Icewind Dale is the final game created in the Infinity Engine using Dungeons & Dragons 2e rules, after Baldur’s Gate and Planescape: Torment. Despite being made after those games, it doesn’t stack up to any of them. Baldur’s Gate provided a balanced experience and Planescape: Torment focused heavily on story. Icewind Dale, on the other hand, is a combat slog, and that descriptor should tell you what I think of it.Following the tradition of naming the games after the location where they take place (ignore Baldur’s Gate II), Icewind Dale takes place in Icewind Dale, a harsh, frozen tundra in the north of Faerun nestled against the mountains known as the Spine of the World, where the only traces of civilization are a group of ten towns known as (wait for it) the Ten Towns. The party begins in the village of Easthaven, where they learn of an expedition that it setting out shortly to help Kuldahar, which has been facing troubles. The party joins the expedition, but an avalanche takes out the entire group except (as fate would have it) your party. Kuldahar developed around a giant tree known as the Great Oak, which provides cover and magical warmth, but the party learns that that warmth has recently been fading, monster attacks have been increasing, and all routes to and from Kuldahar have been blocked. In other words, they’re trapped here until they can figure out and solve what’s going wrong.This begins a quest that is basically just a linear series of dungeon crawls, with Kuldahar as a main base. The plot is about as straightforward as you’d expect, but the backstory to the region is actually a bit interesting and fun to piece together. Still, it’s just not as engaging as Baldur’s Gate or Planescape: Torment. One big issue is the fact that you create your entire party in Icewind Dale. In Baldur’s Gate the only custom character was Gorion’s Ward, and your other companions were pregenerated characters with their own stories, personalities, and quests, while Planescape: Torment has no custom characters. Seeing your companions react to events that happened, and delving deeper into your companions’ backstories and problems, made it seem like they were invested in your quest and made you invested in theirs.But you can’t have that with a fully custom party like Icewind Dale. You can select options in dialogue trees, which does force a voice upon your party face, but otherwise you’re just a group of dolls trudging from one objective to the next. The characters do have voice packs, but they’re all generic and don’t provide any cohesion.So you’re left with the combat and dungeon crawls. Which aren’t bad but, as I described in my Baldur’s Gate review, a mini-RTS is far removed from the collaborative and tactical pen-and-paper combat experience. (I won’t go into the details of the combat system again—there are only so many words a man can write about thac0 before going mad.)Just like Planescape: Torment is focused on story and stuck plot, characterization, and foreshadowing in every corner of its world, Icewind Dale is focused on combat, and places enemies in every nook and cranny of its dungeons. While there are some puzzles, most of the game will be spent encountering and fighting waves and waves of enemies. Icewind Dale begins at level 1, so I generally used my “throw my party at the enemies, and if that doesn’t work reload, pre-buff, and try again” strategy.This game did have one major mechanical improvement from the previous ones: your party members display little icons over their character portraits showing their current action. In my Baldur’s Gate review I described how it was difficult to manage spellcasters because it was tough to tell what they were doing. With the icons, that’s resolved! When a spellcaster casts a spell, the spell icon appears over their portrait when they begin and disappears when they finish, so you can make sure they’re always doing something without inadvertently interrupting their spells. This also helps you see if a character stops acting in battle for whatever reason. (All that being said, I believe this change is actually a feature added in the Enhanced Edition rather than a change native to Icewind Dale, since I did in fact play the original Baldur’s Gates.)Icewind Dale also has one (relatively minor) convolution to its gameplay: randomized loot. While all major loot drops in Baldur’s Gate and Planescape: Torment were set, in Icewind Dale each loot drops instead has a table of about usually 3-5 possible items that can drop. Sometimes you can get an awesome unique piece of equipment, and sometimes you get a potion or random +1 item, but ultimately this feature doesn’t change much. The proficiency system means you’re limited in the types of equipment you’re going to be interested in (you have no use for halberds if no party member is proficient in halberds, for instance), and generally the most important aspect of an item is it enchantment level. So all you’re going to be looking for is equipment of the type your characters use of the highest enchantment level. If done well a randomized loot system would encourage multiple playthroughs by introducing variety, but here most loot drops won’t actually matter, so the effect is muted.If you like the Infinity Engine games and want more adventures in them then Icewind Dale will provide that for you, but I think you can otherwise pass. It feels odd that Planescape: Torment delivered so strongly on story, and then Icewind Dale ran in the exact opposite direction. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to focus on combat and dungeon-crawling, except Icewind Dale changes basically nothing from Baldur’s Gate (whereas Planescape: Torment made massive strides in plot and characterization).
Jul 31, 2025 • Subscribe
More like this
Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition
While I enjoyed Baldur’s Gate I & II and understood why they made a big splash when released, they were notably dated and I didn’t think they rose…
Malevolent Spirits #05 — Enhanced Interrogation
Long conversations repeating themselves. Impressions: Like High Card, this episode was mainly focused on introducing some side factions that will be the League of Evil Mutants to the…
ATM-09 Scopedog Enhanced Armament Type
General Information Unit type: enhanced armament mid-class armored trooperCrew: 1 Lineart N/A
PREVIEW: Shin Megami Tensei V Is Nocturne Enhanced
If you've played even one game in this series, you'll know roughly what to expect. SMT V once again takes its players to an apocalyptic, desert-ified Tokyo populated…
AtoZ: A Edition
It’s time to kick off this new series, beginning with the letter “A”! For our inaugural post, we’re exploring two distinct gems that both begin with the letter…
Kakushigoto Theatrical Edition
What might shock the uninitiated who sit down to experience the theatrical version of this story is how beautifully it is animated and directed, especially with the scenes…
Anno August: Rebuild Edition
So yeah, here is the plan: I know that I called it Anno August and half of the posts are going to appear in September, but this is…
Henchgirl: Expanded Edition Review
I’m new to Henchgirl, but I’ve enjoyed Kristen Gudsnuk’s all-ages graphic novel series, Making Friends, and I was interested in checking out some of her other work. This…
TAG POST – ENDURANCE EDITION
I must do better in writing these! They’re fun and I enjoy doing them, so thanks to anyone who has thought of me, especially over the last few…
Seishun Hajimemashita – Limited Edition
I recently bought the (stupidly expensive) limited edition of the otome game, Seishun Hajimemashita. I rarely go for limited editions, but this was clearly the only way to…
UNPOPULAR OPINIONS – ANIME EDITION
This post is entirely based on my personal opinions. I 100% don’t wanna hurt anyone else’s opinions. PEACE. LIGHT SHOULD’VE WON Personally, I supported Light’s ideology and …
Kakyuusei (1995), DVD Edition
The world doesn't need another version of Kakyuusei (1995), but here's one anyway. An Internet pen-pal who goes by the handle of ProxyMan ha...
Saber Marionette J, The Big O, Doukyuusei 2 Special: Sotsugyousei, Ergo Proxy, Battle Vixens: Ikki Tousen
Finding Fukuoka: Kindle Edition
Happy New Year! The Kindle Edition of Finding Fukuoka: A Travel and Dining Guide for the Fukuoka City Area is now available via Amazon sites around the world! That…
MS ERA POPULAR EDITION
Record of Thunderbolt’s lore book is available on Patreon or over on Ko-Fi! M.S.ERA 機動戦士ガンダム戦場写真集 POPULAR EDITION MS ERA POPULAR EDITION PUBLICATION INFORMATION Publisher: Media Works Released: 2008.03…
Jon’s Creator Showcase: August Edition
Welcome to the August Edition of the JCS 2021! For those who are new, this showcase features content from various creators around the web, summarized up here for…
Mashiro-iro Symphony: Sana Edition
Mashiroiro Symphony: Sana Edition is essentially a fandisc for Mashiroiro Symphony with a route for Sana. As such, this review will be from the perspective that the reader…
EPISODE 700: Anniversary Special Edition
Wow, another episode with two '0's' in a row! Let's celebrate! On this very special episode of Anime Pulse we talk about our experience on the show as…
Pretty Cure Ranked, 2025 Edition
With Wonderful PreCure! now having concluded its run, I shall once again be sharing my ranking of every Pretty Cure season for the year. Usual rules apply here:…
Yomu in Japan: Nagano Edition
As I mentioned last time, I’m no longer in Tokyo.I’ve since moved to Nagano prefecture! At this point I’m closer to Japan’s northern shores than the southern ones,…
POSITIVES/NEGATIVES – POPULAR ANIME EDITION
This list is made while taking both the anime/manga in consideration. Attack On Titan POSITIVES : One of the best plots in all of animanga. Incredible soundtrack and…
Yomu in Japan: Tourist Edition
So in addition to cherry blossom viewing, which was pretty much the bulk of my tourist activities in Tokyo a few weeks ago, I’ve some other pictures that…
Updated Reading List {2022 Edition}
It has been a while since I last published a book post. In fact, it’s been over a year at this point and considering I used to regularly…
UNPOPULAR OPINIONS – ANIME EDITION #3
This post is entirely based on my personal opinions. And I don’t wanna hurt anyone else’s feelings. PEACE. WATCHING ONLY UNDERRATED ANIME DOESN’T MAKE YOU SPECIAL If the…
Publisher’s Digest: Glossy Magazine Edition
I think this post has more in common with this post than any other, hence its name – its aim is to inform, but not like a Wikipedia…
Would You Rather? MHA Edition
Would you rather:Have Bakugou as your hero partner?orHave to tell Recovery Girl that Deku broke more bones?Would you rather:Be invisible like Hagakure?orHave a ‘no sleep’ quirk?Would yo…
Manga Mini Reviews: Yuri Edition!
So many new manga series have been coming out lately that I’ve been falling seriously behind on reviewing them all. So, it seemed like a good time to…
Pretty Cure Ranked, 2023 Edition
Delicious Party Pretty Cure has come to an end, so now the time has come for me to update my ranking of every season of Pretty Cure. As…
Delicious Party Precure, Go! Princess Precure, Pretty Cure, Pretty Cure Max Heart
Anime & Manga Deals: Thanksgiving Edition
To all my fellow Americans, happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the day no matter how you’re celebrating and stay safe. For everyone else, happy Thursday! Don’t forget to check out…
Control Ultimate Edition (PC) – Review
A quirky and fantastic game by Remedy Entertainment.
Anime & Manga Deals: Halloween Edition
Happy Halloween! May your day be filled with sweets, laughs, and, of course, deals!
Cells at Work!, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Super, The Promised Neverland
Slices of Mango: Anthology Edition
It’s always interesting to get a glimpse of renowned mangaka’s talent, headspace, and style in bite-sized form, outside of The One Work that made their name.
Manga Mini Reviews: BL Edition
A little while back, I did a batch of mini reviews of all yuri manga titles, so I had the thought to clear through some of my review…
Limited Edition Valentine’s Chocolate Tins
Available at various stores in Japan, these Limited Edition Osamu Tezuka character tins are super adorable! There's even a Unico one.
Doujinshi Round-up: Plague Edition
Once upon a time, people gathered in great numbers in large halls in odd corners of cities around the world to browse the fine wares of many a…
The Manga Review: Sunday Edition
Last week was relatively slow news-wise, with few big announcements or controversies to report. The biggest headline of the week: Kodansha announced another edition of Hitoshi Iwaaki’s Parasy…
The Anime Curriculum- College Edition
It’s that time of the year again, where school is about to begin. The start of many new journies and discoveries in the vastness of familiar and new…
State of Anime 2021 Edition
The hosts of the Otaku Spirit Animecast look back on the biggest events of anime in 2021 and how the industry is changing. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OtakuSpirit …
March Manga Madness: Witch Edition
I’ve been a fan of things related to witches since I was a kid. I grew up in the same era as Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Ojamajo Doremi,…
Pretty Cure Ranked, 2021 Edition
Now that Healin’ Good ♡ PreCure has finished, I shall be adding to my personal ranking of every PreCure season. As with previous years, I’ll be ranking them…
Japan Life Update: School Edition
So I was going to write another list post about random tidbits you maybe didn’t know about Japan schools, but first I figured I’d give an update on…
Berserk Deluxe Edition 1 Review
Long-time readers know I’m not usually much of a manga reader. I prefer to read prose. But I’ve been needing to expand my reading, so I jumped into…
Spotlight on Walmart: 2022 Edition
In this week's Please Save My Money, Krystallina spotlights Walmart and how anime fans might want to keep the store in mind in 2022.
Basic Japanese Words: School Edition
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2
Kettenkrad Girls’ last tour edition
This kit is virtually identical to GuP Ketternkard edition I’ve worked on before. This will be the second ketternkard I am going to build. I don’t have fond…
UNPOPULAR OPINIONS – ANIME EDITION #2
This post is entirely based on my personal opinions. I 100% don’t wanna hurt anyone else’s feelings. PEACE. CHARACTER DRIVEN ANIME IS BETTER THAN PLOT DRIVEN ANIME I…
Reader’s Corner: Spooky Halloween Edition!
Happy (almost) Halloween, all you scary readers out there! We don’t review a whole lot of horror on Reader’s Corner, but we have a few that quality (or…
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Lycoris Recoil
Pretty Cure Ranked, 2022 Edition
Another season of Pretty Cure has come and gone, and so now it is time for me to revisit my ranking of every single season of the show.…
Proplica: Moonstick – Brilliant Color Edition
✦ Product Details ✦ To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the PROPLICA series, collectibles for...
Flashback Friday #1: October Edition
First, let’s make things clear: I used to collect Megami magazines. The first time was merely out of curiosity. Back then, there were hardly any Japanese periodicals available in my…
Sword Art Online: Extra Edition
This will be a first for Shallow Dives in Anime. While I’ve reviewed all different types of anime, manga and the like. I’ve never really talked about something…
