Are you a fan of classic fantasy role-playing games with turn-based combat and a detailed, well-constructed world? Then “Avadon: The Black Fortress” is the game for you.
This single player RPG from Seattle-based indie developer Spiderweb Software is the first game in a planned trilogy. This first installment, “Avadon: The Black Fortress,” was released in 2011. In it, your character is a Hand, a servant and warrior of the multi-nation alliance called the Pact. You are sent out on various missions by your higher-ups, all of which, of course, put your life in grave danger in one way or another. As you go about completing them, you learn more about the empire that you serve and the lands that surround it. You might decide that being a loyal servant of the Pact is the one true way to be, or you might begin to question whether the Pact is really looking out for the interests of the people.
To start, you are given a choice between four different classes to play as while adventuring through the game world: Blademaster, Shaman, Sorceress and Shadowwalker. Eventually you will have four fellow Hands, one from each of the classes whom you can choose from to accompany you on missions. As you play, you not only level up and collect items for your character, but for your comrades as well.
As a writer, I’m a big fan of words. So naturally, I love reading lots and lots of conversations. I’m one of those people who goes through every dialogue option possible and actually read the words instead of just passing my eyes over them. I like to wring every bit of juicy detail out of a game, and there is certainly a lot of detail in “Avadon.” Despite its simple graphical style, the world and narrative of “Avadon” is rich and immersive. The characters even develop in realistic ways during the game! A strange concept, I know, but it’s true.
I’m not always a huge fan of turn-based combat since I’m more about fast-twitch response than careful planning but in “Avadon,” I felt that the combat was well balanced, and I didn’t find myself drifting off to sleep while I waited for my enemies to take their turn and attack.
The game also has multiple difficulty settings, so that if the combat isn’t what you’re used to and you end up getting frustrated, you can easily switch the challenge down a notch.
Overall, if you’re looking to get completely lost in a fantasy world for hours and hours, you should check this out. It’s available on multiple platforms: Mac, Windows, Linux, Android and iOS and can be found on Steam and the website: http://www.spidweb.com.