Nox (video game)

Westwood Studios

Industry	Video game development
Founded	1985
Founder	Brett Sperry, Louis Castle
Parent	Electronic Arts

Nox is an action role-playing game created by Westwood Studios and released by Electronic Arts in 2000 for Microsoft Windows. The narrative centers on Jack, a young man from Earth who is transported into a high fantasy alternate realm. There, he must overcome the malevolent sorceress Hecubah and her legion of necromancers to find his way back home. Players select from three distinct character classes—warrior, conjurer, or wizard—each providing unique story arcs and different conclusions.

In multiplayer mode, participants engage in competitive matches such as deathmatch and capture the flag, while the downloadable expansion NoxQuest introduced cooperative multiplayer gameplay. The title was well-received by critics.

Gameplay

Players navigate Jack from an angled viewpoint, utilizing mouse controls and hotkeys. The game features the innovative "TrueSight" fog of war mechanic that dynamically hides areas outside Jack's line of sight. The single-player mode involves exploration, combat against foes, and assisting allies. Throughout the adventure, players gather fragments of a powerful magical staff, each guarded by factions aligned with the classes not chosen by the player, to ultimately defeat Hecubah.

Gameplay differs considerably depending on the selected class: warriors excel in melee combat with access to most weapons and armor but lack bows and spells, instead relying on special abilities with limited charges; conjurers focus on summoning creatures, healing powers, and proficiency with bows or crossbows; wizards wear minimal armor and use fewer weapons but command the widest range of offensive, defensive, and utility spells. The intricate magic system allows for spell combinations and traps, reflecting its roots as a multiplayer magic combat simulator.

Weapons are primarily class-specific—melee arms for warriors, ranged bows for conjurers, magical staves for wizards—and may be enchanted to boost damage or defense. Armor grants elemental resistances as well. Equipment durability decreases over time, necessitating repairs or replacements from NPC merchants. Occasionally, NPC allies assist Jack during his quest but cannot be directly controlled or outfitted.

Multiplayer options mirror those common in online first-person shooters: free-for-all and team deathmatch modes, capture the flag, "Flagball" (similar to Unreal Tournament’s Bombing Run), "King of the Realm," and "Elimination," which limits respawns. The NoxQuest expansion added cooperative missions involving monster battles and treasure collection. Initially, Westwood maintained an online ladder ranking system for competitive play that has since been discontinued; current online services redirect to XWIS, which preserves multiplayer support alongside other Westwood titles such as Command & Conquer.

Synopsis

The storyline of Nox is revealed through loading screen narratives. Many years before Jack’s arrival in the Land of Nox, Necromancers attempted to conquer the world but were thwarted by the hero Jandor wielding the "Staff of Oblivion." After their defeat, Jandor imprisoned their souls within a magical Orb that Arch-Wizard Horvath later transported to another dimension—modern-day Earth. Jandor rescued a female infant from the Necromancers’ stronghold and left her with an Ogre tribe unaware of her origins. He then divided the Staff into three pieces and entrusted each to powerful factions: the Fire Knights of Dün Mir (Halberd of Horrendous), wizards at Castle Galava (Heart of Nox), and conjurers at the Temple of Ix (Weirdling Beast). Adopting the alias "Airship Captain," Jandor serves as a mentor to the player throughout the game.

The narrative begins with Hecubah—now grown and self-declared Queen of Necromancers—recalling the Orb from Earth to augment her power. Her magic also transports Jack—who mistakes the Orb for a hearth ornament—to Nox. Jack arrives aboard Jandor’s airship where storylines diverge based on character class: warriors start near Dün Mir; conjurers near Ix; wizards near Galava. Completing one path encourages replaying with alternate classes.

• Warriors commence their journey at Dün Mir by proving their worth in the Gauntlet to join the Fire Knights. They aid conjurers at Ix against monster incursions, investigate undead activity at Field of Valor, and confront Ogre invasions in Brin. Jandor charges Jack with reassembling the Staff to defeat Hecubah. Jack recovers the Halberd following Horrendous's demise during Dün Mir’s siege, then secures the Heart of Nox from hostile wizards at Galava and retrieves the Weirdling from Ix’s temple. The final piece is the Orb located in the Necromancers' Land of the Dead. Once united, Jack faces Hecubah in the Underworld, defeats her, and returns to Earth via portal.

• Conjurers begin near Ix by locating their mentor Aldwyn and clearing monster dens similarly to warriors. They rescue workers at Mana Mine afflicted by monsters and suspect Hecubah's involvement. At Field of Valor, instead of rescuing women from Brin, they recover Horvath’s Amulet of Teleportation. After obtaining the Halberd, they find Galava overrun by Ogres and receive aid from wizards; Horvath sacrifices himself so Jack can escape. The remainder follows a similar path as warriors but concludes with Jack using possession powers to trap Hecubah’s soul within the Orb. Jandor then reflects on whether Jack should return home.

• Wizards initiate their quest near Galava under Horvath’s guidance after replacing his missing apprentice. Their tasks include investigating Necromancer activity and events at Field of Valor akin to other classes. Unlike others, wizards rescue Horvath from Ogres and must kill Horrendous to claim the Halberd. Horvath entrusts Jack with the Heart of Nox before being slain by Hecubah who teleports Jack to the Underworld. After escaping and retrieving the Weirdling Beast, Jack reaches the Land of the Dead. This storyline features an alternate ending where defeated Hecubah becomes amnesiac; Jack suggests remaining in Nox alongside her redeemed self.

Characters

• Jack Mower serves as the central character in the game. Originally residing on Earth with his girlfriend Tina and in possession of the Orb, he is magically transported to the Land of Nox by Hecubah. Under the guidance of Jandor and one of three mentors—Horrendous, Aldwyn, or Horvath—Jack undergoes training to become Nox’s champion. His ultimate destiny depends on the chosen path: he either returns to Earth as a warrior, faces an ambiguous outcome on the conjurer route, or remains in Nox as a wizard. The character is voiced by Seann William Scott.
• Hecubah, who claims the title Queen of Necromancers and acts as the primary antagonist, summons both Jack and the Orb to Nox. Discovered by Jandor following the Necromancer conflict, she is eventually defeated by Jack or purified if following the wizard storyline. Joanna Cassidy provides her voice.
• Jandor, known as the "Airship Captain," is a legendary figure credited with ending the Necromancer war using the Staff of Oblivion. Disguised as an eccentric airship captain, he mentors Jack throughout his journey. Alan Oppenheimer voices this character.
• Warlord Horrendous commands the Fire Knights stationed at Dün Mir fortress and is guardian of the Staff’s Halberd fragment. He offers brief training to Jack on the warrior path before his demise. Mark Rolston lends his voice to Horrendous.
• Aldwyn the Conjurer stands as Nox’s most formidable conjurer and instructs Jack along the conjurer route. He is affiliated with the Temple of Ix and is Mordwyn the Druggist’s brother. Warren Burton voices Aldwyn.
• Arch-Wizard Horvath leads the wizards at Castle Galava and protects the Staff’s Heart of Nox. A key figure in the wizard path, he acts as Jack’s mentor and sacrifices himself to enable Jack’s escape. Ian Abercrombie provides his voice.
• Morgan Lightfingers is a well-known thief whose interactions vary by class: captured early by wizards, an ally aiding warriors in prison escape, and a bow merchant for conjurers. Warren Burton voices this character.
• Mordwyn the Druggist, brother to Aldwyn and resident of Dismal Swamp, assists Jack late in all storylines and also narrates parts of the game’s story. Bill Woodsen provides his voice.
• Gearhart serves as Dün Mir’s chief engineer and issues a recommendation vital for Jack’s acceptance into the Fire Knights. Voiced by Mike Booth, who is also credited as the game’s original concept creator and lead programmer.
• Mayor Theogrin governs the Village of Ix with a timid disposition; he plays a minor role in both warrior and conjurer storylines. Lee Perry voices him.
• Tina appears as Jack’s girlfriend from Earth during introductory sequences and warrior ending scenes. Susan Chesler provides her voice.

Production

Development of the game commenced in 1995 as a personal endeavor led by Mike Booth, who would later become technical director and lead gameplay designer. Having been passionate about gaming and programming since childhood, Booth initiated work on Nox during his college years. To facilitate development, he co-founded Hyperion Technologies, a company also involved in creating driving simulators. After presenting a demonstration at the 1997 Game Developers Conference, Westwood Studios acquired the project and relocated Booth’s team to California.

Booth originally imagined Nox as a modern reinterpretation of Atari's Gauntlet, emphasizing real-time magical combat inspired by titles like Magic: The Gathering and Mortal Kombat. His goal was to develop a multiplayer wizard duel game set within a medieval fantasy environment. Under Westwood Studios’ influence, however, it evolved into an RPG featuring additional classes such as warrior and conjurer alongside a single-player campaign.

The initial design supported gamepad controls with combo-based spellcasting similar to that seen in Mortal Kombat, but this was replaced by numeric hotkeys combined with mouse input to enhance user-friendliness. Nonetheless, elements like spellcasting syllables and hand gestures remain visible in spell animations. Early in development, Booth also created the "TrueSight" vision mechanic that became integral to gameplay.

Multiplayer components took cues from popular online first-person shooters like Quake and Unreal, which strongly shaped the design philosophy embraced by the development team.

Marketing

At E3 1999, the game was regarded as one of the most anticipated titles and garnered positive feedback from the press, who commended its TrueSight vision mechanic, the streamlined user interface, and the vibrant, evolving game environment.

In October 1999, Westwood initiated the "Meet Nox Tour" across the San Francisco Bay Area to boost awareness and collect beta tester input. This event featured a five-hour LAN party culminating in multiplayer competitions, with a grand prize consisting of a US$200 CompUSA stored-value card. The tour wrapped up shortly before the official launch and was described as "a tremendous success" by executive producer John Hight. Following release, promotional efforts included a June 2000 gathering in Las Vegas, highlighted by a large-scale tournament that concluded with a final showdown awarding a US$2,500 computer system as first prize.

Nox has since been made available through digital distribution platforms such as Origin and GOG.com, thereby broadening its distribution via prominent digital marketplaces.

Reception

The title earned generally positive critiques on the review compilation site GameRankings. It was often likened to Diablo II, which debuted five months later. Trent C. Ward from IGN regarded it as a commendable Diablo imitation, praising its visual presentation and gameplay while mentioning some shortcomings in sound design. P. Stefan "Desslock" Janicki of GameSpot valued its inventive gameplay mechanics and the depth of both solo and multiplayer modes, describing it as both demanding and enjoyable. In contrast, Johnny B. from GameRevolution criticized it for lacking originality despite its solid graphics and gameplay diversity.

In issue #271 of Dragon, Johnny L. Wilson highlighted the game’s striking artwork, advanced technology, and engaging trap mechanics. Michael Lafferty of GameZone awarded it nine out of ten, forecasting it as one of Westwood’s standout successes. Eric Bratcher from NextGen acknowledged the difficulty of distinguishing itself alongside Diablo II but affirmed that Nox possesses substantial qualities independently.

During the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, Nox was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story Development and Outstanding Achievement in Game Design; however, these honors were ultimately presented to titles such as Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, Thief: The Dark Project, and The Sims.

Cancelled sequel

Executive producer John Hight disclosed that Westwood explored options for an expansion pack and a follow-up to Nox. The expansion titled NoxQuest was released free of charge on August 1, 2000, emphasizing multiplayer enhancements. This release incorporated the final patch (version 1.2) and added new spells that had been planned but not included in the original game.

Soon after patch 1.2's release, Westwood Studios—operating under Electronic Arts—lost full ownership rights to Nox, which reverted entirely to EA. Following this transition, EA ceased all support for Nox, terminating official Westwood servers for Clan, Ladder, and Standard multiplayer modes along with the online ladder ranking system.