Avernum 3

"An awesome classic-style RPG for the Mac."

First of all, I must say that this addition to the Avernum Trilogy is unarguably the best one yet. I'm very glad it was carbonized for the OSX, for I probably would not have played this wonderful game otherwise. Now, onto the Review!

Gameplay: 9/10
I must say, that it may not have the best gameplay, but it certainly one of the most addicting games you'll come across in a Mac. The game does not have random battles like many modern RPGs: instead, you can actually see your enemy coming toward you so you can plan ahead. One of my favorite features with this game is that you have the ability to attack anybody you wish. So, if you don't like what one person says, you can simply cast a Firebolt spell on them, even though it comes with the price of every single person in the village you're in instantly attacking you. It even allows you to take various things out of peoples houses- books, pens, even daggers- but be warned! If somebody catches you in the act of stealing something that is clearly labeled as not yours, you shall suffer the same consequences as if you attacked somebody.

The leveling system is, basically, that once you gain a level, you gain a small amount of HP and a few skill points. You spend these skill points, when speaking to a trainer, on Endurance, Strength, Dexterity- all the way down to smaller skills, such as First aid, Priest spells, etc. and some skills build into others(i.e. Raising your intelligence also raises your Arcane Lore).

Another point I would like to add is that the game is customizable. When you start out, you can choose a party of four members-if you want. The game has a preset party if you choose to take them, but you can change your character's appearance, Race, Job, Skills, etc.

The battle system is very simple-you walk in battle mode as you would in Regular mode, but you can only move a certain amount of steps and perform a certain amount of actions before the next character's turn. You walk up to an enemy, click on them, and that's your attack. You can also cast magic and shoot projectiles at your enemy.

Story: 7/10
A nice story with a fair share of twists. You and your team are adventurers from an underworld known as Avernum, where the people there have been prisoners for years, sent down by the above world for crimes as little as not fitting in. Your purpose is to scout out the surface for a place these people can live in. As you continue along with the story- you realize that something is very wrong! The villages are being invaded by monsters thought to have been destroyed long ago! Once you realize this, you have a choice: do you save these people that have cast you down for so long? Or do you allow them all to perish?

Graphics and Sound: 7/10
This is a less impressive part of the game. For graphics, the characters in this game are not as detailed as you would expect from a game published in Summer 2002. The camera is set in the same position as what you would normally expect from a Strategy/RPG, such as Final Fantasy Tactics, Ogre Battle, and the previous installments in the Avernum series.
As for sprite movement, the game does not have any. When you move around, all you see is the same sprite going to a different spot, but if you change direction, the sprites changes in order to acknowledge that command. If you kill or get killed, it shows the sprite in question fall down and dissappear in a few spots of blood/slime.

As for sound, there is no real music, only sound effects. For example, the sound of your character taking a step, a rowing sound, horse galloping, the hiss of a monster when it dies, the scream of a man/woman dying, the clash of blades, etc. but with a game like this, you don't really need music besides the music you're listening to on ITunes.

Replay Value: 9/10
Trust me, you won't feel you accomplished much if you just beat the game and get it over with. There a great deals of sidequests and jobs to do in this game, not to mention trying out different parties, making different decisions, and trying to collect the many different items. In other words, there's too much to do to not give Replay value anything less than a 9.

Overall: 8/10

BUY? Yes, I definitely recommend it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/12/03, Updated 01/12/03