Classic role-playing games have sort of become cliché in indie gaming circles. Many indie developers have attempted to create games that are reminiscent of yesteryear, because those games greatly influenced modern RPGs as well as their developers. But as you have probably guessed, some do a better job of this than others. Some feel too stale or fail to live up to expectations. Here is another entry into this RPG category: Aveyond: Lord of Twilight.

Lord of Twilight follows a young female thief by the name of Mel. Life isn’t exactly hunky dory for her. She barely makes a living stealing from the residents, and she doesn’t know her parents (they’re dead). Anyway, one day there is the traditional “fateful encounter” with a robed man who asks her to “recover” (steal) the Orb of Darkness from Morthrob Manor. She does and, it turns out, the guy who hired her is a vampire bent on ruling the human world. Oh, did I mention that Mel is a descendent of this horrid wizard? No? Mel is a descendent of Morthrob and only such a person can use the Orb. So now it is up to Mel to go to thief school and eventually save the world.

Let me make this clear: Lord of Twilight’s plot is not bad. It just isn’t as involved as it could be. Character portraits sometimes change depending on their moods, and exclamation marks appear when they are excited. However, you will never see a character gesture. You will never see a character shake another character. It’s the little elements like these that drop the game’s presentation a bit. Yet I must remind myself that Lord of Twilight is trying to be reminiscent of its heroes: those RPGs from the Super Nintendo heyday. It is meant to inspire the imagination.

Gameplay reflects this perfectly. You move your characters around the map, interacting with the various characters and opening bag after bag of coins and treasure chests. You can see the monsters on the map. However, there is no way to distinguish which monsters are part of one group or another. Most of the time it is just one grouping of monsters seen at a time, so it is not too big of an issue. Combat is also just as simple: You tell your characters which actions they take each turn. Then from fastest to slowest, each character performs said action. But you need to know that there is no run function. So you’re essentially rushed to one of the extremes of a cannonball; you break through or sink. Oh, and don’t forget to search the enemies dead bodies to find money or items.

I also have an issue with the game’s balance. Weapons will either make major dents in your enemies or scratch them. I always felt like I had the bare minimum to get by. Armor is also scarce. Thus, you have to grind (gain levels) in order to get anywhere. I also feel that the magic point consumption is too high for their effects. (Do you think a minor healing spell should cost 25 MP that only heals about 60 or so health points at most?) Plus, just like those old RPGs of yore, you can get over your head just by exploring an area you are not meant to visit at your current level. So there is a bit of experimentation that might put off some gamers. And here’s something that’s really odd: Galahad (a vampiric paladin) refuses to drink blood. But you can recover his health (and other characters) by “feeding” him a vial of fresh blood. Can someone explain this to me?

But this is not to say that Lord of Twilight isn’t playable. In fact, it is one of the most user-friendly games out there. You can use the keyboard, the mouse, a combination of them both or a controller to input commands and explore. One does not give you an advantage over the other, though having a controller in hand makes it feel like a forgotten game of yore. There are shortcuts that connect to the important topics right on the bottom of the screen.

Graphically, Lord of Twilight is beautiful — if you like 16- or 32-bit graphics. Regardless of graphical preferences, the game is bright and cheerful. Trees can be lush, bare or covered in snow. Animals roam the forests, and snow drifts. Rivers and waterfalls flow from one spot to another. Monsters are clearly seen walking around. However, you will never see a character move to attack. Instead, you will see a flash and then some sort of attack animation. Yes, those attacks are wonderfully flashy and cool. But it does not replace the need for battle animations. Even the original Final Fantasy had some sort of battle animation representing an action: swords were swung, spells were cast and hands were raised to represent item usage. Not seeing that, especially in the third installment of the Aveyond series, is becoming unacceptable to me.

Sound wise, everything is almost a dream. Yes, the same old traditional menu sounds are heard as you navigate the menus. Swords and knives slash monsters down to size while staves bash. The real highlight of the sound is the music. Flutes, harps, drums and other instruments all combine to create an incredible experience. Whether it’s the intense boss battle music full of drums or the everyday battle music with its horn fare, it’s a joy to hear. Plus, Lord of Twilight is not afraid to turn off the music and let the ambiance of the area take center stage.

The ultimate question is Aveyond: Lord of Twilight worth your time? The answer is “yes.” What Lord of Twilight sets out to do it does so with pride. The game will take about 10 to 15 hours to complete, depending on how much you do. The graphics are bright and cleanly laid out, the sound design can be downright awesome at times and its interface is perfectly designed for it. The downside is simple: If you have stronger RGPs in your gaming library, Lord of Twilight quickly falls to the side. In a way, I cannot help but think of Matt Nathanson. In one of the interviews, he said that he hopes to “hold one finger to my heroes” (or something along those lines). In that regard, Lord of Twilight is a success. You can buy this game at the developer’s Web site for $10 or from Amazon.com for $7. It may not have you playing well into the night, but it will probably make you happy while you play. That is what makes it worthwhile.