Nox (video game)
A class-based action RPG with three distinct storylines.
Nox is an action role-playing game for Microsoft Windows, released in 2000 and created by Westwood Studios with Electronic Arts as publisher. Its story centers on Jack, an Earth man who gets transported to a high fantasy parallel world. To get back home, he must overcome the evil sorceress Hecubah and her necromancer forces. A key feature is that the game offers three mostly separate linear storylines, each with its own ending, determined by which character class—warrior, conjurer, or wizard—the player picks at the start.
In multiplayer, players can face off in modes like deathmatch and capture the flag. A free expansion called *NoxQuest* added a cooperative multiplayer mode. Critics and the media generally gave the game positive reviews.
**Gameplay**
Players guide Jack from an oblique perspective using the mouse and preset hotkeys. A well-received fog-of-war system called "TrueSight" limits line of sight by dynamically darkening screen areas Jack cannot see from his current spot. The single-player campaign has Jack exploring various locations, fighting enemies and monsters, and aiding allies. In each campaign, he receives one piece of a powerful magical staff and must obtain the other two, which are held by factions representing the classes he did not choose. He then uses the assembled weapon to defeat Hecubah.
Most gameplay takes place in dungeons and wilderness, where Jack earns experience points and collects items like weapons, armor, and spells. These can be equipped, learned, or sold to traders found in several game locations. The story unfolds through dialogue with non-player characters, cut scenes using the game engine, and a few pre-rendered full-motion videos.
Gameplay style changes greatly depending on the chosen class. Warriors can equip nearly all armor and melee weapons but cannot use bows, magical staves, or spells. They have three spell-like special abilities (Bash, Charge, and Stomp) that recharge over time instead of using magic points. Conjurers specialize in summoning monsters found in the game, healing themselves and allies, and using bows and crossbows. They have fewer spells than wizards but can summon monsters learned from "Beast Scrolls" or tame wild animals to fight for them.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Westwood Studios
- Publisher
- NA · Westwood Studios · EU · Electronic Arts
- Producer
- Ken Allen / Frank Hsu / Mark Skaggs
- Designer
- John Hight / Mike Booth / Brett Sperry
- Programmer
- Mike Booth
- Artist
- Phil Robb
- Writer
- Neal Halford
- Composer
- Frank Klepacki
- Released
- NA · February 16, 2000 · EU · February 25, 2000
- Genre
- Action role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The back-story of Nox is explained through location loading screens. Decades before Jack's arrival, necromancers attempted to seize control of the world but were stopped by the hero Jandor wielding the Staff of Oblivion. Jandor trapped their souls in the Orb, which Arch-Wizard Horvath transported to modern Earth. Jandor later disassembled the Staff, giving each piece to one of three factions: the Fire Knights of Dün Mir, the wizards of Castle Galava, and the conjurers' Temple of Ix. The game opens with Hecubah, the necromancer girl raised by ogres, summoning the Orb back from Earth, inadvertently transporting Jack to the Land of Nox.
Depending on the player's class choice, the story branches immediately. Warriors start near Dün Mir, conjurers near the Village of Ix, and wizards near Castle Galava. Each campaign involves retrieving a piece of the Staff guarded by factions representing the unselected classes, ultimately assembling the weapon to defeat Hecubah. The game's plot is told through dialogue, cut scenes using the game engine, and a few pre-rendered full motion videos.
The gameplay varies greatly by class. Warriors can equip most armor and melee weapons but cannot use bows, magical staves, or spells; they have five spell-like special abilities that recharge over time. Conjurers specialize in summoning monsters, healing, and using bows; they can tame wild animals. Wizards have limited weapons and few hit points but learn the largest array of spells, including teleportation and invisibility. The magic system is complex, inspired by Magic: The Gathering, allowing spell combinations and traps.
Reader's Guide
Nox was generally well received by critics and the media, praised for its innovative 'TrueSight' fog of war system that dynamically blacks out portions of the screen based on the player's line of sight. The game's three distinct class-based storylines offered high replayability, each leading to a unique ending. In multiplayer, players could compete in modes such as deathmatch, capture the flag, Flagball, King of the Realm, and Elimination. The freely downloadable expansion pack NoxQuest added a cooperative multiplayer mode. Westwood originally ran an online ladder ranking system for multiplayer matches and clan matches, but it has since been closed down; online services were officially replaced by redirecting to the server portal XWIS, a feature shared with other Westwood Studios Command & Conquer titles. The game's legacy includes its complex magic system and class-based gameplay, which set it apart from other action RPGs of its era.
Did You Know?
- The game's fog of war system is named 'TrueSight' and dynamically blacks out portions of the screen Jack cannot see.
- The magic system was inspired by Magic: The Gathering and allows spell combinations and traps.
- Westwood's online ladder ranking system for Nox multiplayer has since been closed down, with services redirected to the server portal XWIS.
More in Hack and slash role-playing games 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced