Thumbs up for a slightly tighter ship and less pointless clicking.īoth games are very well written, plotted and paced. In general, everything just seemed that little bit more considered, in a good way. The world is still full of crap, but now it is obviously crap you can ignore with impunity – a great relief. The skill choices have been honed down well, meaning they’re meaningful but sensibly limited – there’s probably half the choice, but I didn’t find that in any way restricting as your party member choices (thief, magician etc) are the more significant decisions. Definitely too much crap.Īvadon is the slightly more polished game and here it shows. It was frustrating to start leaving behind items (like shovels) that are worthless in shops, only to later find some quest giver wants 10 of them. The world is also full of useless items – or are they? A party of brave adventurers, with interesting choices? I’m in!Īvernum offers a high level of customisation for every character, with a very large range of skills available.īut the amount of choice didn’t really seem to correlate with the amount of difference it made to the game, as equipment drops tended to make decisions for you as you meted out the gear to your party. I did it this way, so it was pair rather than a party. Also, there’s a Steam achievement for completing the whole game and only taking one companion with you. As mentioned above you’re all soldiers, so I found it quite hard to get into character – if I was him I’d have deserted after five minutes. You have several companions foisted in you when you get to the castle, each of whom has their own little story to tell – and at some point a side quest you’ll join them on (if you like). You’re soon up to a party of four which you can switch around as suits you.Īvadon tries to do things a little differently. You have opportunities to be a right nasty bastard if you want to, or play the typical hero to the end. But your main character has to make interesting choices along the way as you start to see more of the political picture. In Avernum you build your party the old fashioned way, meeting brothers in arms who soon join you in your quest and fight by your side – there’s not much more to it than that. Adversity and escape over a job as a soldier every time. Your base is the castle, but you are sent on errands to several different settings to sort out a host of problems (goblins, ogres etc) – while as you go along a bigger intrigue continues to build to a crescendo in the background… They don’t like each other and like you even less – but they have to respect the power of your leaders. You’re a soldier seeking to make your name in a force that governs over several lands united purely by the protection you offer. There’s even hints at even stranger previous occupants, adding the possibility of a little sci-fi in the mix…Īvadon has a more typically fantasy set up. I was immediately drawn into the world which, while typically fantasy in many ways, has enough originality to hook you in. In Avernum you find yourself exiled below the world’s surface a place populated by criminals with no hope of return to the world above – and plenty of beasties.īut as you begin to explore you find it’s not totally lawless – and better still, there are rumours of a way to escape to the surface. So what sets each apart from the other – and more importantly, which is best? The setting I’ve now played through both Avernum: Escape From The Pit and Avadon: The Black Fortress and while they share a lot in common there are some huge differences. It’s also worth noting that as well as being available on PC (including Steam) and Mac, both games are also available on tablets – both for iPad and Android. I’ve been totally immersed and don’t regret a single hour of the 100+ I’ve sunk into them. If you take good writing and storytelling over fancy graphics (the graphics really are quite small and zooming isn’t an option), and love turn-based RPG combat, seek them out. In short, they’re brilliant value for their low price ($20 or less). I didn’t want to go back over old ground, but these games had that old RPG feel but in their own universe (rather than cadging off D&D) – perfect. Now I’ve pretty much given up on MMOs, I’ve rediscovered the turn-based RPG thanks to Spiderweb Software. I tried them, but they didn’t stick – I wanted that online community. But because of this online addiction I never really got into the BioWare line of RPGs that started with Baldur’s Gate. In the late 90s I mostly disappeared into the world of online MMORPGS. So for the last 100 years or so I’ve contented myself with RPGs I can play them at my own pace, while the writing quality is usually better than your average fantasy novel. ![]() I lost my ability to play ‘twitch’ computer games shortly after Road Rash came out for the Sega Mega Drive.
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