Nox™

I'm not the biggest fan of Diablo, because it's all click-click-click, and it's slow, clunky, and mindless. It's not the worst game in the world, and it's okay, but Nox takes the formula and makes it a little smarter. You can't just wade into a crowd unless you want to get your rib cage realigned; you have to be smart about how you manage crowds, bait enemies, what weapons you use, and sometimes, even what's around you. Loot is something you have to pay attention to, as well, because you'll need it to scrape together just enough money to repair your equipment. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you have to pay attention at all. The action is much faster, movement is more efficient, and you have to avoid traps and dodge obstacles, as well. Explore well enough, and you'll find little hidden areas, which give you an experience bonus. Equipment comes in a variety of colors, sometimes to denote what properties it has, and sometimes just because. The music's pretty good, too, for the genre, and the voice acting is top-notch, especially the antagonist, Hecubah; Joann Cassidy is an absolute treasure. There's also a fair amount of humor in Nox; it's serious enough to convey danger, but it throws in a good gag now and then, too. I don't normally like inconsistency in tone, but Nox pulls it off pretty well. It might not be a masterpiece, but I'd definitely recommend this if you like the genre.

What a little gem of a game! I picked this up on GOG because I was interested in it long ago, but never played it. The style and game-play is excellent. You don't need to worry too much about gathering information and a complex story - the story is very simple and enjoyable, with enough humor to be fun and not annoying. There are no obnoxious opportunities to screw yourself (like forgetting to pick up a key way back in some obscure part of a dungeon). And, though some sections are quite challenging, all that's needed to solve a puzzle or a difficult fight is a little analyzing and planning. The puzzles and traps are clever and fun to figure out - and never stupidly challenging. The authors of this game knew what they were doing and made a well-balanced and very entertaining game.

Well first it's worth noting that the gameplay mechanics are awfully familiar to anyone who's ever played the Diablo games, even down the frankly bloody annoying item/weapon/armor degrading/breaking mechanic that spoils many a crawl through a dungeon. The plot is a bit... shakey. Stuff just kinda happens and you roll with it because whatever (I just want my sandwich!) but generally the game play is quite fun. Or it's nothing brilliant and literary masterpiece this is not, but it's a fairly entertaining run around and smash stuff sort of game. I liked the occassional puzzle that took advantage of some of the mechanics but cannot really understand why the one or two pressure plate puzzles really required EVERYTHING in the game to be moveable. Hilarious as it is to walk into a church and fling pews around as you try to walk past them, a lot of the time the greased furniture just got in the way and annoyed me. Headbutting mages in the face was a lot of fun. the ending was not. I played a warrior and the end game that resulted was tedious and just flat out boring. Running around the map endlessly to hit the bad guy a few times before she teleported somewhere else on the map just frustrated me. And then the game just... ends. No fanfare, no prologue, it just... stops. You go home, credits roll. Er... A flat end to an otherwise pretty enjoyable if not a little cliche romp. Apparently if you play the two magic classes you get a different ending. I was annoyed that I was given the option to customize my character's appearance, but the cut scenes still displayed him as boring white, blonde guy. Why give the option then!? It could have been better, but I don't regret the few nights I spent headbutting mages and smacking ogres. Even if I never fully understood WHY I was doing half of what I was doing or why nobody else could help me out (lazy sods), it was pretty fun. Right up till the end at least.

One of my favorite game from school times 8)

Probably the highlight of my childhood and youth. Was fun to find it here on gog after so many years, reminded me of the good times.