Avadon: The Black Fortress

Avadon is pretty solid and surprisingly addictive RPG, with an above average storyline and focus on action. It will not be enjoyed by everybody, but it deserves a try if you can get past the obvious flaws. To put it simply, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Graphics and sound is what may put you off straight away. The sound effects are poor; just turn it off and put on some music instead;) Graphics belong in the mid-90s and also add very little to the immersion. They also make it very difficult to spot certain items on the ground. However, for someone whose favourite game is Dwarf Fortress this did not put me off at all. To me the storyline is where these kind of games stand or fall and here the creators did a good job. Too many of these games turn the storyline into a good v evil battle, where good is without reproach and evil is just, you know, dark, ugly and bad. Instead Avadon uses politics to drive the story, all main and side quests are basically about a power struggle amongst various states, which makes it more difficult to determine which actions are actually good or evil. There is no Lawful Good to be found here and sometimes all choices lead to death and destruction for all, innocent or guilty. I also enjoyed the fact that this RPG has been stripped of many elements which seem mandatory in many other RPGs. There is no character creation stage, you simply pick one of 4 classes and dive straight in, improving your character as you go along. There is no weight limit for what you may carry(only what you wear), movement across the map is fast, there is no need to go back to an inn for rest and there is no mana for spell casters. Essentially, the game wants you to pick it up and get straight into the action, which does lead to those 15min game sessions extending into hours without warning:) Finally, I cannot give it a higher recommendation than to say - I have just finished it, but I will start replaying it as soon as I finish this review;) Try it!

Avadon is a homage to isometric rpg's that predate Baldur's Gate and the grand era of Black Isle. However it does improve and update on those mechanics in that it gives the player many more options on how to interact with them. The graphics are simple and often fail to convey atmosphere. This is due primarily to the matt colour choice and simplified palette. Many props are reused in multiple areas and so fail to give areas a distinct feeling, despite variations in layout. The character sprites however are well animated and move in a natural manner. The gameplay itself is strongly turnbased (even though you have the option to play without pause). However the strategic elements of combat mean that you will of necessity be leaving it as turn-based. Battles are varied enough and the game scales well. The game requires long term planning and not just battle strategy as bosses are often encountered near the end after normal mobs when resources are more scarce. Questing tends to be fairly linear and most sidequests can be completed alongside the main quest with little deviation from the main pathline. Only a few sidequests require additional exploration. The quests themselves are not very diverse yet are varied enough to not be repetitive. The characters are forgettable, and their individual stories not particularly interesting, which is a pity as it lead to less player engagement as roleplaying is simplified. Something particularly irksome in an RPG. However the main quest is compelling and interesting. It uses choices that are often morally grey and explores how choices affect various groups in positive or negative ways. I'd recommend this game only to people who enjoy the genre itself it is not a game that lends itself to new players of the genre. It is mainly for those who require a nostalgia kick, or who are interested in seeing what narratives in games can be capable of

I didn't find the game very engaging. I like the idea of a game that gives up graphics and glitz, but makes up for it with depth and imagination. Unfortunately, I didn't find much of either one--pretty much a by-the-numbers setting, plot and set of NPCs.

I've had moderate experiences with cRPG's to date and this one has me hooked like most usually do. I enjoy the story so far (I'm half way through as of writing this review) and the characters are developing decently. The combat system is really basic like any other so that's a good thing. I didn't have to get used to something specifically different for this game. My one problem is that it has a few game breaking bugs that I've encountered requiring me to start the game over. I'm not sure how wide spread the problem is, I've only seen a few others having it so hopefully it isn't going to be a big problem. Luckily they've always only happened about one to two hours into the game so starting over isn't as bad as it could be. Overall I'm having a good experience with this game, totally worth it.

Though Avadon managed to pack in a lot of content for a reasonable price, I found myself less interested in the game as the story progressed. Simply put, I felt the writing (regarding plot/NPCs/world design) was not engaging and, in many ways, disappointingly shallow. The actual gameplay, however, was quite fun and, outside of some very poorly designed boss fights, allowed my party to "strut their stuff" and show off what made their classes (and specific class-build) unique. Overall, a decent experience but one that did not leave me wanting more.