Though the dated presentation and omission of some multiplayer features undeniably rankle, Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition still manages to acquit itself ably as a landmark RPG that deserves to be absorbed by an entirely new generation of gamers.
First of all - critical info that is not always listed for this game. Enhanced editions includes all the content of the Diamond Edition, which is main campaign, 2 expansions, and 7 or so standalone "modules" which are separate DnD campaigns with their own story/progression/etc.
All of this is already on the disc and doesn't require downloads.
Now for those who remember NWN on PC - console version is a much more immersive way to experience the game. What enhanced edition (for consoles) did is gave you direct control of the character with just the right zoom level (think controlling Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn).
Strategic/zoomed-out view is also available by tapping the touchpad.
The lighting has been much improved with surfaces looking vibrant/colorful.
Together with up-close view this gives it such an immersive feel that it's a totally different experience from what I remember of the PC version.
In terms of performance, I am running this on PS4 Pro, 1080p. Frames are butter-smooth. I can't tell for sure if it's 30 or 60fps (feels like 60), but panning the camera never causes any stutter.
Update after finishing chapter 1: Encountered 1 crash to home, 2 crashes on save, lost saves. Some feats not selectable due to buggy dialog windows.
NWN was a fantastic game for its era, and its story and setting are still extremely enjoyable today. It follows closely to ADnD rulesets, takes place in Faerun, and has plenty of memorable characters and a plot brimming with exciting twists and turns. However, the playstation port specifically runs like a fish on sand. Get ready for consistant crashes to home, massive framerate stutters, and NPC behavior bugs. Sometimes panning the camera through a building will cause the software to yeet itself out of running. Sometimes it's opening your inventory. Whatever the trigger, I found that playing. for more than ten minutes at a time tends to elicit a crash. This still does not stop me from trying to play, as the game is wonderful in creative content and I'm determined to enjoy it, but the technical issues sharply effect my ability to enjoy the software.
Also, no aurora engine toolkit on console, and that's heartbreaking.
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition is a rich collection of the role-playing classic. There are hundreds of hours of fun at your disposal but it's saddled with technical issues that are impossible to ignore. Vigilant players will need to save often and have high tolerance for such problems. It stays faithful to the original assets in a way purists might enjoy but some more quality of life and graphical improvements would've been welcomed. As a newcomer, I rate this highly but veterans won't find much new here.
Neverwinter Nights is a game that holds up really well, but this port is weaker than it should. It feels like a low-effort adaptation, with way too many technical problems that shouldn’t be present almost 20 years after the original release.
If you didn't get the chance at the time to play Neverwinter Nights, then this is a good chance to enjoy a slightly better version of one of the most ambitious role-playing titles in history. Likewise, this game doesn't get the score it could have deserved, because the development company Beamdog couldn't improve the interface or the graphics, so it's an adaptation that has absolutely nothing to do with remastering.
Neverwinter Nights remains a fantastic RPG, but the Enhanced Edition on PlayStation 4 fails to recapture that magic. If you can look past the incredibly dated graphics, there's tons of classic role playing to get stuck into, but playing it with a controller and clunky UI is not particularly pleasant. Considering that this is playable on pretty much any computer you can lay your hands on, or even on your phone, I'd steer clear of this particular version unless you desperately want to sit on your couch with a controller to play.
Neverwinter Nights Enhanced Edition for PlayStation 4 is not just a technical mess, it is an expensive technical mess. The magic of the PC version released in 2012 has vanished completely because Beamdog is trying to pull a cash grab taking advantage of our nostalgia. Instead of delivering the careful remaster of a legend we were promised, the producers are throwing at us a cheap port that will offend the D&D fans. If you feel nostalgic stick with the remastered editions of the 2D games and stay away from this one. We cannot recommend Neverwinter Edition Enhanced Edition for PlayStation 4 not even at a heavily discounted price.
I loved NWN back in the day, and played it just as much as Baldur's Gate 1&2, sinking hundreds of hours into it. So, when seeing the PS4 edition in a bargain bin, I dived in pronto!
I should not have. For when starting the game (after 10GB patch download) it was not nostalgia that hit me, but rather disbelief and shock.
Shock at how bad a job they had done translating this masterpiece for PS4. I could not believe it, but the game actually looks worse on my PS4Pro than it ever did on my old gaming PC (Win98, Pentium II, Voodoo 3). And it runs worse too! What on Earth went wrong?!? How, what, why???
Well, I did give it a solid try, and tried to play thru it. But it was just too painful. So, into the trash it goes.
Next time I feel like going back to the good old days, I'll just download the game off Steam for this laptop. Which is what I should've done in the first place. And which is what I suggest you do. For, even for nostalgia trip, the PS4 edition is not worth it. Not even if you can get it cheap. It is an insult to the fans of the game.
Incredibly disappointing, absurdly expensive port.
I should have done more research on this before picking it up for Xbox One, but I was too excited when I saw it on sale. I loved my copy of Diamond edition on PC back in the day and thought getting it on console would get my wife to try it, since she doesn't like using a mouse and keyboard but she loves D&D.
Unfortunately, the only enhanced aspects are the visuals (and only in terms of texture compression and monitor resolution) and having direct control of your character (rather than pointing and clicking).
Everything else actually seems worse, particularly interacting with merchants and working with your AI partner. In addition, there is virtually no tutorial for either the rules of 3rd edition D&D or controls for the game itself, so a lot of the experience becomes trial and error.
I plan to keep playing, since I paid for the game and want to get my money's worth, but it kills me that they could have really made something special if they had just spent some time redesigning the interface and the controls.
An utterly atrocious port **** that desperately needed far more added to it than what is here. In fact, porting this game to next-gen systems left the end result with far more issues than its original iteration might have when compared to a modern game from 2020.
I would be hard-pressed to call this a finished product. Do not spend money on this.
Very good game with tons of content sadly it was half baked and the other half a cash grab on the supposive enhanced edition otherwise a very good game when on a very good sale ofc.
SummaryReturn to the Forgotten Realms in this bestselling Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Combines all the content of Neverwinter Nights Diamond Edition with all-new enhanced features. Includes 100+ hours of award-winning adventures and the tools to create your own!