Icewind Dale Remake Coming This Fall

Beamdog is remaking another classic PC RPG. Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition will improve on the original version of the game with new content as well as tech improvements.

Icewind Dale, like Baldur's Gate, is an isometric RPG in the Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons & Dragons. Players command a party of six adventurers in real-time battles that can be paused at any time. They'll face a range of medieval fantasy baddies, including undead, bandits and demons.

IWD had the same engine and developer as BG but varied in some important ways. Players spend more time fighting through dungeons and less time exploring wilderness or chatting with townsfolk. They create a party from scratch at the start of the game rather than recruiting NPC's with distinct personalities. Strategic combat is the focus.

The Icewind Dale remake includes the Heart of Winter and Trials of the Luremaster expansion packs. The development team also included six new quests, some of which were cut from the original game. Characters can be outfitted with 60 new items as well. Players can access all the new character kits and spells from the Enhanced Editions of Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2.

If you don't feel like controlling an entire party, you can hop online and team up with other players. Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition features cross-platform multiplayer so you can find brothers-in-arms regardless of whether you're playing on PC, Mac, iOS or Android.

Maybe the most interesting feature Beamdog announced for the remake is the "Story Mode" difficulty. They say it allows you to "experience all of the story with none of the Game Over screens." Does that mean the game just resurrects you automatically like the mobile version of Bastion did?

Beamdog's also modernized the game with higher resolutions and improvements to the ancient Infinity Engine. Here are specs you'll need to run the game:

Windows:

• Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent
• Storage: 2 GB of hard drive space
• Video Card: Direct X 9.0c capable video card

Mac:

• Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent
• Storage: 2 GB of hard drive space

iOS:

• Operating System: iOS 5.1 or newer
• Storage: 2 GB of free space

Android:

• Operating System: Android 4.0 or later
• Storage: 2 GB of free space

The Icewind Dale remake is currently in beta with a final release coming "likely within a month." If you pre-ordered from Beamdog directly, you can sign up for the beta here.