Avadon 2: The Corruption

Developed and published by Spiderweb Software, Avadon 2: The Corruption is a classic isometric role-playing game that builds upon the foundation of its predecessor with a larger world, deeper storytelling, and greater player freedom. Set in the troubled lands protected by the Black Fortress of Avadon, the game places players in the role of one of its loyal Hands, elite agents tasked with preserving order as political unrest, betrayal, and corruption spread across the Pact. Although it continues an established storyline, the narrative is written in a way that allows newcomers to quickly understand the setting and immerse themselves in the unfolding conflict. Rather than focusing on cinematic presentation, the game prioritizes meaningful role-playing, presenting a world where every alliance, conversation, and decision contributes to a larger political drama. The story is easily the game's greatest achievement. Every mission gradually reveals new layers of conspiracy, personal ambition, and ideological conflict, making the journey feel far more complex than a straightforward battle between good and evil. Players frequently encounter difficult choices that test their loyalty to Avadon, forcing them to decide whether to obey orders, challenge authority, or pursue their own ideals. These decisions are far from cosmetic, influencing character relationships, quest outcomes, and ultimately the fate of the realm itself. The companion characters are equally well-developed, each bringing unique personalities, histories, and perspectives that enrich conversations and often create moral dilemmas that have no perfect solution. The result is a narrative that rewards thoughtful role-playing and encourages multiple playthroughs to experience alternate paths and endings. Combat remains firmly rooted in traditional turn-based strategy, rewarding planning over speed. Players may choose from five distinct character classes, each featuring a wide selection of abilities that support different combat styles ranging from powerful spellcasting to durable frontline fighting or ranged support. As characters gain experience, skill customization allows for specialized builds that significantly affect battlefield performance. Party composition becomes increasingly important as tougher enemies demand careful positioning, effective resource management, and coordinated use of abilities. Equipment progression is equally satisfying, with countless weapons, armor pieces, magical artifacts, and upgrade crystals providing meaningful improvements throughout the adventure. Battles remain engaging because enemy encounters regularly introduce new tactical challenges instead of relying solely on stronger statistics. Outside combat, exploration is consistently rewarding. The world is filled with hidden ruins, forgotten temples, dangerous wilderness, isolated settlements, and optional dungeons that invite players to venture off the main path. Side quests rarely feel like simple filler, often expanding the world's history or presenting additional moral choices that complement the central storyline. Hidden treasures, powerful equipment, and secret lore encourage players to thoroughly investigate every region rather than rushing toward the next objective. This emphasis on discovery captures the spirit of classic computer RPGs, where patience and curiosity often lead to the most memorable rewards. Combined with branching quests and multiple endings, the extensive amount of optional content provides impressive replay value. Graphically, Avadon 2 reflects Spiderweb Software's longstanding design philosophy of prioritizing substance over visual spectacle. Its isometric environments and straightforward character models may appear dated compared to modern role-playing games, but they effectively support exploration and tactical gameplay without becoming distracting. The interface is functional and easy to navigate for fans of classic RPGs, while the soundtrack quietly reinforces the fantasy atmosphere with appropriate orchestral themes that complement the game's tone. Although players seeking cutting-edge visuals may find the presentation modest, those willing to look beyond appearances will discover an experience defined by its depth rather than its production values. Avadon 2: The Corruption succeeds because it fully embraces what makes traditional role-playing games enduringly enjoyable. Its intricate world-building, branching narrative, memorable companions, tactical combat, meaningful character progression, and extensive exploration combine to create a lengthy adventure that consistently rewards thoughtful decision-making. Spiderweb Software once again demonstrates its talent for crafting rich fantasy worlds where player choice genuinely matters, proving that compelling storytelling and engaging mechanics can outweigh technical limitations. For fans of classic CRPGs who appreciate complex narratives and strategic gameplay, Avadon 2 delivers an experience that remains satisfying long after its final battle. Rating: 8/10

I'm a big fan of Spiderweb software, and have been playing Jeff's games for around 30 years, and the first Exile game. I'm consistently and pleasantly surprised by the depth of the story and the gameplay, the worldbuilding and the joy of discovery. I played this several years ago, and loved it. Played the original Avadon on iOS and had a blast. Now I'm on to the third to complete the series! Highly recommend checking out his recently remastered games, especially the Geneforge series too.

A deep storyline and engaging play. Time was spent on the adventure rather than the graphics. Love the playstyle.

GREAT old-school style RPG. You get LOTS of playing time. Very detailed world lore.

I'm loving this sequel! The graphics are slightly nicer looking and smoother but it still has that oldschool feel, and I love the continuation of the story from the first game :)

[h1]At-A-Glance:[/h1] [b]Game type:[/b] Turn-based RPG [b]Genre(s):[/b] Fantasy [b]Art:[/b] Isometric 2D graphics with some 3D rendering [b]Length:[/b] Very long (50-60 hours) [b]Pace:[/b] Slow-paced [b]Tags:[/b] Political, old-school indie developer [b]Computer requirements:[/b] Low-end [h1]Notes:[/h1] [olist] [*] Every couple of years, I try out another Spiderweb game. I enjoyed my time with the first [i]Avernum[/i] remake - it was long, but it had plenty of sidequests and lore to keep me occupied throughout a long Alaskan winter. [*] After trying out [i]Avernum 2[/i] and this game, I've realized my problem with Spiderweb games. I don't mind the engines being nigh-identical - it's that they are [i]long[/i]. So long, to the extent of feeling like the entire game is padding. This came to a head for me when getting to Avadon proper, which just feels like the epitome of "sprawl" in an RPG location. Maybe I'm just getting older and have different priorities; were I 14 again, I'm sure I could spend my infinite free-time in Avadon with no problems. But at the start of my fourth decade, I'm just not really interested in coming through the Spiderweb brand of text-heavy turn-based RPGs. I cannot help but shake the feeling that Spiderweb's 60+ hour RPGs could easily be 20+ with no loss of detail. [*] One major difference between this an [i]Avernum[/i]: in [i]Avernum[/i], locations are bite-sized and towns are their own discrete entities. Here, towns and battle locations are part of the same areas, and rather than have an overworld, you teleport and travel to other areas. [*] The RPG flavor allows for lots of customization, as always. While there are balance issues (you can steamroll this with some good mages), generally speaking there are many ways to try out new tactics. I strongly like the Tinkermage - it's a clever take on the engineer class of a futuristic RPG. [*] I found this game's writing the weakest of the Spiderweb games I've played so far. The deep political intrigue feels suited for a novel, not a game. The dialogue and backtracking feels like a slog in between already-long combat options. [*] As with [i]Avernum 2[/i], I simply reached a point several hours in where I realized this is what the game would continue to be, and I simply wasn't interested in dumping tens of hours into this when other, more economic and efficient games existed. Even in Spiderweb's only library - I point to the first [i]Avernum[/i] game as one that did this fairly well. It was long, but it didn't feel so unnecessarily spread out, and for a bunch of names and kingdoms thrown at me that I can't say I really cared for. Again - probably a good novel in here. [*] I'm still tempted to try out the [i]Geneforge[/i] remake given that series is often called Spiderweb's best, but maybe that'll have to wait for a few more years. [/olist]

Avadon 2 is a game designed to be faithful to the old RPG's of gaming's founding years. The likes of Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Knights, the old days where games took pride in being challenging, where difficulty was often arbitrary, but nonetheless part of the charm. As a world, and as a story, Avadon intrigues me - I've thoroughly enjoyed reading the dialogue, understanding the mysteries to the best of my ability, and immersing myself in the world that it tries to create. However, as much as I've come to enjoy it, i would be remiss not to point at the game's shortcomings. Due to achievements, i had to play through on torment - and I would not suggest it to anyone, at any point. This game delights in hitting you with enemies that can throw you around like footballs, stunlock you into oblivion, obliterate you with insane DoT's and AoE, all the while acting before you even get a chance to take a move. Misses are frequent, and evasions are almost never, while the game barrels down on you and beats you into the ground. It lived up to it's namesake, but it also served to highlight the flaws with Avadon 2's enemy and level design - it's cheapness. While Avadon can be quite challenging, it can oftentimes feel like an unfair fight. It's based on a principle of trial, error and a good amount of luck. You can't know, oftentimes, what an enemy will do before it does it (as is somewhat usual), but Avadon takes that to the extreme by punishing you for something you didn't even have a chance to avoid yet. Will the AI decide to immediately nuke your mage? Or will they try to punch your summoned wolf? It seems to be a crapshoot. Balancing wise, the game is also extremely wonky. Don't be decieved by high bonuses, as diminishing returns are real, so no way to become completely resistant or immune to something. The Blademaster, my hero, was a functional tank - though melee in Avadon is like trying to kill an Incubus with a spoon. Tinkermage is incredibly strong by virtue of summoning walls of very angry turrets to draw enemy ire and murder everything, to such a degree, that they're hands-down the best class. Shaman is a jack of all trades, master of being useless, Mage is a phenominal glass cannon - but is ultimately in a game where you will be snapped in two by a strong gust of wind, and Shadowwalker is... well, not much of anything, really. Despite what might sound like condemnation of the actual combat of Avadon, in truth, i expect most of my issues are caused by some glaring flaws of game design, but also because of the difficulty that I myself selected. I expect on normal, a far more manageble challenge that - while obivously easier - would still prove a worthy adversary for the vast majority. Avadon 2 stands as a game i respect for it's world and story, that was ultimately a source of as much intrigue as frustration. I enjoyed Avadon 2, when the game stopped obliterating me long enough for me to admire the scenery, and take in the world that had been created. If you do decide to play this game, be forewarned, it is not afraid to absolutely decimate you - but, if you're fine with punishment and pain, Avadon 2 is something you should experience.

Juegazo igual que el primero

I enjoy it it when a sequel continues the story from the first game. This was action-packed and very good. It also introduces a new class type. I forgot the name, but it is basically a class that excels at different types of turrets.

Golden olde, story and game play are fantastic!