Finding the Best ARPG Ever Made: NoX

Nox is a very interesting game, a relic from a time where games weren't meant to go insanely above and beyond. A quaint experience, with enjoyable graphics, sounds and story. This is a comfortable moment on our search for the best ARPG ever made, and I certainly enjoyed my stay! Maybe not as much as some people, but what can you do?
Thanks for watching! Here we are, back again, and about time too, with another review for the books. I sincerely hope you enjoyed watching, and if you did, I would love if you commented, shared, liked, or subscribed! And why not give the bell some love (hit it) on your way out?
As always, my Patrons have given me such an amazing amount of generosity, and I want to thank each of you. Thank you all! / seergames
Finally, if you'd like to connect with me (sometimes), I have a discord! / discord

[@lokariikender8303]

"I can already hear the thunderous roar of both their steps" LMAO

[@slayereli13]

Thats the wit we're here for

[@RolyGuacamole]

I’m dead lol

[@kirebub]

As the second Nox fan - I'm saddened my old game didn't win and I agree Wizard is where it's at.

[@StarlitWitchy]

Oh hey I'm the first nox fan! Fancy meeting you here! As for me it's gotta be conjurer all the way. The warrior class is so otherwise underwhelming tbh

[@Sayocakes]

I waited for this one. Nox is a masterpiece. Nothing but the fondest memories

[@jamesbest3347]

"It feels like sim coaster, but I'm able to kill" that is the perfect explanation of Nox. Back in the day Nox's online play was amazing. It had PvP modes where you were thrown into a deathmatch, capture the flag, or this soccer like game. It also had a dungeon crawl mode where gear would be randomized and scaled to the level of dungeon you were doing. You had to climb the different levels and some of them were hard with tons of traps and what not.

[@Hoodwink7331]

Capture the Flag was the best until the hacks started to take over.

[@TheEtherea]

Back when it released this genre tried to explore not just pure grind that we ended up with, but rather a dynamic adventure type of game like what Nox is. It sure doesn't look that good decades later, but back on release it was visually pleasant, physics were novel in games and the story was much more than other alternatives.

[@lovestrucktheidiot]

Never heard of this one but that’s because I was raised in isolation with only off-brand Poptarts and a laptop with D2 on it. Fun to see all the games I’ve never heard of via this series. Balls!

[@tysmi04]

I remember playing this on a demo disk back in the day until I played the full game properly when I was in my 20's. Fucking great to play.

[@Swingfinger]

jesus the PVP in this game was so fun. Nostalgia blast. I don't even remember single player.

[@seer6251]

Holy shit there's pvp? I didn't even know lol

[@pegasus7892]

@@seer6251 There's PVP and they even added a free content update including a stage-based "quest mode" with roguelike progression, the love the developers had for this game was pretty impressive, it's tragic what ended up happening to the company...

[@Remm-H]

@@seer6251 It is very, very high octane. Bull rush on warriors basically autokill wizard players, so its high adrenaline all the time on either end of that exchange.

[@kyleweekley4449]

​@@seer6251yeah you missed out, you mentioned EA, but this game was released prior to the Westwood buy out where they proceeded to gut the company until there was nothing left. Others have probably mentioned this but, they released an online co-op mode with scaling dungeon crawling that added most of what you felt was missing from the game. However, it replaced the created handcrafted experience with one that was bland and repetitive in a different way so... pick your poison. Or don't, no one makes you play bad video games ❤

[@guardiankrillin]

@@seer6251 You actually completely missed out on the replay ability factor which stemmed from the multiplayer rpg side of this game. I did play the story of all three classes. However, I played pvp multiplayer excessively when this was still on Westwood servers. Before EA ruined everything good in the gaming industry as they do.

[@Modenut]

Man, I remember buying this on release. Now I'm feeling all nostalgic and shit. I hope you're happy!

[@turkwillingston218]

I'm happy because you used 'you're' instead of 'your'.

[@Ctrekoz]

Nox is a masterpiece that was ahead of its time and still is! I very much enjoy replaying it, and it's the top-1 game in "my most favorite games" list.

[@Noveblast]

That "This many people like this quality of writing" joke at 4:07 is legit so fucking good. This is Seer at his best

[@HW-ow9zp]

Well said aha

[@mosesbuddhajesus3362]

I love this game! I played it when I was a kid, and I think about it every few years. Nox, Dungeon Siege, Disciples 2, and some others that I cant remember right now.

[@SpecShadow]

Westwood could make any game from any genre. Back then developers could make games from different genres and it was cool. Good luck with Revenant (1999) it's a rough but gem nonetheless

[@TheEtherea]

Revenant which I enjoyed still piss me off with zero Autosave functions. So much backtracking whenever you forgot to save.

[@SpecShadow]

@@TheEtherea you don't save after every fight? Dang...

[@TheEtherea]

@@SpecShadow If I remember there wasn't a hotkey like usual so you had to manually go and save each time which felt annoying, but yeah back then I was overambitious sometimes.

[@st.haborym]

Lands of Lore 2 is one of the best games they ever made that wasn't a c&c game.

[@Wandermidget]

Man, I remember Nox. Didn't play it all that much, but I got a wave of nostalgia when I saw this upload. Can't wait for you to start covering the X-Men Legends series.

[@stephenwilliams9887]

Amazing video Seer! This series keeps getting better!

[@verynoname]

Having this video as my only reference point for Nox, it seems closer to a story-driven adventure game than an ARPG. The dnd comparison is spot-on. While progression is very constrained, the amount of interactibility really makes the game feel like anything could happen, and that's what adventure is all about in my eyes

[@mothernature521]

I grew up on this game and me and my friends would play it IRL in the backyard when ww werent playing tve actual game. To the point where would know the handsigns and the language the wizards and conjurers spoke when casting spells.

[@Jukettaja]

I didn't think I would love a video about Nox as much as I loved Nox back in the day. I still don't but this came close.

[@Dingleblast]

Best PvP of any ARPG. By a lot.

[@Lovyxia]

While Nox's campaign didn't age all that well in the ways you described, its multiplayer is still a really fun one of-a-kind experience when you find people to play with. It's a novel mix of Action RPG combat and arena shooters style map control that works quite well.

[@ToyokaX]

Nox Quest is also great. I love trying to see how far I can get as a wizard. Really feels like a inklings of a roguelike, game was way ahead of its time.

[@Augoeides32]

So, as far as I can tell, the reason the equipment and skills (especially on the Warrior) is because the game had multiplayer. It was basically an arean-style PvP, where you competed for points each round. My guess, is that they banked a lot of the game's success on an online community, which was a fairly new thing back then. And yeah, the PvP was actually quite good. Like a decade ago, I found a private community of like 20 people (this was before the age of Discord, so gathering people together through Ventrillo or Mumble was pretty rough) that were trying to revive the PvP scene. While I don't think they got very far with their community, I did get to play against them for a couple weeks, and had quite a bit of fun. All the classes are over the top, so your guaranteed to kill another player if you can hit them, so PvP tended to be about skillfully finding a way to do so, since missing with the Warrior could leave you open, and the Wizard could teleport away, but then wouldn't have mana to defend himself, etc. Equipment and even spells were somewhat randomly dropped into the map, while a plethora of traps and environmental hazards were all over, making simple 1v1 combat very tactile. In regards to armor, they were used for different things. Metal armor had high defense, so it was good for tanking warriors and summons, but that meant the Wizard's lightning spells would destroy you. The Conjurer could wear heavier armors and was sort of a middle ground between Warrior and Wizard, because it could melee and use magic, but it mostly relied on Summons, and while it did have heavy hitting death spells, they tended to have a delay after, that would leave you open. A lot of your setup choices were deliberate, and they kind of forced that upon you in single player, where it didn't really matter as much. The campaign didn't really teach you too well about the importance of this equipment diversity, since you have limited item space and it's an RPG, so "gotta use da bigger numbers, right?". It was a weirdly balanced and unique experience, unlike say D2, where you would get one shot by thunderstorm from a mile away or some other undodgeable meta build. You move by holding down Right Click, so even your character's mobility was skill-based; if you just dove in without surprising someone with that limited sight provided by the game engine, you were probably going to fail miserably. I'll always look back at Nox with find memories. I wish it got a sequel.

[@uhobme2028]

I remember this being the one game on the family computer no one would delete but no one would play either

[@kylejackson8849]

Still my number 1 favorite content creator. You are hilarious.

[@ASlimeDrawsNear]

"It feels like I'm playing "Sim Coaster" but I'm allowed to kill people" If only you knew the death tolls of im/properly played "Sim Coaster"; or a fate worse than death: Mr. Bones' Wild Ride.

[@alantremonti1381]

You feel like a whole new thing at the same time that you feel like an incredible homage to classic "salty gamer/nerd" Seanbaby. I'm so glad you're growing; nobody deserves it more.

[@Siperos]

Was fun to listen to your thoughts on one of my childhood favorite games. :D I understand how you can get bored with Nox, especially if you play Warrior with only a couple really useful skills, due to the singleplayer campaign not having much substance like exciting loot and replayability the same way Diablo II does. But just to give some more perspective based on my own experiences with the game and what other people have said about it in their reviews; PvP was Nox's end-game. The story campaigns were like tutorials for each class before entering the real game that was the PvP scene. In fact the main reason why Wizard, in my opinion, is the most fun class to play is because it was originally the only class in the game before Warrior and Conjurer were added. Nox was supposed to be the Quake of ARPGs with fast paced action using magic instead of guns and focusing on PvP arenas, Capture the Flag and King of the Hill modes. Nox's PvP was something truly special and I believe there is still a small active community that plays it despite EA shutting down the servers decades ago. They even got their own Discord. It's truly sad what happened to Westwood Studios. One of the best game developers of the past who made not only Nox but also Command & Conquer obviously and the Blade Runner point & click adventure game. The only true competitor to Blizzard back in the day. If only EA was not, well, being EA even back then...

[@timothee52]

I was waiting for my boy to be the subject of your video !

[@DrPluton]

I still remember getting to the final boss naked bar from my underwear and a staff because the swamp area ate the rest of my wizard's equipment.

[@Ctrekoz]

Lmao 😂

[@gemsimov]

The constant evolution of the editing you do - mainly the visuals - is so interesting to observe that I find myself watching your videos purely for the way you pace them, piece them together and transition from thing to thing. Absolutely enchanting... In other news, great video. Really liked the exhaustiveness of the review, just enough information to let me know if I'd like to play the game, but not enough to spoil the important part of it. Good stuff, Seer, seeriously good stuff!

[@shemsuhor8763]

SEER is goated with the sawsce 4 sho

[@BreadCatMarcus]

Agreed. I edit professionally, and I'm always astounded by Seer's level of skill and how fast he gets videos out when factoring in their quality.

[@ImHELLBERG]

Great video as always Seer!!

[@dreadofshadow]

Yo I was thinking whenever you gonna cover this game .. finally you did :D

[@2girls1cup36]

i remembered seeing it on magazines, but i missed out on it until now, thank you for sharing.

[@RevenTH]

As one of the two Nox fans - yeah, all of that makes sense.

[@branenchristian]

I love your videos man. You deserve 10 X the subscribers at least!!

[@seer6251]

Thank you!

[@branenchristian]

@@seer6251 You're welcome!

[@justinthompson2286]

Thank you for this service noble sir. Great content and very funny.

[@TheRiverBugProject]

This is a great content hope you get big on here

[@omegazer0180]

The PVP is where this game gets crazy. You can create custom traps as a wizard which combines certain skills.. and people got really creative. For example, you could layer a trap with teleport, and teleport someone to a lava lake that you've closed off with a wall. Just overall chaos. Also, the quest mode is 100x better than the story - it's basically a randomly generated dungeon crawl that gets progressively harder.

[@christianjonker8181]

It would be cool if you released you videos and then streamed the game after. Would love to see more Seer streams.

[@lipayy9852]

I will NOT enjoy my breakfast, you cant tell me what to do 😡

[@st.haborym]

This was a pretty sweet game. I love how each character has completely different skills and the way they were controlled, although using the mouse to move takes some getting used to. I just wish you could grind in this game.

[@RuniqFrost]

People saying it's a Diablo 2 clone have no clue. Nox was released a couple months before D2. Very underrated game.

[@bakanur]

underrated game. one of those rare games that feels unique in a way that hasnt been duplicated to this day. and the multiplayer deathmatch was amazing for the short time it was active.

[@Arkuzian]

"enjoy the weather" You're having a giggle. I'm melting here and you're having a giggle.

[@AHHHb0bSaggot]

Loving your content, listening to you is like speaking to a family member (They're from Queens) Are you from Long Island? Looking forward to more reviews!)

[@Oakenwarrior]

I freaking love this game. I have played this game nearly as much as I've played Diablo II, and the love that went into this game is so clear.

[@Whydoesthissitesuck]

I enjoyed the video and the Ogre Battle music, thank you

[@karlizen4990]

omg, i remember playing this online multiplayer and it was so fun! it was intense, fast-paced and fun. Come to think of it we took that for granted. It's impressive how devs of yore were able to make such an enjoyable multiplayer game and yet nowadays they have to do 'everything just right' in order to make it 'fun'. Legendary game, should've had more fame.

[@SkellionPowalskiz]

Definitely a nostalgic game for me, one of the first PC games I played as a kid. It did feel a little basic in places, but I did like how it's not just a dungeon crawler and was a little more interactive. Too bad I have an actual physical copy that I have not been able to install and play for more than a decade.

[@thequatropus]

I love how two of the classes are Matt Mercer and David Arquette.

[@manglarstudio8496]

I have really fond memories of NOX but seeing it right now i definetly agree, i played it when i was like 8 and things where much simpler back then and having fun was easier. Love your videos handsome

[@VieneLea]

I think it's a great video but I'm drunk right now

[@seer6251]

Sounds good to me.

[@VieneLea]

@@seer6251 Just in case - now that I'm sober, it's still really good!

[@Stammer6]

I remember liking it more than Diablo growing up because it was a bit more lighthearted and adventure-y. Today I remember it fondly for the reasons stated at 10:00 ("A fun, nostalgic memory of a time when games were just trying to be a bit of fun.").

[@oliverebbing6637]

Hey, God of Gaming. I can not wait for your review of Titan Quest 2 once it comes out ^^

[@ethannemec1957]

Keep up the good work man you are the AVGN of ARPGS.

[@durzoblint108]

This game made my childhood, it's still a real joy to play it

[@Sentinelord]

Had no idea Westwood made a game like this. Played all their C&C games.

[@Xero_Remains]

Awsome video as (Mostly) always my dude! Thanks for making my afternoon just a little more fun. And... glad to move on from THE GAME THOU SHALT NOT NAME (unless you like toxic hissy fits and drama that is, then you do you) and back these lesser known games only small number of people will riot and scream about.

[@temnbl1]

Love your vids

[@alexanderrahl7034]

I love Nox, and i wish i could still run it. I played it as a kid alot and loved the Conjurer

[@drewj12]

In each of these videos there's always at least one joke that just kills me. This time it was the 50% opacity birth memories bit - I died. Absolute manic ranting that's sometimes about ARPGs. Love the videos man.

[@Klied]

Heyooo! Finally a new vid! ♥

[@Deadpooln2b]

The best game of my childhood, conjurer was so fun to play, can do melee, can do ranged, can do spells, can do summons, and oh my god are summons powerful. Summoning a golem and sending him down the elevator to kill everything bellow, and if it dies, you just summon another one. The ability to unlock new summons as you learn about monsters, weapon durability (not my favorite mechanic) and of course the hatred between mages and warriors, it really made the world seam much more real and immersive to see some division and racism

[@21Toosick]

Found this channel an hour ago, wondered why he didn't cover Nox yet, saw a Nox video drop. Gotta click it

[@derationalize]

Oh wow...I completely forgot this game had a single player mode. All I remember about this game was running furiously through buildings trying to avoid crossbow bolts fired through thin window slits while spamming glowing balls of green death at random players on death match. The multiplayer in this game felt more like a FPS than Diablo by how frantic and fast-paced it was.

[@DirkusTurkess]

"There are dozens of us!" - Nox Fanboy

[@XenoWarlock]

Nox PvP was some of my favorite gaming back in the day.

[@derakw]

There really was nothing better at the time.

[@cezarflorescu433]

As the third nox fan, i thank you bringing the game to light

[@RichardMitchell-nk9ec]

I made a similar game I'm tryna figure out what kinda items I should put in it like and story

[@kevindragon3883]

I cant wait for the next stream Seer. Maybe stream something like Fallout 1 or something.

[@dytyzerpud]

YAY MORE SEER!

[@TwoEyesOpen]

just wanted you to know that I laugh to myself like a psycho at work because I've got you in my earbuds

[@inferrno52]

great stuff

[@sharinganmoon]

IS THAT DOKAPON KINGDOM MUSIC IN THE BACKGROUND? WHEN WILL WE GET A VID ABOUT THAT???

[@seer6251]

THE BIG DOKAPON, such a good game. I'd love to cover it!

[@-Nudal]

Rose-tinted glasses obviously raise this game above in my mind. I didn't have the internet at home until after D2 LoD was already a thing, so single player only gamer enjoyed NoX much more than... well... nox... as in nox D2 lol

[@stalwort1692]

Thank you, I am enjoying my breakfast significantly.

[@dennisdavidov782]

Some more games worth covering for this series: Kult: Heretic Kingdoms, Shadows: Awakening, Victor Vran, Sacred 2, WH40K: Inquisitor-Martyr, Dungeon Siege 1+2, Din's Curse/Legacy, Ember, Silverfall Nobody Saves the World, DeathSpank, How to Survive 1+2, Warhammer: Chaosbane, Vikings: Wolves of Midgard, Avencast: Rise of the Mage, Moonlighter, Hammerwatch: AE, Children of Morta, Xanadu Next, Ghostlore, Prince of Qin, Revenant, Throne of Darkness, Darkstone, Soulbringer.

[@alecciarosewater7438]

If Nox isn't an arpg then I cant wait to see how you categorize Hammerwatch

[@knastrarn]

Needed more of the giant fist spell

[@Dingleblast]

Just found a video on how to still play it online with something called Nox Reloaded. I know what I'm trying to figure out tonight.

[@uxthings]

would love to hear your take on the slormancer

[@IBlasto]

Hey Seer, how long do I need to be a patreon until you buy a Windows license?

[@Maggerama]

I remember being very impressed and having fun... then my mind gets spammed with words "THAT FUCKING CRYPT IS ENDLESS I'M EXHAUSTED WHEN WILL IT END I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT" for some reason. Overall, I agree with your reserved assessment of it. Some cool quirks, lots of charm, but not much more than a unique little game with its share of problems and severe limitations. Definitely not "the best game ever made" as some claim and has nothing to do with Diablo at all. I always considered that surface-level comparison nonsensical. I guess it could be made by people who only played Diablo and Nox, for the lack of other reference points. I'm not even trying to be sassy here. One of my friends only played one RPG, Gothic, and he compares every rare game he so seldom plays to it, and his comparisons are as absurd as calling Max Payne a Tomb Raider clone. Which also happened, but with another guy.

[@jonathanh4443]

Since you did Nox just open it up and do Arcanum. Well not enough action for you in that one but it's fun.

[@Syenthros]

I used to love this game. It may not have aged super well, but back when i was just a little bitty boy living in a box under the stairs in the corner of the basement of the house half a block down the street from Jerry's Bait Shop (you know the place)... Well anyway, back then this game was just peachy.

[@chinchilla415]

Hey @Seer will you review Lisa the painful? Maybe not Action, since it's turn-based, but the way I see(r) it, you make and bend rules as you see fit.

[@TheLuckymod13]

I loved Nox. An old favorite for sure.

[@xanderdude]

D2 with running looks pretty sick

[@gyozanomics]

FINALLY love you

[@guiltygearhead9576]

I can understand people with no memories of this game from when they were younger not loving it. Heck even I don't love it. The shields are useless cuz they only block when you stand still and don't have an armor value to boost your defense stat. When you get the halberd (new indestructible barrel and crate opener) you don't really need any other weapon from that point forward if you're a warrior. But even with all of it's flaws I still have fun burning hordes of the undead with fireballs and zapping Hecubah with the Staff of Oblivion. It's a shame we didn't get a second game. It's worth playing at least one time. Oh, and wizard is the best class.

[@Ctrekoz]

Shields can still offer passive enhancements (also look swag), and while halberd is fast and has reach, some other warrior weapons offer more damage per swing, which is especially good against the final boss when she teleports all the time and has 90% damage reduction against the staff of oblivion (the ultimate version of the halberd). Also warhammer has a little aoe, and you can block not only in melee but also against projectiles with a greatsword, notably vs fireballs (even those that ember demons throw at you). I'd say Conjurer and Wizard get more value out of the halberd. But hey, you can wear 2 weapons at the same time and switch between them asap. Wizard is the best class indeed.

[@guiltygearhead9576]

@@Ctrekoz I forgot about the elemental resist on shields and I know other weapons do more damage than the halberd, but that freaking wizard spell that makes you drop your weapon. I would rather just keep the halberd equipped because that spell doesn't work on it. Wizard Tower man >_> Also didn't know great sword could block fireballs. Do you know if there is a level 3 for wizard's fireball spell? I've played through 4 times and still can't find it. :/

[@Ctrekoz]

@@guiltygearhead9576 there should be. Replaying as wiz rn myself so might tell later :D.

[@guiltygearhead9576]

@@Ctrekoz Thanks ^_^

[@nemtudom5074]

10:45 Homeboy has good taste in games

[@Luka28081]

Any publicity is good publicity, glad you played the game

[@Shieldclock]

your editing is both really good and really strange just saying lol

[@ayuvir]

Yo big man, do that really good one. Y'know, Torchlight 3 =D

[@seer6251]

LOL, that's the big one in this case? Okay, let's do it, I'm installing it now.

[@ayuvir]

@@seer6251 Have fun

[@tengogato]

I was surprised to hear you were going to cover this, now that it's here I realize it wasn't right for this series in comparison to Diablo-like ARPGs as opposed to Zelda-like ARPGs with Nox. Online multiplayer was a huge draw for Nox, which was a pvp deathmatch/CTF, nearly impossible to experience today but there are some good videos on youtube to see what it was like. Also the audio effects for spellcasting is the most memorable things from Nox for me, specifically the rune-speak hand jutsu thing DU RA ITH JO! You seem to have left all game audio out of your review which is fine since it didn't belong in the series anyway. Still a great video and a fair critique of the game. It also needs pointing out: Nox was developed by Westwood, one of many legendary companies that were later absorbed into the putrid mass of EA and never heard from again.

[@acmnin2146]

Back in the olden days of gaming clans with websites, my old buddy in that clan played Nox and always loved it.. I instead continued to play Diablo 2

[@Deadwolfthedark66]

Man imma go install AGAIN

[@asormadeira]

The long prophecied nox video :O

[@RolyGuacamole]

Holy fuck. My dude made one , about one of the greats !

[@HTL1180]

Oh hey, it's uhh...just the best KZbinr ever, wow!

[@rygar8bit2]

Nox came out before D2. God I wish I could go back and play full servers again. CTF/ Flag Ball and Quest mode all day long.