14 DAY TRIAL // Neverwinter is an intriguing proposition because the Cryptic MMO aims to take all the lore of the Forgotten Realms setting and the core ideas of its genre and deliver them to gamers without asking for a monthly subscription fee in return.
The closed beta for the game suggests that the development team might have a hit on its hands, with solid action role-playing sequences, intriguing options for the player character and a complex world to explore and affect.
The most striking element of Neverwinter so far is the character creation process, which is probably the most complex I have seen based on Dungeons & Dragons.
Apart from the normal character attributes and skills, gamers can create a deep backstory for their character and it will be fascinating to see how they affect the actual MMO experience.
Once the game starts, Cryptic manages to succeed in creating a game experience that’s instantly engaging and exciting, jumping over the traditional MMO quests that focus on gathering and shuffling items from one location to another.
Neverwinter sees the city under assault by undead forces and there’s a clear sense of urgency, with the player helping those wounded on the battlefield and battling a number of mini-bosses before getting into the urban environment.
The quests then become a little more traditional, but battles involve quite a bit of tactical thinking and there’s a constant stream of experience to level up and items to use, which keeps the entire Neverwinter experience interesting.
The MMO also offers events that involve all players in an area and there’s always the option to team up with friends in order to create a diverse party with multiple skills, which can better tackle the more challenging dungeons.
I have played both a Half-Orc Guardian Fighter and an Elf Rogue Tricksterand and there’s a lot of difference between the classes, which means that Neverwinter has a lot of potential for replayability.
Worth a full Softpedia review? Yes.
