Icewind Dale

1. okamimiyazaki

   Jun 26, 2011

   10

   An amazing game if you like the D&D style RPGs. Fantastic music, good plot, challenging and very memorable. It can be a little bit of a grindAn amazing game if you like the D&D style RPGs. Fantastic music, good plot, challenging and very memorable. It can be a little bit of a grind at times.… Expand

   • 5 of 5 users found this helpful
2. Leaven

   Nov 1, 2020

   10

   Best CRPG of all time, allowing to create the whole team as u wish, story and gameplay is mastered. Finished this one 5 times and will do 5 time more.

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
4. EUPOLEMOS

   Sep 16, 2013

   10

   A fantastic game with simple controls that anyone can learn easily and play not only RPG funs.The game sticks to the basics and it does itA fantastic game with simple controls that anyone can learn easily and play not only RPG funs.The game sticks to the basics and it does it well.It has action,fun,interesting spells,legendary magic items,majestic snow vistas,incredible epic music and more.A must for the collection of every gamer.… Expand

   • 2 of 2 users found this helpful
5. hwanin

   Sep 17, 2021

   8

   One of the few games I played through more than once.
   Good graphics, excellent controls, alright story.
   Someone mentioned here the wordOne of the few games I played through more than once.
   Good graphics, excellent controls, alright story.
   Someone mentioned here the word 'grinder'.
   Most of the RPGs are a bit grinders, but most of the games incorporate the "farming" method in order to get better position in the game. Racing games, action games, RPG, RTS, mostly grinding/farming games.
   It's just the way it is :(
   
   Anyway, I really enjoyed this title, specially first time. Always keep fire/acid arrows or fire spells against the trolls, period!! :)… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
6. KaiEkkrin

   Jun 24, 2011

   8

   Ostensibly the Infinity Engine (Baldur's Gate et al) repurposed as a pure dungeon crawler, Icewind Dale still manages to keep the storyOstensibly the Infinity Engine (Baldur's Gate et al) repurposed as a pure dungeon crawler, Icewind Dale still manages to keep the story quality on a par with the other Infinity Engine games -- although there isn't as much of it. What there *is* is the best, moodiest art of any of those games, the best music, and combat -- lots and lots of combat. The old D&D 2E ruleset works well this time: enough spots to rest that you can use your best spells, enough positioning tricks to play that the fighters aren't just aim-and-ignore. Difficulty is perfectly pitched, with only a minor spike at the final battle. Create the crazily powerful party you couldn't make in Baldur's Gate because the NPCs were pre-set, and play it on Insane difficulty.… Expand

   • 2 of 2 users found this helpful
7. edmondhonda304

   Apr 30, 2020

   7

   I'm reviewing here Icewind Dale (IWD), it's expansion Heart of Winter (HoW), and the expansion of the expansion, Trials of Luremaster (ToLM)I'm reviewing here Icewind Dale (IWD), it's expansion Heart of Winter (HoW), and the expansion of the expansion, Trials of Luremaster (ToLM) in one blow. The original one, not Beamdog's Enhanced Edition.
   
   Icewind Dale shares the same Black Isle's Infinity Engine that powers other great DnD RPGs such as Planescape Torment (PST) or Baldur's Gate (BG) saga. The combat system is just like Baldur's Gate. It involves six-second rounds concealed behind an appearance of real time combat with the option to pause combat whenever you need (and you'll need it) and jargon terms like THACO, AC, save roll and so on.
   
   Sadly, the game in lacks where it counts. In spite of visual and combat similarities, this beast is much different to BG than I first thought. Gone are the interesting companions with backstories and desires that join your party along the way. Here you start your adventure with six silent and functional playable characters that answer swiftly to your clicks and whose attributes and skills you can customize from the ground up. The story is relatively simple and not told in an interesting way. NPCs are mostly the classic saint-or-evil stereotypes you find on hundred of video games. The first two big dungeons do a disservice to the game, they are 100% barren and essentially act as padding between you and the corresponding boss. Fortunately, after that you start to find some engaging locations, NPCs and quests. The game gets a bit of traction and you finally start to care about this universe and the people that live in it.
   
   Whereas BG was a semi-open world game where you could explore and discover its different areas in any order (with the usual story related restrictions), Icewind Dale takes a totally linear approach. You can't travel to a location if it isn't on your map, and it won't be on your map until you are assigned the primary quest that takes place there, which won't happen until you solve the primary quest you are currently involved in. You'll find and solve all the side quests as you follow this straight line that is IWD, though there are a couple whose resolution require some on purpose backtracking.
   
   Icewind Dale focuses on dungeon crawling and combat but it does not excel in it. For example, on the first floor of certain dungeon you'll be fighting reptile people, on the next one trolls, once you go downstairs again, undead. I would probably equally complain if enemies were always of the same type, but that's because the key here is that certain dungeons are just too long for the sake of it. Nothing really interesting happens as you descend from one floor to the next, just a succession of forgettable mob slaughters until you reach the final boss which offers some decent opposition, whereas I still recall lots of memorable encounters from BG Saga.
   
   On the other hand the expansions are brief but better focused. The backstories and NPCs you find there are engaging and the raw dungeon crawling is less jarring. Unfortunately Heart of Winter has one of the most underwhelming final bosses I have ever met in a video game, rivalling with the last one you fight in Blade: Edge of Darkness. Trials of Luremaster, accessible from the first area of Heart of Winter, consists of a dungeon were you have to kill monsters and solve some riddles à la BG1's Durlag's Tower. Not bad at all, and it has some captivating lore to reveal reading tomes, scrolls and having conversations with NPCs.
   
   I now realise I have mentioned "Baldur's Gate" in six of the seven paragraphs that make this review up. There is no better indicator to what I would rather have been doing while playing this game.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. koval321

   Dec 6, 2014

   0

   Its pretty good game actually look better from Baldurs Gate but my problem is with some nasty bugs in this game and i don't even remember if iIts pretty good game actually look better from Baldurs Gate but my problem is with some nasty bugs in this game and i don't even remember if i install patch or not. LOL This is crazy that you buy game and must check twice to be sure that it is not broken version, and do efforts to fix it before play.Am actually found bugs in both ID1 and ID2 where Baldurs Gate 1 was fine am completed it without problems and in BG2 am also dont see any problems. So am guess that entire ID series must probably have some lack of quality.… Expand

   • 1 of 15 users found this helpful

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