Night Watch is an RPG developed as a tie-in with the first part of the movie trilogy of the same name, and the events take place after the first novel of the original tetralogy by Russian writer Sergey Lukyanenko.
Many centuries ago, Others appeared among humans. Whether a chance mutation or a natural evolution of the Homo Sapiens species, the less the humans know about them, the better. They can live up to several hundred years and have special abilities such as regeneration skills, an unmatched memory and magical powers. These can be trained and allow Others to shift shapes, distort reality, cast magic or summon creatures. Most importantly, they can step into the Twilight, a parallel world where their powers are much stronger. The abilities are not hereditary and Others are born in normal families.
Others cannot live without humans, as their world is the source of Other’s magical powers. Accordingly, they all belong to one of two sides. Dark Ones feed on human’s negative emotional energy, have an interest in the growth of evil in the world and fight any attempt to block their personal freedom. Light Ones feed on positive emotional energy, and though they are not without flaws, try to improve the world. Others are predisposed towards one of the sides at birth, but make their final choice during initiation. As the ongoing battle caused many deaths, including ordinary humans, the Great Armistice Treaty was signed and each side established a group - Day Watch and Night Watch - to keep an eye on the opposing forces. Players control the unitiated character Stas, part of a group of Light Others, directly reporting to Great Mage Geser, Moscow Night Watch Chief.
As the characters gain experience, they earn new skills in 3 specializations: Sorcerer (use of magical items), Mage (magic) and Changer (shape shifting). The class can be defined during the character creation at the beginning of the game. The Dark Others have specializations as well and there are also Vampires, a special group the Dark Others work together with. The game is played in real-time while exploring the surroundings with the party, but switches to turn-based mode during battle sequences. There, next to special abilities, the characters’ actions are defined by AP (Action Points), EP (Energy Points) and VP (Vitality Points) parameters, and based on the characteristics Strength, Dexterity and Intellect.
Although using fantasy elements, the game takes place in a modern world, or alternately in the Twilight, where the colours are much brighter. The player explores the world, usually with Others joining as a party, completing quests, talking to other characters and engaging in battles to acquire new items, spells or enchantments. The game uses a modified engine from Silent Storm, and the camera can be turned around and zoomed in or out. The game uses clips from the movie in the introduction sequence.
