Realm’s deep lore in store, yet one character that seems to be coming to the foreground is Kelvin.
Kelvin actually plays next to no part in the original Icewind Dale books. However, his past is crucial to the early events of the trilogy. Thousands of years before Drizzt Do’urden’s time, Kelvin was a hero of the frost giants who wielded a magic crystal named Crenshinibon. This crystal is central to the events of The Crystal Shard, the first book in the trilogy, but Kelvin’s main appearance is as the namesake of Kelvin’s Cairn, the mountain where the giant lies buried. Crenshinibon is important to the events of Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance, but it looks like Salvatore and Tuque Games are bending the original story to focus on Kelvin instead.
What’s great about Kelvin is that there’s a lot of room to expand him as a character. There’s already lots of lore in place about Drizzt’s adventuring party and Icewind Dale which Kelvin can build off of, though Tuque Games needs to make sure not to have Kelvin fall victim to tropes about villainous giant characters. Elements of his background make him much more compelling than just an angry, violent warrior. Kelvin fought and died to a god at the height of his power, and now he’s presumably trying to reclaim his throne. Kelvin is a leader and a hero to his people, and probably knows the importance of his legacy.
The world of Icewind Dale should reflect Kelvin’s influence on the region too. Dark Alliance would benefit from Drizzt and the Companions being able to discover the relics of Kelvin’s first reign alongside the new works that he’s created, now that he’s back to life. Contrasting these two would be a great way to explore how Kelvin’s fall to a god, journey through death, and new quest for power have changed him as a person. Every Dungeons and Dragons campaign is made better by a compelling antagonist, and Kelvin should be no exception.
There’s lots of questions about Kelvin that go unanswered for now, while one of the biggest is probably what’ll happen if he reclaims Crenshinibon for himself. It wouldn’t be surprising if he wants to rebuild his kingdom and perhaps get revenge on Tempus, the god who killed him. However, Salvatore might decide to explore Kelvin’s motivation in Dark Alliance. Perhaps he won’t turn out to be quite the self-interested villain that Drizzt or the player expects, and/or Crenshinibon might give Kelvin the power he needs to build a new life for the frost giants.
One thing’s for sure: Drizzt and Kelvin will inevitably run into conflict with one another. Whether Kelvin tries to rule Icewind Dale with an iron fist or more generously, he’ll surely be fighting with Drizzt and the Companions of the Hall over control of this potent magic crystal.
Ultimately, though, Tuque Games is still being pretty sparse with details on Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance. Hopefully, it comes forward with some more specifics on the game soon, since it’s currently scheduled to be out this year.
Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance will release in 2021 for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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