Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition is developed and published by Aspyr—Microsoft Xbox Series X review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes.
Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition is a valiant attempt at resurrecting what was a fantastic game from nearly two decades ago, but the actual enhancements feel somewhat spartan at times. There’s a handful of welcome updates, but this title seems to miss the mark, as I think it will at times frustrate original fans of the title while doing little to pull in new fans as well.
The original Neverwinter Nights was one of the most memorable games I have experienced in my four-plus decades of video gaming. I was in love with the story, the soundtrack continues to be one of my favorites even today and I spent oodles of time scratching my creative itch playing in its module community back in the day. Oddly enough, the sequel and I never quite developed that same relationship. I thoroughly enjoyed it but never quite completed the story. I am a bit foggy on the details (as it’s been nineteen years), but I believe that I picked it up right about the time I took a new job and moved to a different part of the state. So my guess is ‘real life happened’ and something else caught my attention once things settled down again.
So, I was eager to dive back into it once again with this new release of Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition. The interesting thing is that I am probably the perfect audience for this release. I have reason to go back to it since I never completed it. Computer RPGs are among my favorite genres (I still fire up older titles and enjoy them), and there are a handful of notable updates here that are worth calling out.
So what makes this an ‘Enhanced Edition’? Probably the most notable are the improvements to the textures. There will inevitably be people who say it doesn’t look any better than the original, but I would disagree with that. Does it look good? Not really, but it looks better on a sixty-inch television than it would using the old game, where it was played in much closer proximity on smaller computer monitors. I will call out that textures don’t seem to always load quite right. In general optimization could be better. The camera controls were pretty finicky, but I appreciate the ability to adjust them and get things more to my liking. I had a handful of crashes during longer play sessions (admittedly hours long without a break), and it sure feels like it loads pretty slowly for a game this old.
However, the transition to controller support on the console has been rather solid. There’s a quick toggleable ability to simply walk around with your character and interact with the environment, but also a more strategic semi-overhead view that works well for combat. Interfaces for RPGs (especially inventory management) could be pretty gnarly back then, but by and large once I got used to the button layout, it worked pretty smoothly with a controller. In fact, I think those who are console-first will find the most value in this release. There is a ton of content here as well, as the base game was quite a massive experience in and of itself, but this version of the title also comes with some extra expansions: Mask of the Betrayer, Storm of Zehir and Mysteries of Westgate.
The music still holds up beautifully, even if the visuals are clearly dated despite their touch-up for this release. Where Neverwinter Nights 2 stands out is its story. True to form for the Dungeons & Dragons games of yesteryear, there’s a deep, interesting narrative here that sells the feeling of an epic adventure. Sure, there’s plenty of familiar genre tropes to be found. For example, you’re an orphaned child being raised by a man in a village that experiences a major event that causes you to set out on your path.
Still, I wonder who this title is going to appeal to the most. Fans of the original game may still own it via Good Old Games, and the like may be disappointed by the lack of 'new' features and content. Sure, there is value in having a ready-to-play version of the game that doesn't require any configuration to try and make it work on current hardware. But those who have played the game through and experienced most of what is here might feel that the term 'Enhanced Edition' is a bit of an exaggeration. Newer players who have never experienced this title in the past might be curious due to the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, but will likely find Neverwinter Nights 2’s pacing, visuals and camera frustrating by comparison. That leaves something of a narrow target audience.
That being said, there’s certainly an audience for this game and I’m part of it. I enjoyed my time with Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition. It’s an earnest re-release of an already very good game with a ton of content. It is dated, and its age shows time and again with minor bugs and gameplay mechanics that can be somewhat unflattering when compared to the quality of life options found in modern RPGs. However, the story is rich, and the gameplay itself can be quite varied depending on your characters and how you tune your party. The amount of agency you have with the detailed character customization and progression is a hallmark of Dungeons & Dragons games and Neverwinter Nights 2 does not disappoint. With well over one hundred hours of content, Neverwinter Nights 2 is an excellent value, assuming you enjoy the gameplay itself and don’t mind the minor issues that persist. I feel as though console players will get more out of this than PC ones.
Score: 6.5 / 10
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