Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir

E3 2008 Preview

Neverwinter Nights, the popular RPG series from Obsidian Entertainment, will receive another upgrade in the fourth quarter: Storm of Zehir. This expansion adds to the previous content, both from the initial boxed game and the first expansion pack, by making changes whenever necessary. It wasn't that the original game was bad and needed change, but the developers felt that to push the series further they needed to make some adjustments. One of them comes from a surprising source: Final Fantasy.

In Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer, players could jump between locations from a menu screen. But in Storm of Zehir, you'll have to physically move between locations via a new world map. This map is very similar to the world map in the 3D Final Fantasy games -- it feels big in scope, has a high-up (but not quite top-down) view, and is loaded with monsters that could make your day miserable. The monsters aren't random though. You can see them on the map as they ponder, "Are you my dinner tonight?" If you choose to engage the monster, or if they strike first, the game transports you to a separate battle screen. Sound familiar? This is a little unexpected given the gameplay of the Neverwinter Nights series, which isn't exactly a traditional, Final Fantasy-style RPG.

Storm of Zehir will be a low-level EXP pack. Interestingly, players can have four characters in their party and share each character's benefits. If a Swashbuckler (one of the new classes) has a skill that you need and your main character does not, it can be used for your main character so long as the guy that has it is in your party. Doom Guy is another new class, and Atari says there will be others.

The game begins on a ship, which quickly crashes and washes ashore on Samarach, the new environment. Batiri warriors (jungle goblins) don't appreciate your abrupt arrival and will attack as soon as they realize you're there. But they're the least of your threat. Two new enemies were shown: the reptilian human snakes (called Yuan-Ti) and large mechanical spiders (called Clockroaches).

Set for release this fall, Neverwinter Nights: Storm of Zehir looks like a solid, game-evolving expansion to the series.

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