23 Years Later, A Classic BioWare RPG Just Got A Surprising Update
Blast from the past.
There’s still nothing quite like those classic party-based BioWare RPGs — the games thick with chunky menus, hours of dialogue, and unforgettable companions. The likes of Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard have their own strengths to offer, but in a lot of ways, they still don’t scratch that same itch as the classics. If you find yourself pining for the days of yesteryear, you might be in luck. A classic BioWare game, Neverwinter Nights Enhanced Edition, has received a brand new expansion 23 years after its initial release. Doom of Icewind Dale is a direct continuation of the story of the original game, and one even done with the blessing of DnD owner Wizards of the Coast.
Neverwinter Nights has, for many years, had one of the most robust fan communities, keeping the game alive long past when most would fade into history. For years fans have kept the game alive with mods, expansions, and updates — not to mention the Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition released by developer Beamdog in 2018. A big part of that is the Aurora Toolset Neverwinter Nights launched with, allowing players to create custom campaigns to share with others. In fact, the very first The Witcher, by CD Projekt Red, was actually developed on the Aurora Toolset.
Doom of Icewind Dale has five different companions, some new and some familiar.
Neverwinter Nights itself was a bizarre little RPG that tried to simultaneously create an emotional single-player epic, while integrating with a multiplayer system. Surprisingly, it mostly succeeds on both fronts — letting players explore the imaginative locations of Neverwinter and the Sword Coast — while the region suffers from a magical plague called the Wailing Death. While gameplay-wise Neverwinter Nights didn’t really do anything new, it’s held up by phenomenal writing that helps flesh out the world and make it feel believable. In a lot of way, this game feels like the stepping stone between BioWare’s Baldur’s Gate 2 and Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3.
Now interestingly, Doom of Icewind Dale is written and created by fantasy author Luke Scull — who’s written The Grim Company and two Warhammer Age of Sigmar novels, among others. Scull actually worked on mods for Neverwinter Nights for years, making an original three-part campaign that includes Siege of Shadowdale, Crimson Tides of Tethyr, and Tyrants of the Moonsea. He’s also a part of Ossian Studios, where he wrote the official final expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights 2, Mysteries of Westgate.
What all that means is that with the blessing of Wizards of the Coast, Doom of Icewind Dale is an official continuation of Neverwinter Nights — starring the same hero players created. In the expansion, the hero wakes up in the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale, left to die and with no recent memories of how they got there. You’ll have to unravel that mystery while exploring the frigid wilds of Icewind Dale. The expansion apparently lasts roughly 10-15 hours, has 14 new areas to explore, and five new compansions that include new characters and returning ones.
Neverwinter Nights still holds up remarkably well, especially with mods.
Icewind Dale is, of course, a pretty well-known location within the larger Dungeons & Dragons world. It’s the northernmost explored location in the world and had its own series of video games developed by Black Isle Studios (the creators of Fallout) in the early 2000s.
Doom of Icewind Dale is the first of a three-part series called The Blades of Netheril, with each part approaching the scope of an expansion. Scull launched a Patreon to help fund the expansions, on top of getting the blessing of Wizards of the Coast. The official pages for Doom of Icewind Dale also say purchases will “help support the development of the rest of The Blades of Netheril campaign.”
All of this is the perfect excuse to jump back into a classic RPG again, or for the first time if you’ve never played it. The Enhanced Edition and years of modding mean that Neverwinter Nights holds up remarkably well. If you’ve sunk 200 hours into Baldur’s Gate 3 and need a change, this is another gripping D&D adventure you won’t regret taking.
