Content is king

Posted on 2013-01-15 11:53:33 by mrmccormo:

Having played PC games since the late 80s, there is always one thing that keeps bringing me back: content. I'm sure other long-time PC gamers will be able to mention one (or two, or ten) games that have lasted them hundreds of hours. That isn't unusual for PC games. A lot of them were built to last. Whether it is a long list of playable races, a ton of expansion packs, or a tonread more of quests, there are THOSE PC games that never seem to run short of new things to discover.
Avernum is such a game. It's ALL about delivering you a huge amount of content, so much content that you'll always have something new to discover. The graphics are simplistic, the menus can be a bit clunky (but not compared to other 90s-style PC games), and the game could use a bit more organization when it comes to quests. However, the immense amount of content found in this game is more than enough to last you for dozens, if not hundreds, of hours.
And I'm only talking about the first game.
Avernum Complete Saga includes all six games in the series. The first three take place primarily underground in dungeon environments, whereas the final three games are mostly above ground with a few dungeons thrown in for good measure. The combat itself is simple to understand. However, that does not mean combat is simple. There is a wide variety of different enemies, and you'll have to use actual tactics to bring them down. Also, there are a lot of different magical abilities to play around with.
I completed the 6th Avernum in early 2012. I can't even begin to calculate how many hours I spent in the series. Each game will last the average player about 30 hours. What do I mean by "average player"? I mean, if you go through the main storyline, do the occasional side-quest, explore a few extra areas, and fight a few extra battles, it will take you about 30 hours. If you explore a lot more, it will take double the time. If you try to find every secret and complete every quest...goodness, I cannot imagine how long it would take you to beat one of these games, let alone all six. Avernum 3 is especially chock-full of secrets and hidden areas.
A downside of the Avernum series for the modern gamer is the exclusive use of text. There is a LOT of text. Even if you just breeze through the main storyline, there will be a lot of text to read. Seeking out secrets and reading the fluff lore scattered around increases the amount of text exponentially. A game designer (not of this series) named Brian Fargo once lamented that modern RPGs have lost their "literary sense". Old RPGs like Ultima, Wizardry, and Baldur's Gate use to have well-written text that really made you feel like you were digging into a novel. Avernum is the same way, but expect to be bored if you don't want to read.
I rate this game 4 instead of 5 stars for two main reasons. One, the games lack direction. There is a difference between "lacking direction" and "freedom", and I believe Avernum falls into the former camp. The mediocre journal and map system makes it difficult to keep track of your progress if you're hunting down a lot of side-quests, especially in the early games (the later games are improved in this aspect). My second reason is the menu and graphical design. I understand that the budget for this series was tiny, but there are some design choices - especially with the menu - that could've been changed in later games, but weren't.
As mentioned before, Avernum is all about content. The graphics won't wow you. The menus might frustrate you. The "same"ness of the dungeons, especially in the first three games, might bore you. But if you want a massive realm of content to explore, Avernum should be #1 on your list of games to play.