Nox. Review after 20 years

Greetings, sg! Today I would like to talk about cult classics. About the game to which I urge all Action-RPG lovers to touch. This game – Nox.

There is life in the old dog yet!

Nox I discovered only now, in 2020, when the game has been bent for 20 years. Supposedly outdated picture did not scare me – after all, this is far from the most important thing in the game. And NOX looks pretty good for isometric Action-RPG.

The game does not experience special problems when starting on Windows 10. The only thing to do was to set the compatibility of the game with the older Windows (I chose 98).

According to the initial idea of the authors, the installation of the game should be accompanied by a story about the world of the game and the plot tie. But alas, the version purchased by gog.COM, installed differently. Therefore, something may be incomprehensible if you (like me) play for the first time.

During the installation, the preface about the world of NOX bettingsitesnogamstop.co.uk/ should be told. It took a war of necromancers from the northern lands and ordinary people living in the south. Mighty warrior Dzhandor led people and was able to defeat necromancers using The staff of oblivion. However, after the victory, the enmity between people began. They were divided into fractions of warriors, sorcerers and magicians. Dzhandor decided to divide the staff into components. Each faction received one part of the staff, and Sphere, which contained the souls of defeated necromancers, went to our world. More precisely – in the house of the protagonist of the game who lives in a trailer park with his girlfriend.

And everything seems to look like a completely complete story, if not for one moment. Dzhandor left alive a very tiny child of the necromancers – Hekubu. For some reason, Dzhandor, after the victory in the war, gave the child to educate Ogram. The result is predictable – the girl grew up, fled from the ogres and decided to comprehend the art of necromancy. At the time of the start of the game, Hekuba holds a ritual that will allow it to teleport that very sphere. However, along with the sphere in the world of the game, our main character fell. This begins the game.

Class war

NOX offers a choice of one of three classes: warrior, sorcerer and magician. Passing for each class Unique, But some chapters of the game will be the same. For the most part, the game is linear. Whatever class we choose – We will start in a T -shirt, jeans and sneakers (What teleported the main character). Quite unusual for Action-RPG, even today.

At the time of the release, the game was often compared with Diablo. Passing now, I didn’t really understand the comparison. Similarity except in an isometric chamber. NOX is a linear Action-RPG, in which you will not have to knock out equipment sets or legendary weapons. There are not so many weapons and uniforms here, and it is not erected to the Absolute, as in Diablo Clons. Nox sets a different goal – tell a simple, but interesting story and captivate gameplay.

Old-new experience

Perhaps, gameplay In NOX – the most interesting. Experience in each class is different. This gives the game reiglabia, which is extremely necessary here, because Passage will take about 14 hours. Progressing in the game is perfectly felt with every new chapter. As you pass, new skills, spells, weapons will be available to you. For example, playing for a warrior, at a certain moment, shakramas will become available – a long -range weapon that ricochecles from the walls. Its use adds new mechanics, which perfectly refreshes the gameplay.

The game is full of unique gameplay finds. For example, unlike other Diablo clones, there is a jump button that made it possible to carefully explore the levels, finding various caches and secrets. Many riddles left by the developers remained unsolved for several years. Even the notorious isometric camera was clearly different from Diablo with its system Truesight. This system made it possible to imitate the hero’s vision. That is, despite the camera from above, you cannot see what awaits you around or through the wall. At the same time, if there is a window in the wall, the character overview changes respectively.

Also NOX engine allowed to destroy many objects or somehow move them. The movement of objects is sometimes used in riddles (for example, drag the box onto the pressure plate), and sometimes it is possible to go through the walls of fire using barrels of water. This is not Divinity Original Sin, but still for 2000 it is very impressive.

The plot of the game cannot boast of something outstanding, but knows his job. Given the duration of the game, he tells a rather short, interesting story. Separately, I note that from the choice of the class class depends on the beginning and end of the game. Each class starts the game in its own way and undergoes its own training. After which a conflict with the opposite class during the plot is possible (magicians and warriors simply hate each other). And the finale for each class is distinguished by the place of the last battle, as well as the final video. Again, not Baldur’s Gate with its tons of text and relations with partners, but this should not be expected from the game.

The memory is alive, no matter what

Unfortunately, Nox has become a swan song Westwood Studios (game developer). You can know the Strategy Studio Command & Conquer Or Dune. In 1998, during the development of NOX, the company absorbed the company Electronic Arts. Old employees did not agree with the new leadership, and the majority left the studio. The rights to all projects of the studio are at EA. But the support of NOX Electronic Arts was stopped back in 2003, and the remains of the developers moved to EA Los Angeles. Westwood Studios itself ceased to exist. In 2012, the Games of the Games of the Cult Company was transferred to the Museum of the Video game by the International Center for the History of Electronic Games.

NOX is a mandatory game for all Action-RPG lovers. This is a unique project that is still good. It is a pity that I did not see this game during the release, but even now it is able to give positive emotions. This is one of the masterpieces of the past to which you need to touch, what I recommend to do you.