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Avernum V Review - Page Three |
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Conclusion
Overall, I was impressed by the feel of the game and the consistent futility of the frontier societies that runs as a thread throughout. This helped alleviate the somewhat mediocre nature of the plot itself. As far as main plots go, I liked Avernum 4's better.
The gameplay is pretty well improved, mostly in spots you won't notice immediately, such as overall location design, design of certain big fights and quest design. The battle disciplines are a fun addition, but they need some polish, to be made slightly more complex. Perhaps with separate branches of disciplines you can learn, one focused on disabling the opponent, the other on buffing yourself, etc.
As always, there are high entrance level barriers for those of us who are sensitive to bad graphics or non-existent sound. And as always, Jeff Vogel doesn't let down fans of Avernum, as this is another solid sequel.
What about the rest of us? Well, I might not blindly recommend it as your first go, but I think it's somewhat more forgiving and attractive than Avernum 4 was. Still, its size is daunting with not much of a carrot at the end as it wears you down. But this often happens to me when playing Avernum games, so it might just be me.
Thankfully, I don't have to give any kind of unreserved recommendation, since Spiderweb is always willing to provide enormous demos. Avernum 5 is no exception, so if you're curious about this title, simply give it a spin.
| GameBanshee Rating |
Overall
7.0
How We Score |
Gameplay (50%) |
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| Graphics (25%) |
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| Sound & Music (15%) |
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| Lasting Value (10%) |
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| Article Details |
| Reviewed Avernum V
Reviewer Thomas "Brother None" Beekers
Published 04.22.08
Pros Interesting setting, big world, solid old-school gameplay
Cons Unoriginal plot and quests, repetitive quests, bits of uninteresting combat
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