New Games for Old!

My new favorite game is Avernum 4. Published by Spiderweb Software, the game follows the underground land of Avernum. Most of this series was originally published as the Exile series (Exile 1, 2, and 3, and Blades of Exile), which allowed you to have 6 characters, had a wide variety of magic spells. Now, with the Avernum series, you are only allowed 4 characters, and the number of spells have dropped precipitously. On the other hand, there are now character classes and specializations that the original games never had.

Still, the Avernum series was really just a port of the old games into a new format. Oh, they had new areas and new wrinkles (Not to mention much, much nicer graphics), but the stories told in the new games were just the same as the old.

Now, however, Spiderweb has released a new game: Avernum 4. This is not a port of an old Exile game, but an entirely new game never before released. And I'm really enjoying it!

To rehash the story of the Avernum series, Avernum/Exile started out as the place the Empire threw its criminals, dissidents and malcontents. The Empire has no proper name, it's so large and all-encompassing, it's just known as "The Empire". At first, the people thrown into Avernum/Exile did what the empire wanted them to do. They died. But as the Empire started throwing down more and more people into this underground Hell, they banded together and managed to survive and thrive. As each new arrival was sent to Avernum/Exile through the surface portal, the inhabitants supplied them with food and some weapons, then let them try to survive on their own. The Avernites/Exiles built cities and even had their own King. But eventually, sick and tired of the Empire's control, some of the people decided to assassinate the leader of the Empire, Hawthorne. In the first game, you got to kill Hawthorne.

The second game takes up where the first left off. The Empire reacts to the killing of Hawthorne by cutting Avernum/Exile off. This wouldn't be so bad, but it also sends its elite fighters and mages to Avernum/Exile with orders to kill off the people there. And they proceed to run through the people with a scythe, killing off whole towns and cities, and laying them waste as well. But here, the Empire has made a mistake. While exploring the underworld, the Empire discovers a new race, the Vahnatai, and makes off with some of their crystal souls, which are actually the leaders of their race. When Vahnatai die, it seems, they are able to implant their memories and powers into crystals, which are looked to by the Vahnatai for wisdom. Now, the Vahnatai, unable to distinguish the Empire from the people of Avernum/Exile, start out killing the Avernites/Exiles as well. But your characters are able to find them and, with the help of a Vahnatai named Bon-Ihrno, turn the Vahnatai race onto the true villains, the Empire. Between Avernum/Exile and the Vahnatai, you are able to turn the tide against the Empire and defeat their crack troops, thus saving your homeland.

In the third game, the Avernites/Exiles, with the help of the Vahnatai, build a portal that puts them very near the surface. From there, they build a fort, and explore the continent of Valorim, which has only been recently discovered by the Empire. But the Empire is in trouble. Plagues of monsters have been appearing on the surface, and decimating the people. Slimes, giants, golems and insects are not the least of your problems. Exile/Avernum decides to help the Empire, with the express purpose of being allowed to return to the surface (better to serve in heaven than reign in hell, I suppose). The source of the Empire's troubles turns out to be the Vahnatai, in the form of Rentar-Ihrno, who was majorly pissed at how lightly the Empire got off from stealing the Crystal Souls. (Lightly in her opinion, of course). She has decided to punish the Empire with plagues of monsters. In the end, you have to fight Rentar-Ihrno, with the help of Erika Redhand, a mage of Avernum. Though Erika dies, killed by Rentar-Ihrno with a ray of sunlight (Erika was cursed by the Empire with being killed if exposed to sunlight), you are able to kill Rentar-Ihrno in return, thus ending the threat to the Empire and giving Avernites/Exiles a way to return to the surface.

Blades of Avernum/Blades of Exile is not part of the original series and instead has three unrelated scenarios which you can play. It also gives you the ability to create your own scenarios.

And now, Avernum 4 has come. This game takes place 100 years after Avernum 3, and once again, trouble is brewing. Something has been attacking Avernum. Three shades have appeared in Avernum's cities, casting a dark pall over the land. Monsters have appeared in the rivers, cutting off Avernites from each other, and plagues of new monsters seem to be appearing everywhere. Sounds awfully familliar, don't you think? And yep, the same agent is behind it all. Rentar-Ihrno, thought killed and defeated at the end of the third game, has decided to make a comeback. She's merged her soul with the infernal, and become something akin to a half-demon. It's up to you to defeat her minions and her plagues and release Avernum from its current torture.

Several old friends make a reappearance, including the Giant Friendly Talking Spiders, all of whom are named Spider. and many of the original mages, like X and Solberg, all of whom can apparently call on magic to keep themselves alive, at the cost of a slow withering of their bodies.

It's great to see a new chapter, and, really, a new game taking place in Avernum. Though I liked the Exile Engine a bit better, the Avernum games have much better graphics. Even though the graphics are "Old School", reminiscent of the late 80's and early 90's (and not, say like, Doom or other graphics-heavy game), they are very well done. After a battle, you can see blood spatters on the floor, and pools where creatures died. It might be better if Bugs and Spiders left behind green ichor instead of red blood, but that's the nature of the beast.

This game is long, too. At least a two or three week game to finish, if you can only play on odd hours as I can. And there are at least 39 towns/cities to explore and visit, and over 100 areas total, such as the Mertis Spiral, which is filled with undead, and the Honeycomb, a maze where all sorts of fugitives and monsters hide out. Plus there are countless monster lairs scattered over Avernum. In addition to the main story, there are other jobs you can do, acting as a courier to cities all over Avernum, doing small jobs that other people want done. Doing these jobs gives players more money and items with which to fight monsters and train their skills.

This is a great game series, and I advise everyone to check it out. While the graphics may not be up to modern standards, the gameplay can't be beat.