Avadon 2: The Corruption Previews

A couple of previews for Jeff Vogel’s upcoming Avadon sequel has surfaced recently, and they offer us some very much appreciated first impressions of the turn-based indie RPG.

Gizorama:

The story is filled with generic fantasy tropes, but it is pure escapist wonder. The land of Lynaeus is going through a civil war. Avadon has been weakened and rebels have emerged from the once strong kingdom. There isn’t a whole lot of completely new here, but it serves as a set up to drive gameplay. Multiple endings are possible, because it is up to you to decide who you will fight for.

There are five predefined classes for you to choose, Blademaster, Shadowwalker, Shaman, Sorcerer, and, the newest edition, Tinkermage. All have their unique abilities and cater to different play styles. By far the most enjoyable class to play was Tinkermage. Spawning fully mechanized ballistae and disarming mines adds a tactical and fresh feeling to a classic formula.

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Enemies are varied and interesting, like all great RPG’s you begin fighting some simple rats and work your way up. Talent trees are fairly standard and spells are charged with turns. AI companions can be recruited, this adds yet another strategic element because getting members who complement your abilities is vital for success. If one thing must be commended, it is Spiderweb’s interpretation of this classic genre. Even though this is a new game, I felt like I was playing an old PC game from the 90’s.

InVision Game Community:

First you must decide on the nature of your character. There are three factors which you must decide upon. Two of these are relatively generic; your name and your gender. The third however is the class of your character, which will go on to influence the way you play the rest of the game to follow. Avadon 2 offers you five classes from which to choose; Blademaster, Shadowwalker, Shaman, Sorcerer and Tinkermage. The first four of these options are, in essence, your standard RPG character classes. The Blademaster is the warrior class who manipulates heavy armour and weaponry in order to fight his or her cause. The Shadowwalker is the lighter-weight, stealth-style character. The Shaman is a supportive character as a healer, elementalist and animal summoner. The Sorcerer is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin, and uses spells and magic to reach their desired ends. The Tinkermage however, the fifth available class, is a little more unusual to the others. The Tinkermage class might be likened to the Engineer in games such as Guild Wars 2 or Team Fortress 2. In essence the class is a mechanic who can create and use contraptions such as turrets and other machinery to aid them in battle, as well as having small thrown weapons to use alongside these. There is a class to suit almost any kind of RPG player in the game, and therefore also several different ways to play.

Once you have chosen your character and learned of the context in which your adventure is to take place you are provided with a quick tutorial. This does not drag on which is certainly a strong positive. This means players of the first game are provided with a friendly refresher while new players can learn the basics swiftly and easily. This begins in what, at least in my mind ten years or so after having played it, resembles the Runescape tutorial house before letting you loose on the surprisingly well drawn world for a top-down RPG adventure.

The graphics are by no means cutting edge, but they do not need to be in this instance for you to feel a pleasant attachment to them. They are basic, yes, but not unpleasant. After you have learned the basics of play you can continue on with your adventure, following the mission set out in the introductory scenes of the game.