Neverwinter Nights

 PC
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 689 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 520 out of 689
  2. Mixed: 129 out of 689
  3. Negative: 40 out of 689
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  1. Keron_Heruman
    Aug 23, 2023
    9
    An step behind the BG saga. The game has good mechanics with innovative 3D graphics for a cRPG, an update to D&D 3 and a solid history, but the absence of group management, with only one companion and no direct control, is a scourge that affect all game.
    The scenery editor and community support is an important plus for the game.
  2. HydrophobikFish
    Jun 9, 2023
    6
    Ultimately a fun dnd romp with a lot of build freedom and interesting stories to engage in. Held back by formulaic dungeon design, forgettable characters and main story, and dreary art style and stone. Blueprint for bioware games to come. I hear the real strength is the custom content but I never engaged with it so can't consider it.
  3. EVIL_UJIN
    Oct 15, 2022
    9
    учшая RPG. Классика жанра. Это как первая любовь. Собственно, мое знакомство с ролевыми играми началось именно с Neverwinter nights. Помню, не был знаком с DND, гайдов не было, да и стима тоже). Создал рейнджера в тяжелой броне с перекачанной мудростью, в надежде что у него появятся новые заклинания ))). Очень тупил, но все равно было ужасно интересно. Вселенная Forgotten Realms оченьучшая RPG. Классика жанра. Это как первая любовь. Собственно, мое знакомство с ролевыми играми началось именно с Neverwinter nights. Помню, не был знаком с DND, гайдов не было, да и стима тоже). Создал рейнджера в тяжелой броне с перекачанной мудростью, в надежде что у него появятся новые заклинания ))). Очень тупил, но все равно было ужасно интересно. Вселенная Forgotten Realms очень разнообразна и очень интересна для исследования. Ты понимаешь, что в игре ты видишь лишь небольшую часть этой вселенной. Сейчас прохожу Neverwiner Nights уже 4-й вроде раз. Мое мнение : любой поклонник ролевых игр должен ее пройти. Дополнения Hordes of Underdark и Shadows of Undrentide заслуживают внимания не меньше, чем основная компания.… Expand
  4. Amorph0us
    Jan 7, 2022
    10
    One of the best RPGs ever. A must for every fan of D&D including even the most demanding...
  5. B00tador
    Dec 5, 2021
    9
    I couldn't play this game now, but back in 2002 it consumed me and for that, it get its rating as a way of thanks.
  6. krongos
    Sep 28, 2021
    10
    My whole journey with CRPGs started with this game. Even now I sometimes play it.
  7. ElleryHQ
    Dec 20, 2020
    10
    Мне кажется я перепрошёл игру за все возможные классы. С ностальгией и любовью вспоминаю то время.
  8. Kai82
    Dec 13, 2020
    8
    It is not a third Baldurs Gate game even when there were later abandoned plans to import your character from there. Instead of a full party of adventures you play as single character with one companion (and of cause a familiar or animal companion if your class has one). The game uses the third edition rules of Dungeons & Dragons with some adaptations. It is set in the Forgotten Realms onIt is not a third Baldurs Gate game even when there were later abandoned plans to import your character from there. Instead of a full party of adventures you play as single character with one companion (and of cause a familiar or animal companion if your class has one). The game uses the third edition rules of Dungeons & Dragons with some adaptations. It is set in the Forgotten Realms on the continent Faerun. The story starts in Neverwinter where an unseen before plague called the Walling Death is devastating the city. Your player character is a recruited adventurer to help find a cure. As the story progresses the Walling Death is just the beginning as a very old and forgotten menace could shaken the foundations of the world while other factions will use this for their own agendas and goals. The story is solid with good moments and twist. To be fair even while I enjoyed it some twist are a bit foreseeable. The characters are enjoyable and well written. Be it your recruitable companions (Multiple are available but only one at any given time can be in your party), Lady Aribeth, Aarin Gend or the antagonists. It created an interesting setting, lore and a world where I was invested in. Gameplay is solid. You chose your character, gender, race and class at the start. You do not roll dice but have a pool to use. Extreme Min / Maxing has some disadvantages here. You can multiclass but be aware of penalties. Plan a bit ahead. There are of cause sub quests, side activities and hidden / unique items. I think I give some tips. Later on you can created special weapons / items. Some ingredients are not found in that chapter (or I missed them). Store some of the seemingly worthless items in your inventory as you will need them (Or read a guide). There will be dragons (plural). Your companions have unique quest that advance (chapter based and level up needed to continue if I remember correctly). Chose the responding class as helper as the item you get improves and is really helpful in boosting your stats. Explore the world as there are many good items (Should be a no brainer). Back to the review. The graphic was amazing for its time and many praised it. However I was shocked returning to this game after a few years. It did not age well while also not being truly awful. Soundtrack holds up for me. A main appeal was the Aurora tool-set. You can use it to create your own content. I did not use it but there was a lot of good user created content. For others this made it a 10/10 game and I will not disagree with their opinion. For me it was not important. Overall this was a good D&D game but not as good as Baldurs Gate 2, Icewind Dale 2 and others. I enjoyed it but it just missed to be a masterpiece for me while having fond memories of it.… Expand
  9. GVB
    Oct 30, 2020
    10
    Shorter and smaller than Baldur's Gate II but with an incredibly focused story, and great characters. Play it, and enjoy this gem.
  10. Dark_Ansem
    Apr 9, 2020
    9
    This review is based on my experience when I first played the game, more than a decade ago, and no experience of D&D at all. Magic system is absurd, but I liked it so much.
  11. LoLerScholar
    Dec 16, 2019
    10
    Maybe it's nostalgia, but Neverwinter Nights is the most fun I've ever had playing a PC RPG. I actually played this game around 2002-2003 when it released. I was in high school at the time but NWN was the first PC RPG that really blew me away. Before this game I had tried games like Baldur's Gate 2, which put me onto Bioware. I've read reviews recently and the single player campaignMaybe it's nostalgia, but Neverwinter Nights is the most fun I've ever had playing a PC RPG. I actually played this game around 2002-2003 when it released. I was in high school at the time but NWN was the first PC RPG that really blew me away. Before this game I had tried games like Baldur's Gate 2, which put me onto Bioware. I've read reviews recently and the single player campaign gets trashed mercilessly, however my review is based on the single player campaign only (I'm not into multiplayer or being a DM).

    I thought this game was fantastic in terms of story and characters. Honestly, I don't remember the story 100% but I remember it was very compelling. I still remember aspects of characters such as Aribeth, Fenthick, and Aaron Gend to this day. Aribeth in particular is involved in one of the most memorable plot twists in a PC RPG, IMO.

    I think one of the biggest factors that makes NWN a legendary game is the atmosphere. I'm refering to things like the the lighting in the cell that you start the game in, the purple-ish hue of the city of Neverwinter when you're exploring, and the foginess of the docks. Adding to this is the fantastic music by Jeremy Soule. The score and sound effects are my favorite in a PC RPG. NWN absolutely nailed its atmosphere.

    The game was also a joy to play from a controls and technical standpoint. First off, I think NWN has one of the best user interfaces of any PC RPG I've played. It's relatively simple and the hot keys worked great. I loved how you can rotate the camera angle in this game and I don't understand why you can't rotate the camera angle in all games. I loved the implementation of the D+D 3rd edition rules in this game, with access to 'feats' such as weapon finesse that you didn't have in Baldur's Gate 2. It made my dexterity based, short sword dual-wielding ranger so much more fun to play than in BG2.

    I also didn't mind that this game is basically a single-player game. Party based games are great but I didn't mind only having 1 character and henchman. In fact, it actually makes the game more enjoyable to some degree without having to micromanage 6 characters.

    Too bad I don't fully remember all of the aspects that made this game my favorite PC RPG, but I definitely wanted to contribute a review that points out a few things from the game that might be helpful to newcomers in 2019 who are thinking about trying it. Cheers.    … Expand
  12. Genek13
    Nov 19, 2019
    4
    I tried at least 3 times to give this game a chance.
    Somehow didn't suck me in to its world, which is a shame. Especially that this game has a very good scores in all reviews.
  13. FrostormNidhegg
    Oct 27, 2019
    10
    Одна из лучших РПГ всех времен, возможно лучшая. Играть всем обязательно. В ней хорошо все. Только графика по нынешним временам, конечно, будет смотреться убого, но сама игра все так же великолепна
  14. jseph1234
    Aug 7, 2019
    9
    One of the great games created by Bioware (Pre-2013) when the Doctors were in charge of the Studio. This is an example of the fantastic work they did in bringing Dungeon & Dragons Forgotten realms to the PC.
  15. Mizuiro
    Apr 25, 2019
    10
    Just a MASTERPIECE. Best online RPG game ever made, so powerful toolset and so big community it has (still has a few hundred players 17 years later).

    But his sequel, NWN2 was a big disappointment.
  16. ElCucuy
    Apr 1, 2019
    3
    Worst game Bioware before they buy EA. Gameplay and plot are boring and secondary. This game was released only for the sake of the editor, in which the players themselves had to create stories. Those who are not interested in the editor were forced to play in the boring and secondary single.
  17. brozermanik
    Feb 22, 2019
    10
    Good times when BioWare wasn't making sh*t for EA.

    Gameplay: 10/10
    Story: 8/10
    Audio: 10/10
    Visual: as for 2002 I would say 9/10
  18. Ydun79
    Feb 11, 2019
    10
    I don't even remember the single player, but I played countless hours on multiplayer servers, either stories or persistent custom worlds. So good!
  19. roachtbp
    Dec 7, 2018
    5
    I played this game more than 10 years after it's release. I played the original campaign and both official expansions (Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark). I hear that the multiplayer component of this game is great and that there are many great mods out there, but I didn't try multiplayer, nor did I install any mods. This review is only of the single-player experienceI played this game more than 10 years after it's release. I played the original campaign and both official expansions (Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark). I hear that the multiplayer component of this game is great and that there are many great mods out there, but I didn't try multiplayer, nor did I install any mods. This review is only of the single-player experience (without mods). So alas, here is my opinion of the main campaign and both official expansion!

    The Good:
    The character creation system is amazing with lots of depth! The game uses D&D 3.5 rules, and there are sooo many options when creating a character - race, class, attributes, skills, feats, etc. But that is where the fun ends...

    The Bad:
    Unlike most D&D video games, you do not have a full party. Instead, you control only one character and can bring only one companion with you (but in the 2nd expansion, Hordes of the Underdark, you can bring two companions with you). And you cannot even control your companions - companions fight on their own. Also, in the original campaign you couldn't even equip your companions with weapons and armor (their weapons and armor automatically upgraded as they leveled-up), but in both the expansions you can actually equip your companions. Because of the lack of the party dynamic, I found the combat to be DREADFULLY boring. If the game had a good story, maybe you could tolerate the dull combat to advance the story, but alas, the story is also pretty boring (except for the story of the final expansion, Hordes of the Underdark, which was somewhat entertaining and held my interest for the most part). With the dull gameplay and boring story, it was a real chore to push myself to complete this game and both expansions (though I did manage to do so through sheer willpower/OCD - I wanted to be able to say I had completed Neverwinter Nights and both its expansions).

    Besides the great character creation system mentioned above, there is one other redeeming quality about the game - a companion character named Deekin Scalesinger, a kobold bard, who is available in both expansions. He is absolutely hilarious!!! But besides the character creation system and Deekin Scalesinger, I can say very few good things about this game...

    So to sum up, character creation has great depth and is a lot of fun. But after character creation, it's all downhill from there - you don't control a party like most D&D games, boring combat, boring story, and boring characters (except for your loyal kobold bard companion, Deekin Scalesinger, who is totally awesome!!!). I give this game a 5.

    I do recognize that this game has a cult following of diehard fans, but I believe that is due to 2 things: 1.) it is very easy to create mods for this game, so the modding community loves this game, and 2.) many people love the multiplayer component of the game. But since I didn't install any mods, nor did I try multiplayer, I can only judge the single player experience, which was very, very boring (in my humble opinion).    … Expand
  20. Zareli
    Nov 28, 2018
    10
    The best D&D game I played until Divinity Original Sin 2. NWN was such a good game I had a hard time playing RPGs after 2007 because I was "spoiled" by it's story, charm, gameplay and character development, dropping many newer fantasy RPGs just after a few hours. It took like a full decade to surpass this masterpiece and to this day I recommend it to anyone that likes RPGs and hasn't tried it yet.
  21. iddqd4
    Jan 27, 2018
    8
    このテキストは私のプロフィールにスコアが表示されるようにここにあります。
  22. Lilura
    Oct 15, 2017
    10
    The magic of the Neverwinter Nights role-playing game is its Aurora toolset that strikes the perfect balance between flexibility, power and Ease-of-Use. World-builders, writers, coders and artists alike have long since hit the jackpot with Aurora. It's why we players have access to some of the finest role-playing campaigns out there. Masterpieces like those found in the Hall of Fame, forThe magic of the Neverwinter Nights role-playing game is its Aurora toolset that strikes the perfect balance between flexibility, power and Ease-of-Use. World-builders, writers, coders and artists alike have long since hit the jackpot with Aurora. It's why we players have access to some of the finest role-playing campaigns out there. Masterpieces like those found in the Hall of Fame, for example, many of which can contend with commercial RPG offerings in terms of depth, breadth and polish.… Expand
  23. Broyax
    Apr 8, 2017
    1
    Le plus mauvais jeu de Bioware (quoique... les balladur gates...!). C'était assez moche à l'époque et ça ne s'est pas arrangé avec le temps. L'interface est perfectible mais reste à peu près correcte, quant à l'histoire et l'univers... à se demander si c'est le même développeur qui nous a gratifié des meilleurs jeux de rôle par la suite ?

    La mise en pratique des règles issues des jeux    Le plus mauvais jeu de Bioware (quoique... les balladur gates...!). C'était assez moche à l'époque et ça ne s'est pas arrangé avec le temps. L'interface est perfectible mais reste à peu près correcte, quant à l'histoire et l'univers... à se demander si c'est le même développeur qui nous a gratifié des meilleurs jeux de rôle par la suite ?

    La mise en pratique des règles issues des jeux de plateau avec leurs dés à la con est très inadaptée. En outre, le monde de Padhiver est terriblement générique et d'une difficulté mal calibrée. Sans doute parce qu'il s'agit d'un jeu conçu pour le multi, ce qui expliquerait sa nullité pour le solo ? qu'importe. A oublier d'urgence aux oubliettes des navets et erreurs du célèbre développeur.    … Expand
  24. GenericBob
    Dec 18, 2016
    9
    Graphics are dated but the game holds up. It can be buggy at times but rarely gamebreakingly so be sure to quick save often and this is never an issue. i have been wanting to get back into D&D for awhile, this was a good temporary fix until i can get some friends together.
  25. Voyou
    Dec 17, 2016
    5
    The Infinity Engine gets a serious downgrade.

    The solo campaign is, all things considered, a waste of time, with too little fun to care. And I don't care for coop things: when I want a group, I play table RPGs with friends in the flesh. I don't blame too much the setting and the rules system. D&D is what it is, its rules get worse with each newer edition, for reasons I won't discuss    The Infinity Engine gets a serious downgrade.

    The solo campaign is, all things considered, a waste of time, with too little fun to care. And I don't care for coop things: when I want a group, I play table RPGs with friends in the flesh.

    I don't blame too much the setting and the rules system. D&D is what it is, its rules get worse with each newer edition, for reasons I won't discuss here, yet the video game version has to run with that. Using kitchen sink Faerun, the worst campaign setting ever designed for D&D, wasn't mandatory, but I understand it is commercially successful, since it feels more like contemporary USA than exotic ancient times. Don't worry if you don't get my meaning, it's not an important point.

    Now, also with the times, the game goes 3D, losing the past appeal of the IE games, and looking seriously dull as a result. I can now play in 3rd person perspective. But I'd rather not, thank you very much.

    Time to mention some serious flaws. The biggest possibly concerns the companions. They are gone. Now you have mercenaries, all waiting for you in orderly fashion at the same inn. No interesting introductions, no unlocking, no nothing. You can pay and pick one to come with you. Yes, one. And you don't control it and don't access his inventory. With half the fun gone with each of these restrictions, there's about 6% of fun left. I decided to play solo and never looked back.

    As usual, I built a rogue. I could pickpocket, but it never, absolutely ever, brought me anything of worth. And 99% of the time, nothing at all. I'm serious. And for some retarded reason, there's a bloody cooldown constraint between 2 attempts. That one seriously grated my nerves. Even for a rogue, the quantity of locks and traps found on anything, even a barrel, constitutes an abuse. The fact that what a trap is supposed to protect is often worth less than the trap itself speaks volumes of the design effort. Also, thanks to insane randomisation, you can find riches in a street barrel and junk in a treasure chamber. Setting traps happened to be another waste of time; better sell them, if you can find the only merchant who will buy them (just another nonsensical constraint.) Sneaking works good though, I have to say; I've never had the need for magical invisibility. Sneaking is surely the most powerful tactical tool in the game.

    Merchants also got downgraded. Their inventory, just like yours, is a mess. You have to peruse each object one by one just to see if one of them is anything special. You also buy and sell items 1 by 1. Want to buy a potion or magical item ? Description tells you what spell it emulates, not what it actually does, and that's it. Better yet, 2/3rds in the game, I realised that even merchant prices are random ! And with a huge interval of randomness. Yet another time waster of a save/load routine.

    Let's speed up some more inanities: You can't find or even buy low levels spells after a while. At this point, leveling to Wizard 2 would cost you millions of XP anyway, because multiclassing is seriously flawed. Your equipment is much more important and powerful than your skills. Many skills do nothing but bring or save you money, therefore they are completely useless (as usual, you carry millions of weightless gold pieces in your front pocket.) cosmetic dialogues galore, no quick load shortcut, broken path finding, dreadful voice acting, useless consumables… Sorry, can't be exhaustive in less than 500 pages.

    What good is left then ?, you ask. The variety of builds, i.e., a rich character creation system. UI-wise, a good toolbar. And combat is dynamic, still varied, if never really challenging once you bought the protection belts. I can't tell you what non-undead bosses can do because they don't have a chance to do anything against an assassin. I almost forgot: if they decide to talk when nearly dead, just go out and have a 7 courses dinner to give the assassin's paralysis enough time to wear off.    … Expand
  26. Admelein
    Jun 4, 2015
    10
    Ah.. Neverwinter Nights.. I love this game i have since I first played it in 2005. It was the first game I tried Multiplayer with at that time and it was amazing I had a blast then. I never tried the new Communuty made multiplayer but oh well. I'm sure its fine. I loved the Single Player in this game, the main story was great, while the secondary quests still had importance, it helps a lotAh.. Neverwinter Nights.. I love this game i have since I first played it in 2005. It was the first game I tried Multiplayer with at that time and it was amazing I had a blast then. I never tried the new Communuty made multiplayer but oh well. I'm sure its fine. I loved the Single Player in this game, the main story was great, while the secondary quests still had importance, it helps a lot in this game to do as many secondary objectives as possible, it doesnt hurt too bad as not doing them in a game like Dragon Age because it has a huge skill cap compared to this. But it still helps out in the long run.

    Yes I do understand this game starts out slow, but it gets more enjoyable to play the more you are leveled.

    My favourite build style is Dex heavy Rouge/(low)Fighter/Weapon Master, i know it sounds like an odd combination but when you get to the 20+ levels and you built it right, you are nearly unstoppable unless you fdace something thats immune to Criticals or Sneak attacks. I like using Rapier for the special with thr halfling race. I start out with fighter till about level 3-4 which ever gives a feat, then I pump like 5-7 levels into Rogue untill i get the Weapon Master class unlocked (You need to focus a lot of talents into this early) and I prefer to start into that till 7 then just level rogue. Once you unlock Weapon Master the feat choices dont matter too much. This build starts out horribly slow but it gets good when you get closer to level 10 which is a long time i know.

    Also to the people who say the graphics are "Laughable" @ Zoso this is a 2002 game. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT? GTA 5 or Witcher 3 graphics in those days? Now thats laughable.

    One of my favourite parts of this is the toolset, its a lot of fun making your own stories and inventing new weapons/armours. Sneaky tip, load a plain toolset and create a mildy to amazingly powerful piece of armour or weapon and place it on the ground, and maybe a bunch of gold, and then enter that with a new character you hope to level in the campaign and use the item(s) and then save the character then go into the campaign. It makes it a lot easier if your messing around with new things. I don't consider it a cheat as you can't do that with online games, unless the host allows that I believe. And your using it for your own benifit in the single olayer campaign.    … Expand
  27. solomonhume
    May 16, 2015
    2
    The main campaign really sucks. Each chapter, the main quests are always: find 4 items located at the four corners of the map. The quests are nonsensical. You cannot change the plot, there is no choices and consequences, you can only do what you are told to.
  28. Chewbubba
    Mar 11, 2015
    10
    Outstanding game.

    For me this is the game that made my fall in love with rpgs. I have played the single player a dozen times and playing it in 2015 it still feels good. The wealth of classes is the strong point giving the game a lot of replayability. Masterpiece.
  29. jimbobslimbob
    Dec 10, 2014
    10
    This toolset wrapped around a game is possibly one of the best, most enduring games ever made. While the subsequent expansions improved on the game immeasurably, it remains a classic. One that I still play to this day. The wealth of quality user created content for it is breathtaking. It is a RPG that we need more of.

    Jimbo Rating: 10/10
  30. Vamrem
    Dec 9, 2014
    10
    After the Masterpiece Baldur's Gate most players were shocked by the empty single player campaign but then it showed his true purpose: being a unique game! This is the only RPG in history that can be played online in Persistent Worlds; each world can be made with the powerful Aurora Toolset by simple users and hosting in their own PC; players creates accounts in the servers where they willAfter the Masterpiece Baldur's Gate most players were shocked by the empty single player campaign but then it showed his true purpose: being a unique game! This is the only RPG in history that can be played online in Persistent Worlds; each world can be made with the powerful Aurora Toolset by simple users and hosting in their own PC; players creates accounts in the servers where they will store their Characters so they can return at any time to continue their progress, all of this with the possibility that real Dungeon Masters guide your adventures behind scenes. In other words: the closest that a computer could be to a pen & paper RPG.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best PC Game of 2002
5
#5 Most Discussed PC Game of 2002
9
#9 Most Shared PC Game of 2002

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. Total Video Games
    90
    If you’re going to play on your own there is enough to keep you playing for days, take it online and you have a masterpiece that could last you a lifetime.
    Read full review
  2. Yahoo!
    100
    It's hard to fathom, but what it really boils down to is the fact that gamers may never really have grasped just how faithful an adaptation of the D&D ruleset we are looking at. It is totally accurate in every, single detail.
    Read full review
  3. PC Gameworld
    98
    Where Neverwinter Nights really earns the points is in its longevity.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »