Developer: Beamdog
Publisher: Beamdog, MacSoft Games
Platforms: PC, Android, Mac, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Tested on: PC
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition (PS4) – Review
Neverwinter Nights is an absolute classic, that already got an Enhanced Edition for PC around April 2018. Apparently, for some reason (money?) the game now also got a release on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. But with many classic PC games suddenly seeing the light on consoles, let’s find out how well this enhanced granny from 2002 fends for itself on PS4.
Story
Neverwinter is the name of a Dungeons and Dragons city that stands tall between wild creatures in the northern wilderness. Despite its high walls, Neverwinter has a huge, eminent problem that involves a lot of people hitting the pavement as they are stone-cold dead. A terrible affliction has risen from within the city, painting a bleak future for everybody who previously felt safe. Many have tried to seek a remedy for the Wailing Death, which is the name of the plague, but none succeeded. This is why lady Aribeth, ruler of the city of Neverwinter, opened the academy doors for new recruits… in a desperate attempt to find a new hero. You are one of those recruits.
As the game is a classic Dungeons and Dragons adaptation, you can expect an extensive RPG with a lot of choices. These choices even change purely based on the class you play, where an half-orc’s English skills will be less good than a full human as an example. Besides such choices and a lot of text to read in conversations, the game has a few cinematics that you can watch on important occasions when progressing with the main story.
Graphics
Since we also played the PC version, we were positively surprised to see the PS4 graphics on a big screen. The textures of the models looked sharp and clean, despite that they obviously have rough geometric edges as old games do. This version felt a lot more like ”enhanced” than the PC version, and comparing it to the Switch’s version judging by pictures online, you are definitely better off with the PS4 edition. The animations of the cinematics are still played back in an old square resolution like they would have been on your heavy brick TV, but seem more polished with higher resolution textures for your pleasure as well. There’s one annoying thing about the console’s version of the PS4 though, which is the Heads Up Display. It seems to be almost directly ported from the PC, even keeping the text bar in the lower bottom where the event log as well as the option to chat is. But who the hell goes writing instead of chatting on the PS4? Not a lot of people at least, that’s for sure.
Sound
The sound design of Neverwinter Nights is still as impeccable as always. Backed up by tracks that are as good as any true D&D fans could hope for, the orchestral and atmospheric quality of the music is very good. It represents harshness and the adventurous spirit of the city of Neverwinter mostly, but there are also more relaxing or romantic atmospheric tunes to dream by. Then, apart from the few ”general” sound effects that RPG games have such as spells being casts and swords hitting targets, you also get a lot of voice acting, where most NPCs will have at least their first line of their story recorded for you. It’s a nice and lively addition that still adds a lot to the game.
Gameplay
Neverwinter Nights: The Enhanced Edition is, like the original, a classic RPG. Based on the Dungeons and Dragons (3.0) rules and it gives you a lot of freedom in creating (or picking a premade) character that you will use. These characters have statistics that define their being, such as strength, wisdom, and charisma. Each of such stats brings you an advantage in a different way when playing in a D&D world. Then you also have proficiencies with weapons, spells, stealth, and more. Not even to mention special class abilities… yes, Dungeons and Dragons isn’t called the godfather of all RPG games for no reason.
This classic take on a board game proves itself even further as the combat log clearly shows that you roll die depending on your weapon’s attack. An ax, as an example, might do a 1d8 amount of damage, which means a roll of an eight-sided dice. But the game also decides if you hit or miss first, which translates into a real-time type of combat where you have to wait until your character attacks and pauses in-between, as well as the enemy does on their turn. You can use this pause well later on in the game though, as you are able to fully control multiple party members. And then there are still multiplayer options for those who like venturing through a good old dungeon with friends.
Neverwinter Nights is extensive, and especially with the two added expansions, you get tons of hours for your buck. This means a high variety of stories, side quests, combat with different enemies, and loot to discover. There are a few bugs in the game that might or might not break your experience such as when we played the tutorial and it took forever until the game registered a hit on an archery target. But once you can get past these issues, you can crawl through dungeons at your heart’s content and play as complicated and difficult as you want. Neverwinter is about running around to talk and explore, fight and enjoy. And while for one this might seem overwhelming, with a little effort it forms something you can sink your teeth in, providing you can look past it being an old game.
Conclusion
Neverwinter Nights is as close to the original Dungeons and Dragons games as they come, and that’s what great about it. We were surprised and happy to see sharper graphics on the PS4 than on PC, and to listen to the beautiful soundtracks once again. The console version could have used a little bit more work on its interface though, which is perhaps a weak point. The gameplay, however, once you ignore the aged parts, still stands strong and offers plenty of entertainment.
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition (PS4) - Review,
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