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    Nox

    Game » consists of 2 releases. Released Jan 31, 2000

    A fast-paced isometric fantasy Action RPG game made by Westwood Studios.

    Short summary describing this game.

    Nox last edited by AlexB4tman on 02/13/21 11:23AM View full history

    Summary

    Nox is a fantasy action-adventure RPG game with a heavy emphasis on combat. Players assume the role of Jack, a young man transported from a mundane world to one of traditional fantasy. Jack has nothing but his t-shirt and blue jeans but he quickly assumes the role of a Conjurer, Wizard, or Warrior. Early on he is tasked with discovering the plans of the sorceress Hecubah and stopping her necromancer disciples.

    The Story in Nox is told through in-game cutscenes. The dialogue appears at the bottom portion of the screen in text and the speaker is portrayed with a small portrait. This is similar to the Infinity Engine series: Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, and Planescape Torment. Each of the three classes has a mostly unique and linear campaign. Some environments are recycled but appear new thanks to story context. For example, the Warrior might visit the village of Brin early on to do some shopping before his next quest but when the Conjurer first arrives in Brin the village is under attack by rampaging ogres.

    You don't get wicked traps like this in a randomized game like Diablo.
    You don't get wicked traps like this in a randomized game like Diablo.

    The game is played from an isometric third-person perspective. Unlike games such as Diablo and its clones Titan Quest and Torchlight, Nox does not feature randomized dungeons or loot. Each of its catacombs are handcrafted with specific enemy and trap placement. Traps play a large part within the dungeons. Nearly all are triggered by pressure plates which can be set off by the player, enemies, or even the player's pets. Typical trap dangers include: giant falling stone fists, disintegration beams, arrow tubes, spike walls, and fire vents. Nox features numerous secret areas that are often small hidden caves off the main path, or small antechambers hidden behind faulty walls. Upon discovering these secrets the player is awarded bonus experience in addition to the treasures they find.

    When you die, all of your inventory hilariously drops to the ground.
    When you die, all of your inventory hilariously drops to the ground.

    Players control Jack by holding down the right mouse button and aiming the reticule in the direction they want to run. Left-clicking swings the equipped melee weapon or fires an arrow from a bow. Spells and abilities are assigned to a hotkey bar (A,S,D, etc.). These abilities will be launched in the location of the mouse reticule.

    Classes

    Conjurer

    A fledling conjurer tames a few white spiders.
    A fledling conjurer tames a few white spiders.

    Of the three classes available in Nox, the Conjurer is the most well-rounded. He is able to wear light leather armor, fight hand to hand with a staff and fire a bow and arrow with ease. His spellcasting specialty is charming enemies to become his minions. In order to charm the creatures he encounters, the Conjurer must collect the targeted creatures Beast Scroll. These scrolls can be received as quest rewards, hidden treasures, or purchased from a merchant.

    Warrior

    The Warrior is able to wield swords and shields while donning the heaviest armors.

    The warrior's Battle Cry will send any magic-user into a confused state.
    The warrior's Battle Cry will send any magic-user into a confused state.

    He does not have the spell repertoire of a Conjurer or Wizard but is able to use an assortment of special abilities that drain his mana bar in a similar fashion. The berserker charge sends the warrior dashing in a long straight line that can down a stronger foe in a single foe. If he misses and careens into a wall he will be stunned for a short while. Later on he will also gain a harpoon ability in order to drag enemies within his deadly melee range. This is quite useful since wizards and necromancers enjoy fleeing and vanishing.

    Wizard

    The Wizard is your typical spellcaster with an assortment of useful spells such as: magic missile, invisibility, teleport, and fireball. Unique to the Wizard are magic traps that could be imbued with several spells depending upon how much mana he had at the time. A single spell trap might be appropriate against a single enemy but 3 or 4 spells would be more useful against one of Hecubah's necromancer minions. Although they can't wield most melee weaponry or even the basic armor of a Conjurer, the Wizard is able to wield an assortment of magically enchanted staves that can wreak great havoc.

    Story

    "Where are we!?"

    Jack Mower is a simple man. He likes bacon. He likes television. He lives in a trailer park. But one night he is sucked into another dimension by accident thanks to the dark spellcasting of the evil sorceress Hecubah. Jack crash lands on an airship that is piloted by the Captain, a rotund gentleman dressed similar to Napoleon de Bonaparte. The Captain threatens to throw the stowaway overboard but Jack manages to trade his useless television for safe passage.

    The Ogres attack Brin but who is behind them?
    The Ogres attack Brin but who is behind them?

    Once he has landed in the land of Nox, Jack quickly gains powers and abilities that he did not possess back on earth. He becomes either a stalwart warrior under the warlord Horrendous, a cunning wizard thanks to Horvath's tutelage, or a conjurer like Aldwyn. Each of the three classes has its own campaign with slightly unique events but their overall storylines are generally the same (some events occur in a different order).

    Horvath is one of Hecubah's many victims.
    Horvath is one of Hecubah's many victims.

    There is much unrest in the land of Nox as of late, necromancers strike havoc in small villages summoning spiders that hold its citizenry hostage, ogres kidnap women, while imps and wolves terrorize the mana mines. Jack does what he can to help Nox's people but it quickly becomes apparent that some greater evil is at work. The evil sorceress Hecubah has claimed herself to be the queen of the necromancers and she has begun summoning an army of green ogres and the undead. Hecubah quickly slays the warlord Horrendous to steal his mighty halberd. Horvath the wizard is Hecubah's second victim, but she barely escapes safely. Jack is witness to these horrible events but is mostly helpless to stop these events. However, he does manage to retrieve the halberd from one of Hecubah's necromancers.

    The halberd is a mighty weapon but Jack needs something even greater to defeat Hecubah. The Captain tells Jack that he must assemble the Staff of Oblivion which requires a few more pieces: the Heart of Nox, the Weirdling, and Hecubah's crystal.

    The Heart of Nox is found at the top of Horvath's tower.
    The Heart of Nox is found at the top of Horvath's tower.

    Jack retrieves the Heart of Nox from the top of the Tower of Illusion, the wizard's tower. The Weirdling is a strange creature at the bottom of the subterranean temple of Ix. Jack travels to see his old master Aldwyn the conjurer to gain passage to the temple. At the temple, the priests warn Jack that the wierdling feeds on pure energy. It receives continual sustenance from the Xon pools deep within the underground temple. Its strange channeling abilities enable it to use the substance of life itself as a weapon. With these pieces, the Horrendous halberd grows in strength but Jack needs one final piece to complete the Staff of Oblivion, the crystal that once sat on his mantle in his trailer. It is the crystal that Hecubah summoned from his world in order to increase her power. The crystal is hidden deep in the necromancers' lair, The Land of the Dead.

    Jack fights past hordes of undead and laser traps and finally retrieves the orb. He affixes it to the top of the halberd and the Staff of Oblivion is complete. Hecubah sends her entire army towards him and Jack wields the Staff at its true potential. It makes quick work the ogres and undead but Jack finally must face off with Hecubah. After a protracted battle, he finally defeats her.

    The game has three ending videos:

    Hecubah's army is no match for Jack.
    Hecubah's army is no match for Jack.

    As the wizard, Jack swings his staff at a ball of energy and yells, “Home run!” Hecubah is blasted and changed forever. Her hair and armament turn white and she awakens with no memory. “Who are you?” she asks.

    Hecubah tries to cage the Conjurer within a trap but he wiles his way out by using her ogres against her. Jack flips Hecubah over into the trap and she is pinned between the spikes. As she dies her spirit is trapped within the magical black orb. Jack takes the orb to the Captain for safekeeping. As he sets it on his old TV set the screen flickers gently.

    Finally, the wicked witch is dead!
    Finally, the wicked witch is dead!

    After the warrior slays Hecubah, the orb rises from the staff into the air. Its energy converges into a portal that sucks Jack back home to Earth. He is strung out on his couch, his hair black and smoldering. He's holding a piece of Hecubah's headdress that humorously looks like an ornamental pipe. “Jack, are you smoking? Jack?” his girlfriend asks.

    System Requirements

    Minimum Requirements

    • Pentium® II or P-200 MMX or faster
    • 32 MB RAM or more
    • 300 MB Free Hard Drive Space or more
    • Windows® 95/98 w/ DirectX™ 7.0 or Windows NT 4 with Service Pack 4 or newer
    • 2 MB Video RAM or more
    • 8X CD-ROM Drive or faster
    • DirectSound™ compliant sound card
    • Two-button mouse

    Recommended

    • Pentium II 266 or faster
    • 64 MB RAM or more
    • 300 MB Free Hard Drive Space or more
    • Windows 95/98 w/ DirectX 7.0 or Windows NT 4 with Service Pack 4 or
    • newer
    • 4 MB Video RAM or more
    • 8X CD-ROM Drive or faster
    • DirectSound™ compliant sound card
    • Two-button mouse

    Internet Requirements

    • 33.3 K Internet connection or faster
    • For game server (hosting): Pentium II 266, 64 MB RAM
    • Also Supported
      • Windows 2000
      • Windows 7 works as of 05/25/2010, tested by ChernobylCow
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