Finally finished this up. What a fucking game, I had a fabulous time. I should note I played with the fan-made enhanced edition mod, mostly for the quality of life tweaks.
Icewind Dale 1 and 2 generally aren't liked as much as their Baldur's Gate counterparts and for understandable reason... grand overarching narrative and fleshed out characters aren't a focus of the games. Funnily enough, I actually find Icewind Dale's conveyance of its setting, mood, aesthetics, etc to hit me a bit harder than Baldur's Gate does in the moment to moment. I'm not really trying to take digs at Baldur's Gate cuz I totally love 1 and 2 but I can't really help but compare.
The visuals are SOOOOO gorgeous... Every single environment, even the dungeons that are just empty rooms, feel like they were given such attention bottom to top. It comes across like a painting where every detail is inevitably intentional, rather than being able to notice concessions that tend to come with 3D environments in games at the time. The awesome lighting is definitely a huge part of it. There's just so much detail aside from a few exceptions.
While the visuals look great on their own, the sound completes them. The fantastic soundtrack is used very sparingly, often playing during key battles or as an introduction to a new area without looping. The subsequent ambience does an amazing job at maintaining the atmosphere. Being met only by the sound of freezing wind or the deep hum of cold caves or temples between the constant difficult fights adds to the setting being so crazy hostile feeling. It's a really interesting vibe to me that the game balances very well, being in a beautiful winter wonderland while also surviving how relentlessly vicious the setting is. This makes the brief moments of peace feel so special... I particularly remember wandering into a potion making lady's tent in the wilderness and being so surprised by how playful and fun the music is.
The writing is a gag too. It might not be trying to reach Baldur's Gate's narrative heights, but dialogue and descriptions are written so beautifully. Its generally very straightforward yet with a slight poetic bend? Iunno if poetic is quite the word but I can't think of anything better. I'm sure its in part due to how fleeting most NPCs are, but a lot of the writing feels like it characterizes and is an expression of the setting itself... direct and fierce but playful and endearing. Characters like Lysara and Oswald are emblematic of these things to me. A loooot of NPCs, such as Lysara and Oswald, also have specific speaking quirks. Many people you meet leave a pretty lasting impression because of it, nobody really quite melds together for me. Also the voice acting goes CRAZY....It's just great. As for the actual story of the game, its like... whatever. I find the plot somewhat uncomfortable as it has themes of marginalization but handles them about as poorly as you would expect from the forgotten realms. I just uhhhh try not to think abt it lol.
The 3E mechanics work great. I find myself making more interesting micro-decisions in battle compared to the 2E infinity engine games, particularly around positioning. Once your squishy back-liners get caught, they'll just eat attacks of opportunity and get obliterated real quickly. This type of thing, on top of enemy-specific quirks, makes battles feel very rewarding to plan for and execute fabulously. Character building with the addition of feats and skills is much more fun too, though it feels like theres an abundance of worthless feats that I suspect will dull my enjoyment of character building on subsequent playthroughs.
Icewind Dale 2 pretty much solidified my love for the setting. It's just such a vibe.
Icewind Dale 1 and 2 generally aren't liked as much as their Baldur's Gate counterparts and for understandable reason... grand overarching narrative and fleshed out characters aren't a focus of the games. Funnily enough, I actually find Icewind Dale's conveyance of its setting, mood, aesthetics, etc to hit me a bit harder than Baldur's Gate does in the moment to moment. I'm not really trying to take digs at Baldur's Gate cuz I totally love 1 and 2 but I can't really help but compare.
The visuals are SOOOOO gorgeous... Every single environment, even the dungeons that are just empty rooms, feel like they were given such attention bottom to top. It comes across like a painting where every detail is inevitably intentional, rather than being able to notice concessions that tend to come with 3D environments in games at the time. The awesome lighting is definitely a huge part of it. There's just so much detail aside from a few exceptions.
While the visuals look great on their own, the sound completes them. The fantastic soundtrack is used very sparingly, often playing during key battles or as an introduction to a new area without looping. The subsequent ambience does an amazing job at maintaining the atmosphere. Being met only by the sound of freezing wind or the deep hum of cold caves or temples between the constant difficult fights adds to the setting being so crazy hostile feeling. It's a really interesting vibe to me that the game balances very well, being in a beautiful winter wonderland while also surviving how relentlessly vicious the setting is. This makes the brief moments of peace feel so special... I particularly remember wandering into a potion making lady's tent in the wilderness and being so surprised by how playful and fun the music is.
The writing is a gag too. It might not be trying to reach Baldur's Gate's narrative heights, but dialogue and descriptions are written so beautifully. Its generally very straightforward yet with a slight poetic bend? Iunno if poetic is quite the word but I can't think of anything better. I'm sure its in part due to how fleeting most NPCs are, but a lot of the writing feels like it characterizes and is an expression of the setting itself... direct and fierce but playful and endearing. Characters like Lysara and Oswald are emblematic of these things to me. A loooot of NPCs, such as Lysara and Oswald, also have specific speaking quirks. Many people you meet leave a pretty lasting impression because of it, nobody really quite melds together for me. Also the voice acting goes CRAZY....It's just great. As for the actual story of the game, its like... whatever. I find the plot somewhat uncomfortable as it has themes of marginalization but handles them about as poorly as you would expect from the forgotten realms. I just uhhhh try not to think abt it lol.
The 3E mechanics work great. I find myself making more interesting micro-decisions in battle compared to the 2E infinity engine games, particularly around positioning. Once your squishy back-liners get caught, they'll just eat attacks of opportunity and get obliterated real quickly. This type of thing, on top of enemy-specific quirks, makes battles feel very rewarding to plan for and execute fabulously. Character building with the addition of feats and skills is much more fun too, though it feels like theres an abundance of worthless feats that I suspect will dull my enjoyment of character building on subsequent playthroughs.
Icewind Dale 2 pretty much solidified my love for the setting. It's just such a vibe.