The story saves this game but even here there are awkward contradictions that get in the way. I don't think the vinhai (my pet name for them) story line was completely worked out. Pizza brain storming sessions, I think -- or something like that. I greatly enjoyed the first Avernum game despite many crudities. There was so much to explore it was possible to overlook very annoying features of the game. Was technology that primitive when Avernum was first released? Seems unlikely since I recall games from that era with great graphics and awesome gameplay. My first complaints -- why is everything so small on the screen? I admit my eyesight is not the best but the tiny icons make combat even more difficult than it needs to be. Why are there so many "empty" areas, devoid of anything? Why does the player have to go through an hour of puzzle-solving to find the reward is something he'll have to sell, and at criminal prices, because he can't use it? Or worse, you find a crystal, maybe, and some (insert shocked face) useless crap. I feel I'm at a "Discount Bling Shop" that sells baubles nobody else could move. After many attempts to adjust the mouse settings to get rid of the annoying instability, I gave up and just put up with it. The gameplay controls in this game were not well thought out, either. But the lack of anything in so many places is a sure sign the developers pushed the rock halfway up the top before losing all control. The vastness -- despite the unending emptiness -- gives the game its charm. The quests and puzzles are often good, and even better than better ranked games, but there are just too many irritation factors. I have an idea. Instead of all that dead space in the game, how about adding another "view" -- drop in closer during combat? So some of us can be sure to click the right square?
