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X-Box Reviews: Nightcaster

 

Nightcaster Screenshots





The Final Say!

Gameplay
7.5

Graphics
8.5

Sound
8.3

Value
7.2

Nightcaster - reviewed by Andrew B
Review Date: 28 May 2002
Review Score: 7.5/10 
Distributed By: Microsoft

"With an intriguing storyline of magic and adventure & stunning 3D graphics, Nightcaster finally breaks the RPG drought on the XBox!"

 Nightcaster is about a young hero called Arran who has been given the arduous task of saving the world. For Arran's world has been cast into an eternal darkness by a strange curse. 

Arran's tale started when he was playing with friends when he stumbled upon a hidden cave. Inside this cave was a magical Orb that told Arran that he is the chosen one and must go with the Orb to be trained in the arts of magic. If Arran did not go with the Orb, then his homeland would be lost and the Nightcaster would destroy the world.

Arran trained for years, learning the four essences of Magic, Fire, Water, Light and Dark. He was given a spell book and a magic staff and many years later, returned to his homeland to discover that the Nightcaster had plagued his lands with evil and turned day into night. Your mission as Arran is simple, reunite the four essences of magic and defeat the evil Nightcaster.

Although the game may appear to be "Gauntletish", its far more involved than that and is more an RPG than just a hack and slash game. The game contains various levels that require Arran to find chests, scrolls, books and spell spheres that will lead him onto victory. 

Spell spheres are magical items that either give Arran new spells or increase his magical ability. There are many hidden items in the game and it's recommend that you explore as much as possible. Apart from the items that you discover in the game, you will cross paths with NPC's who give you advice or mini-quests. 

The gameplay of Nightcaster is a little bit fiddly at the start because of the complexity of magic. You basically move Arran with the analogue stick and move the orb (your magic) with the right controller. This does take some time to get use to but once you've figured it out, its a great combination. The left trigger lets you cycle through the spells you have available. 

 

 

Besides magic and movement, Arran has a basic melee attack that does improve as you progress in the game. An interesting feature of the game is that the story takes place over a few years and Arran will actually age. You will eventually turn from a young inexperienced mage to a more mature mage as the game progresses. You must defeat various enemies throughout the game that are littered across the land. Each enemy has a unique colour that corresponds to a certain essence. For instance, a white enemy has water power and must be defeated with fire. Combating these creatures is either done through magic or melee fighting. However, magic is strongly recommended. 

The graphics of Nightcaster may not be pushing the XBox to its limits but nevertheless, are extremely well done. All character models have a high polygon count and are animated well with little or no frame drop. Every level has something unique in it, both graphically and design wise from dark forests to enchanted cities.  The magic effects are pure eye candy and really suit the atmosphere of the game... magic and wonder. 

The music of the game is really suited for the game and changes from time to time, depending on the situation. The sound effects of the game have all been extremely well done, you will hear ambient background noises to strange monster screams. The character voices suit all the characters and nothing sounds "forced" or poorly done. 

Nightcaster is a great little game for the XBox and contains enough action that will keep you intrigued to the end. Great graphics, sounds and gameplay! Recommended!

- Andrew B

 

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