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| Blades of Avernum: The Game |
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Quick and dirty: despite low-level graphics and average sounds, this game stands out for excellent gameplay, good stories and writing, and the longevity of having scenarios created by the masses. If it has half as many quality scenarios as its predecessor, Blades of Exile, then it will be well worth the money spent registering it.
Download the demo here.
Actual review:
Any Mac RPG gamer worth his salt has played a game created by Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software. If you are an RPG lover and have not played any Spiderweb Software games, then it is your civic duty to go download one of his demos (might I suggest Geneforge 2, any Avernum game, or the subject of this review Blades of Avernum). Jeff Vogel is the shareware RPG maker. Period.
Blades of Avernum (BoA or Blades from here on out) is basically a remake of an earlier game, Blades of Exile. Many elements of gameplay have been improved, including the graphics, sounds, and basic gameplay.
BoA isn't flashy. It doesn't have the graphical appeal of Neverwinter Nights or even the original Baldur's Gate. If your friends walk by and see you playing it (particularly if they are the PC snobs that mine are) they will likely scoff. Basically, the graphics just aren't all that good (particularly compared to the Geneforge games which came out before BoA). But graphics are not the reason that people play this game. They are merely a nice method to get to the story underneath. That being said, the graphics are not bad. If you don't focus on their faults, then you will be very happy with them, because they do work in the context of the game. Particularly considering that this is a shareware title with some serious strengths (to be addressed), the graphics are not a big con.
The story is one of the reasons that Blades is a game well worth paying for. BoA allows you to create a party of up to four characters, save it, and then go through four scenarios using it. Because the scenarios are relatively short, this lets you really develop your characters across the game, which is definitely a plus since it is all about role playing. The stories in the scenarios are well written, and the adventures well balanced. All four are worth the time it takes to play them.
But this is not really the reason that you should run out and download/register Blades. The reason that this is such a good game is that it comes with a scenario editing tool, allowing everyday people to make their own scenarios. Although there are only two scenarios available at the time of this review (you can download them here), judging by the huge number of scenarios that were made for Blades of Exile. This game will likely last for quite a while, and if you are interested in making your own RPG, then BoA gives you a ready-made and excellent system to build off of (as long as you are willing to learn the scripting and other portions of using the editor).
One thing that can be annoying about the game engine is that it is basically turn-based. NPC's and monsters do not move on their own; they move when the character moves (this is different in combat, which is unabashedly turn-based). This can be slightly annoying (particularly in view of the Geneforge games, which have moved away from this), but you get used to it, and it isn't that much of a problem after you have played the game for a while. Initially, though, it may seem slightly strange. The strengths of the gameplay and skills system easily balance this out, however, and make the occasional annoyance of having to wander in and out of a doorway to get an NPC to move out of the way a minor irk.
You may have noticed that this review isn't so much a discussion of the specific aspects of BoA as it is a general explanation of its highs and lows. The main reason for this is that Blades is very easy to download and try for yourself (just go to this page). That's one of the beauties of shareware.
Additionally, I have not really covered the editor portion of Blades because I haven't used it much yet. Look for this to come in a later review; also watch for reviews of any scenarios that seem like they stand out.
Overall, Blades is a very worthwhile game for anyone who likes RPG's. The skills system of the Avernum games, having been hammered out since the Exile games, is excellent, the plots are compelling, and the overall look and feel of the game is very satisfactory. As a caveat, this probably isn't the game for the hardcore shooter gamer who mainly plays Unreal 2004. RPG's in general are a totally different genre, and Blades is very much an RPG. As shareware and RPG's go, however, this is a fabulous game.
Why the rating: I give this an eight because it is an excellent game with a probable huge amount of longevity, but does not have some of the perks of Vogel's other software (such as the superior graphics and game engine of the Geneforge games). Even so, different people will like this game different amounts. If you are at all intrigued by the sound of it, please download the demo. It will likely be worth your time.
Edit: I stand by this rating. It's probably the most objective one out of the reviews that I did before overhauling the rating system.
Posted on May 24, 2004 at 11:41 am
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| Games Playing: |
Star Chamber
Kill Monty
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| Reviews: |
• Blades of Avernum: The Game
5/24/2004
• Hollow Ground
5/18/2004
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Tuncer Deniz
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CPU Speed: 2.0 - 2.9 GHz
Memory: 2 GB
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CD: SuperDrive
Details: MacBook Pro, baby. Oh yeah. |
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