The Neverwinter Nights saga is a role-playing game (RPG) based off the Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) game invented over 30 years ago, the NWN game uses the third edition DnD rule-set, which is based off characters using a twenty sided dice. The game was released in 2002 and has since had many reviews, mainly positive, from the worldwide gaming community...
The game begins with introduction of the storyline and the creation of your character, which you will use throughout the entirety of the game. The character creation is incredibly detailed and complex, with so many options to choose from including race (dwarf, elf, human, etc), character portraits, stat points (your typical strength, dexterity, intelligence, etc), alignment (good or evil), character class (fighter, wizard, rogue, etc), class skills (specific skills that change depending on your class), class feats (special feats that certain classes give), how your character looks and even the sound of their voice!
At this point early in the game the level of detail and the eye-pleasing graphics lead to me spending hours, looking at all the various classes, races, skills and feats and the vast array of combination's. It seems like you need to study DnD to understand the intricacies of the game with so many variables it can be quite daunting for someone with no RPG or DnD knowledge.
The game begins as with you being a trainee of the Neverwinter academy, where the city of Neverwinter is experiencing a plague, 'the wailing death', and you are asked to help find a cure for the plague. The first thing that struck me once inside the game is the 3D graphics and how good everything looked, and again the vast amount of detail, there is so many objects to interact with and people to talk to, with lots of side quests to complete whilst completing the story quests.
Gameplay - The game play of NWN is based on 3rd edition DnD rules and this involves each player creating a character and using dice rolls to determine what happens when its their turn to play. The game play in NWN is for my money, the strongest part of the game, the DnD rule set is seamlessly incorporated within the overall game engine. Clicking with the mouse is the main way to move around the maps, you can right-click on nearly everything and doing so brings up a multitude of options for your character to choose from, displayed in a visual wheel. This visual wheel is very easy to use and did not really annoy me during in-game situations. For example, you can right-click a chest and from that screen you have the options to bash it open, unlock it, examine it, etc. You can also zoom in and out with the scroller on the mouse, I found this feature to be really cool, allowing you to zoom out while walking around maps to see oncoming enemies, and to zoom in whilst in battle to see your character brawling up close. The keyboard is also equally important as the mouse, as it is what you use define and use your hot keys, and setting up your hot keys can make the difference between living and dieing when facing a challenging opponent. The detail is what makes the game play so much fun, every time you attack a foe you see how much damage you deal, and there is a screen on the bottom showing you the dice rolls as they occur, which adds a DnD feel to the game. The vast amount of character skills, items and feats makes each battle and area you explore more enticing, as there is always new items and enemies to fight. Every map you enter is so detailed with items, chests, enemies and NPC's that you literally need to quit your job and personal life, to excel deeper into the game. For me the level of detail, the smoothness with which the game runs when you are in situations with lots of enemies, the complexities of character classes and skills, makes you keep playing the game time and time again, this is usually a good sign of strong and well thought out game play.
Rating - 9.3/10
Graphics - Graphics are eye-pleasing in NWN, although the game was released in 2002 and I did not play till 2010, even with my high 2010 standards for graphics, I find NWN to have more than acceptable visuals. The characters themselves are not highly detailed in comparison to some newly released games, but the maps and character interfaces are very nice to look at. You can be in the middle of a fight, whilst looking at your journal and your inventory, and your view of the battle is still not jeopardized. The only minor criticism is the pixel-like appearance you get with some maps, objects and characters in the game, and the feel that all the maps look the same bar a few color changes and objects within them.
Rating - 8.5/10
Sound - The sound in NWN including the music, effects and voices is top-notch and its no wonder considering the brains behind the musical score is renowned composer Jeremy Soule. The music is fitting of the medieval setting of the game, and the sound effects and voices are equally distinct. I found the character voices to be hilarious, and playing the game with surround sound you can hear where the foes are coming from, which is useful and equally surprising playing in the middle of the night! However to be perfectly honest I would have preferred some metal such as the likes of Tool or Opeth, and I often put the game on silent whilst listening to these artists. The harpsichord riffs in the game can get quite annoying.
Rating - 8.5/10
Storyline & Presentation - The story of NWN has a very generic beginning, but as the game proceeds the storyline of the main plot and the history of the surround world grows and becomes quite interesting. The fact that you can read books you find in the game about the history of the world the game is set in, adds to the storyline. Considering the vast amount of RPGs that exist on the market the NWN storyline is acceptable, but perhaps not as developed as others. This is a minor criticism however and for the most part the storyline becomes better as the game progresses, it feels though that with all the other complexities of the game the storyline could have done with similar levels of complexity.
The overall presentation of the game is pure eye candy. The menu screens and layout of spells, skills and other character and quest information is easy to retrieve and looks very pleasing to the eye. In particular I liked how the characters appearance changes depending on the items you have equipped.
Rating - 8.5/10
Final Comments
NWN is a highly addictive RPG with enough depth to keep you entertained for months with the varied options for building your character. Part of the charm is the replay-ability factor, meaning once you finish the game as lets say a fighter, you can try again as a wizard or a thief/rogue/barbarian, the combination's go as far as your imagination. The artwork, presentation, graphics and game play are standouts, and these feature strongly in the single player mode of the game. The only minor criticism is at times it feels some of the quests could have been more in-depth and less simple, especially the inclusion of more interesting side quests would have enhanced the overall game-play. However the game more than makes up for these shortcomings in a holistic sense, and is a great escape from reality! It is definitely a game I would recommend for people who have minimal experience with RPG and DnD type games. NWN is a timeless classic RPG that has earned its place in the RPG hall of fame with such classics as Diablo, Baldur's Gate and Arcanum.
Overall Rating - 9/10
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