Once in awhile, I'll delve into an occasional role-playing game. In this case, it was Avencast — Rise of the Mage, developed by Clockstone and published by Lighthouse Interactive. As with any game of this type, I couldn't wait to see what it could do. Some of the features include: puzzle solving, spell effects that are deadly, strong combat sequences, a great game engine and lots of quests to resolve.
The storyline has you, a young mage, falling asleep in class and being awakened by your instructor. He then suggests — after a small lecture about your lack of attention with your studies — that you go see your mentor. After a small talk from your mentor about your inability to focus on your studies, he sends you to see some other people so that you will pass the big test awaiting you. This is when the action begins. At this point, it's more of a tutorial to get through the motions so you'll be up to speed when the crypts come next.
The crypts are one of three medallions that you must earn to pass the required tests that lead to the final exam where you become a true mage. In the crypts, you discover skeletons, spiders and ghouls all focused on causing your untimely death. You must solve puzzles that lead to the final objective of retrieving a quest item from the tomb of a lich. The crypt is not a easy and you must use your wits to get that medallion.
You, the young adept, must level your skills in spell casting, weapons, and melee combat as ancient monsters descend on Avencast and wreak horrific attacks which you must defend against. You must discover the source of these aggressive intrusions and help turn the tide of battle.
There's three modes of movement, but you'll have to juggle which you want. I went with the default, which was overhead and behind. Even with the default, it took time to get the hang of it, and there were occasions I died quite a bit because of the confusing configuration. The main part is in the quests and NPC interaction, which is very linear. I forgot to mention that you only have one character, and this is definitely a single-player game.
I most enjoyed the puzzle solving which had me thinking throughout the game. The graphics and spell effects were great, and story line was true to form for a classic high-fantasy RPG. Swarms of monsters are my favorite as nothing is so boring as section after section of empty scenery in an RPG. Action was very fluid and I never noticed any bugs. The way the boss monsters appeared at times made me jump as they weren't the usual I'm-standing-around-waiting-for-you-to-attack style that I've been sorely put to play in other games.
Some of the sections in which boss monsters crop up can be another cause for frustration. This and the lower-level monsters would try to avoid your attacks if possible. This brought up interesting possibilities of where they would hide — behind gates and walls — which would require you to flush them out. As your mage is low in levels at the beginning, it's a matter of deciding to duke it out or run. I had to save lots of times — and I do mean lots — as death means the end of the game. Working your way to an important part and not saving caused needless pounding of the table as I had to redo everything from the last save.
What I can say about this RPG is that it's decent and will occupy a fairly good amount of time to play. Yes, it's linear, and there are some similarities to other genre of this type. I really had a tough time handling the movement and camera aspects of the game. The different combos that the spells have can be a bit intimidating with the up, down, left or right requirements, which I thought could have been eliminated or at least worked out better. Another bothersome aspect was the rather slow pace of the combat. You could spend a long time trying to take out a group or boss monster. As with any game, this one is interesting, but I want a bit more diversity in my RPGs.
Father of two, now grown children.What are my kind of games? Strategy, RTS, RPG, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and online games such as Dark Age of Camelot and Asheron's Call. Of my dislikes I would say puzzle games such as Myth, FPS type games such as Doom. Also simulation type games, and games that are just plain bad.
My knowledge of the industry mostly evolves around beta testing games, such as Earth & Beyond from EA, Saga of Ryzom, and companies like MSN and Acolade. Self taught web design is another interest I have. Family life is entertaining at times. It also can get weird as well, after you have been married 31 years.
