Neverwinter Reviews

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Written by WorstUsernameEver on July 16th, 2013

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Neverwinter isn't a hardcore MMORPG, nor is it likely to compel you to cast aside your current favorite MMO to devote your full attention to it. But taken in small doses, it's a generally fun and free romp through one of fantasy's most beloved universes, and the player-generated Foundry missions occasionally yield more memorable moments than fantasy MMOs with massive budgets.

Perhaps Neverwinter has more potential, perhaps it will grow beyond this, but games can only be reviewed on what they are, not what they might become, and for now the many user-forged forays into fantasy are, just like the rest of Neverwinter, mostly about going to a place, bashing heads in and grabbing swag.

Then again, if that's all the freedom you need, then Neverwinter is a free, easy and very, very simple game that you can put as much time into as you like.

There's no denying that Neverwinter is derivative. It's a game of borrowed parts and tweaked ideas that sometimes seems a little behind the times. But each of the game's systems, from combat to crafting, is expertly crafted--simultaneously offering depth, fun, and accessibility. Cryptic has created a finely tuned, smooth game that remembers the lessons its predecessors learned, and in the process bookends a long progeny of MMORPG development.

After 40 hours or so, you've traveled the howling corridors of The Chasm, battled across Rothe Valley's autumnal meadows, and fought winter wolves atop Icespire Peak. It's a shame that the journey doesn't leave you more epic tales to tell.

Neverwinter is a polished, if uninspiring MMO. There's a welcome fluidity to combat, but it doesn't do anything innovative, taking the successes of Star Trek Online and implementing them in a D&D world, as well as borrowing from other post-World of Warcraft action-orientated MMOs. Ultimately, it'll live or die on the lasting success of The Foundry, which promises potentially unlimited creative content that will let you experience stories far beyond the cookie-cutter nature of the ones in the main storyline.

It would be an understatement to describe the free-to-play MMORPG market as saturated right now, but Cryptic have tried to boldly move in and change the game, designing Neverwinter with the free model in mind from the outset. Sadly, a lack of content and some of the game's innovation backfiring on New Zealand connections makes it hard to recommend this over other, more established games. On the other hand, if you're a dedicated Dungeons and Dragons fan or budding content developer, you might just find what you're looking for here. Neverwinter also has a lot of potential; once it has had some time to find its feet (and maybe install a server farm in Australia, but that's wishful thinking) this could be a game worth taking another look at.

There's no doubt in my mind that Neverwinter is most certainly a fun game to play, standing proudly amongst the other F2P MMOs as one of the front liners. However, the suspect use of the F2P model along with a linear, unimaginative quest progression and a lack of good end game content make me feel it still has much to grow before I can proclaim it to be the F2P that completely wiped away the stigma they hold in today's game market.

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