I got the chance to play this recently. Here's my Wyrmstooth review:
Writing - 1/5
Very short simple story. I was able to get through the entire mod in just under 3 hours. Some grammatical issues and spelling mistakes break immersion. Some NPCs make a few contradictory statements which make it seem like the mod author didn't plan the story out properly before bringing voice actors on-board.
Level Design - 2/5
The island is a bit generic but is well populated with random objects such that it blends in well with the design of the original Skyrim worldspace. The dungeons are a different story with most being bits and pieces of base game dungeons copy/pasted together. Not very original at all. Enderal did a much better job with level design so I would recommend the mod author take a look at that project.There were plenty of potential story elements around the map such as a deactivated oblivion gate outside Wyrmstooth Crypt, but it's just there as simple set dressing and nothing more.
Voice Acting - 2/5
The voice acting of the random NPCs you that move into the mining settlement once the story is over were voice acted better than the NPCs involved in the main quest. The voice actor who voiced the wizard in Wyrmstooth Barrow was probably the most memorable.
Music - 3/5
Some new tracks play while exploring the island and the barrow, but it gets old pretty quickly because there is only 2 overworld tracks, one for day and night, 1 track for the barrow and 1 track for Dimfrost that play over and over. Apart from that the tracks are atmospheric and fit in well with the style of the base game.
Stability - 3/5
I had a few issues with quest-related NPCs running away while I was speaking to them. I also had a few random crashes around the island while walking around and occasionally when saving the game. I've read that this mod is inherently unstable so I made a separate save before starting it just in case it ended up corrupting my game as has been reported in the past.
Overall - 2/5
The community has a habit of over-hyping incomplete mod projects while at the same hand turning a blind-eye to mod projects that have had the due diligence put into their development. While Wyrmstooth is an interesting look into the distant past of Skyrim modding, I would instead recommend you try the following new lands/quest mods instead:
- Vigilant
- Forgotten City
- Beyond Skyrim: Bruma
- Glenmoril
- Project AHO
- Midwood Isle.
Jim.
