Dungeons & Dragons and video games go together like peanut butter and jelly. So, given the premier tabletop game’s popularity in recent years, and the prevalence of 20-year-old games getting remastered, it’s no surprise that Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition has rolled initiative and entered the scene.
Born from the popularity of D&D 3.5 and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, BioWare took their proven engine back to its d20-rolling roots with Neverwinter Nights, a sprawling campaign that gave players all the thrills of playing a game of D&D with higher production values and less math. Then, just as with Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords, development of Neverwinter Nights 2 fell to Obsidian Entertainment, who produced another admirable sequel.
And now, once again, the series is following KOTOR‘s trajectory, and has passed into the hands of Aspyr Media for a remaster.
Anyone who has played one of Aspyr’s remasters over the last five years or so can probably already set their expectations for Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition. Much like their takes on the original era of Tomb Raider, the visual overhaul toes the line between “faithful to the original” and “the bare minimum effort.“
“Neverwinter Nights 2 was built off D&D‘s belovedly divisive 3.5 edition, so the Enhanced Edition stands out starkly against the more streamlined and intuitive likes of 5E, as found in Baldur’s Gate 3.”
This is great news for longtime fans who just want an easy way to play a classic game on modern hardware, with improved resolutions and minimal edits. It’s a mixed bag for newcomers, however, who may want to check out this slice of RPG history. You get the authentic experience, but just like Lara’s tank controls, Aspyr hasn’t dealt with the warts.
In the case of Neverwinter Nights 2, that means issues like an awkward camera and bad AI remain unchecked. Many early environments run on the darker side so it’s harder to appreciate the visual overhaul upfront, but the menus are a touch nicer, almost getting lost in the fringes of modern resolutions. Similarly, the staging of some scenes can be wonky, between the limited animations of the character models and the way certain characters fit into the scale of today’s modern displays.
One welcome area where the Enhanced Edition sank some effort is controller support, at least, with a specialized UI mode.
The game beneath the visuals remains a solid journey, albeit a little dated. Neverwinter Nights 2 was built off D&D‘s belovedly divisive 3.5 edition, so the Enhanced Edition stands out starkly against the more streamlined and intuitive likes of 5E, as found in Baldur’s Gate 3 (or even the more recent MMORPG, Neverwinter). Though 3.5 remains very popular to this day, it’s not as newcomer-friendly, so it’s another archaic point against this adaptation. KOTOR remains fresh thanks to the unique trappings of Star Wars, while Neverwinter Nights can come across bloated.
Those who embark (or re-embark) on this journey take the role of a young adventurer who is called to leave their modest village for the big city of Neverwinter to seek the truth behind a coveted artifact. One benefit of using 3.5 near the end of its publication run? The sheer quantity of options for your custom hero. Savvy players will find no shortage of character builds to explore, even while replaying a familiar class (while less savvy players can always use the recommended option to handle level up decisions, if they get too daunting).
Neverwinter Nights 2 also has a host of potential party members, depending on dialogue decisions. The supporting cast sometimes toes the line of becoming stereotypical or overplayed, but true to BioWare’s lineage, each of the companions has a satisfying quest line with branching paths, and they come out more interesting for the struggle.
(Or a little bit more dead, also depending on your choices. It’s a slippery slope sometimes.)
The journey through Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition can feel like cliche or like a slog at points, but that classic BioWare DNA is still in there, and that alone almost makes it worthwhile. By the same token, fans of the Forgotten Realms should certainly sit up and take notice, as this is another chance to romp through Faerûn in video game format from a time when we couldn’t take that privilege for granted.
That being said, I’m not sure it has the potential to truly grab newcomers in a post-Baldur’s Gate 3 world. It’s comparing apples to oranges to an extent, but it’s also inevitable that two virtual recreations of D&D, grounded in the same setting, will be set side-by-side—and players who got a taste for this world from 2023’s Game of the Year might not get the same satisfaction from this particular walk through history.
Both are well-written and comprehensive epics for the standards of their times, to be fair. Beating my head against a difficult encounter in BG3 felt more stimulating than losing a grindy battle in Neverwinter because the AI-controlled allies are dumb as bricks, though.
By the same token, Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition may not be enough of a remaster to warrant a new purchase in 2025 for the veterans. A Complete Edition has lived on GOG for years, and now even benefits from their preservation program. At least it’s priced appropriately, unlike another recent remaster.
For those who do take the plunge, there is a hefty amount of content for that refreshingly humble price tag. All three expansions are included, along with the means to become the Dungeon Master and prepare your very own adventures. Diehard D&D fans, especially those who have played in 3.5, could do worse with their time than return to this particular corner of the Forgotten Realms.
