Alright. [i]Avadon: The Black Fortress[/i] is done and dusted. I played this for a couple hours maybe a decade ago, and I remember thinking at the time that it was difficult to get in to, but recently, I'd been thinking about it and decided to give this game another go. And my perspective definitely has changed over the last decade, as what I found this time around was a very engaging super old school CRPG with a really fun setting and interesting story. I've played Geneforge 1 & 2 previously, and if I was comparing Spiderweb Software offerings, I'd say that while Avadon was not nearly as involved from a story perspective, and is less expansive, it's also probably a bit more approachable if you are looking for a good entry point into the Spiderweb Software catalog of games.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3336877169
Visually, this is about as old school as it gets without being a Gold Box offering or some such. It's very basic and on the surface, seems pretty sparse. However, in reality, there is actually a fair amount going on within the confines of the visual style this developer is known for. After a couple hours, it's pretty easy to forget you are staring at old graphics with old textures and assets shared between his games. Instead, it becomes really easy to hone in on what is happening on screen as it ties together with the story and gameplay. So, while it is certainly visually unimpressive for the most part, it also somehow manages to be evocative. I believe there is only one music track, which has a cool hint of discordance to it. The rest of the audio is made up of the ambient sounds and the sounds that interact with whatever you're doing. That all works well.
Gameplay is fairly standard turn-based CRPG fare as well. You'll run around maps, revealing more of your surroundings as you explore. There are a lot of secret areas and areas that only open up after certain conditions are met. Combat is actually a lot of fun. You have your main character, of which you can choose from four premade characters. I played as Cordelia the Sorceress. You will fill out your party with one or two of four NPCs that will be assigned to you by your Black Fortress masters. The game is very combat focused, and your little group will have no lack for battles to jump into. I enjoyed the four character classes and their options in battle. It's a good mix of support, defense, and offense, and seems quite well balanced in my estimation. Spells are cool, melee feels meaty, ranged combat seems appropriately lethal. All very cool, There is no stealth in this game, so everything is pretty up front from a tactical standpoint. This is a game that pretty much keeps everything right where you can see and react easily to.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3338367623
The story has a simple premise, but creates a lot of depth within the premise. Which is that you are a new "Hand", who are elite soldiers/spies working for The Black Fortress to uphold the values and protect the stability of Avadon and the Pact nations. There are five nations that make up the Pact Nations of Avadon, and all are ruled from the central seat of power, The Black Fortress, by the unkillable and ruthless Redbeard, this game's singularly powerful ruler. Not all is sunshine and roses in the Pact Nations though, and Farlanders, people and nations outside of Avadon's rule, also muddy the waters. And that is where you come in. You will travel to the four other Pact nations to settle disputes and solve mysteries while also trying to quell uprisings and generally uphold Avadon's interests. As with all good CRPGs though, not everything is as it seems. Along the way, you'll get to know your companions and build either resentment or alliances with the people you are policing.
It should go without saying, but there is a ton of reading in this game, and you are advised to actually read the stuff presented rather than click your way through it. You will need to read everything if you hope to solve any of the puzzles and generally advance the story. So, make sure you do so. Fortunately, this is a very well written game with a lot of thought that went into all the dialogue, so that shouldn't be a problem for anybody.
There are some branching paths based on how you choose to deal with things. This is kind of the devs own take on a morality system, and there are a lot of scenarios where it's less about good and evil and more about what is most practical or inevitable regardless of how you might feel. But you aren't powerless and out in the world, a Hand's word is law.
Anyway, it took me about 55 hours to complete this run on normal difficulty. There were two obvious endings. The first is all dialogue driven. The second is combat driven. And the final boss fight for the combat ending. I had to knock the difficulty down to easy for that after having my a$$ handed to me repeatedly. Which normally wouldn't be a big deal, but this boss fight literally takes about two to four actual hours +/- to playthrough, and I only had so much patience for redoing it. Even on easy, it took me right at two hours to get through the boss battle lol. And it was far from certain if I'd manage it. I read in the forum some complaints about this boss battle, and I kind of echo that sentiment. On one hand, it makes sense that if you go the combat route for the ending, it is going to be difficult. But holy hell, lol. That said, I did manage it and was glad to have seen both endings.
There were some moments during my playthrough where there was a bit of control lag between when I pressed a key and when it did what it was supposed to. This game also does not have some basic QoL stuff like highlighting interactable objects on screen. And on occasion, the actual mouse movement could feel a bit wonky and you might end up clicking something you really didn't mean to click. Which generally led to a character missing out on an available attack because they ended up moving instead, lol. Pathfinding was actually superior to that in the Geneforge games despite still having some issues moving around obstacles to attack without you holding your character's hands. And the journal is not super informative, although that is balanced by the ability to record conversations in game to access as needed.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3338367614
If you are a CRPG fan, I feel like you should definitely play this game. But you need to be okay with non-modernized graphics and gameplay. It's a really cool game with a fun story and engaging gameplay if you can look past the rough edges.
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