A classic dungeon crawler with a fresh coat of paint

Icewind Dale is a solid dungeon crawler relying on the lore and game rules of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition. While the rules may be somewhat antiquated for newer players of the tabletop game, they are competently translated into this video game that most can pick up and play without difficulty. As with their previous work on Baldur’s Gate, Beamdog has brought over all the enhancements and refinements that came with Baldur’s Gate II, including a full range of “kits” that allow for customization of the base classes. With six character slots, tons of customization options, and a large number of classes, Icewind Dale has a lot to ffer dungeon crawler fans who love the idea of building their own party and taking them through dungeons to fight monsters and find loot.

The original game is quite old now and even when purchased through vendors like Good Old Games, getting it to work on a newer operating system can be a chore. So it is great to see where Beamdog has cleaned the game up and made it playable on newer computers as well as applying a fresh coat of paint to give everything a nice sheen. The actual gameplay window is still fairly pixelated but for the most part a game that was originally meant for 800x600 resolution monitors looks great on a modern high end Apple display.

I was disappointed that there were no new character audios or portraits after some of the excellent additions in both Baldur’s Gate enhanced editions. There also isn’t an optional quest in the vein of the battle arena scenarios from the two Baldur’s Gate games. This time all of Beamdog’s additions are baked right into the main game. One intriguing addition that is sure to win points with casual gamers is the addition of a “story mode” that turns your party into invincible superhuman, making it easy to wade through the often punishing dungeons and simply experience the story and atmosphere of Icewind Dale. This is a terrific addition as the music and atmosphere of the game are breathtaking and while Icewind Dale is not as well regarded for its plot as the Baldur’s Gate games and Planescape Torment, it still serves up some pretty fantastic fantasy fare. I would have preferred that they had incorporated the mechanics of Icewind Dale II (which is based on third edition and offers an even greater level of character customization) but for the most part the fresh coat of paint that Beamdog has applied has made this the definitive version of the game. It is well worth the purchase for longtime fans of the Infinity Engine games and anyone who enjoys a high fantasy dungeon crawler.

camitch3 about Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition