Разработчик: Spiderweb Software
Описание
Avernum 2: Crystal Souls features:
- Epic fantasy adventure with over 50 hours of gameplay. An enormous underworld, with multiple nations and alien cultures.
- Rich game system with over 60 spells and battle disciplines and a multitude of beneficial character traits to choose from.
- Over 100 towns and dungeons.
- Three separate game-winning quests. There are many ways to fight the invaders. Do just one of them or all three!
- Unique races and settings make Avernum different from any adventure out there.
- Dozens of side quests and hundreds of magical artifacts.
The story of Avernum 2 is self-contained, and previous experience with Avernum games isn't required.
Поддерживаемые языки: english
Системные требования
Windows
- OS: Vista
- Processor: 800 MhZ processor
- Memory: 512 MB RAM
- Graphics: OpenGL-compatible
- Storage: 500 MB available space
Mac
- OS: 10.6
- Memory: 512 MB RAM
- Storage: 500 MB available space
Отзывы пользователей
Amazing classic CRPG. The river sequence is extremely memorable.
Fantastic sequel! I played the original Exile 2, but didn't get very far, but I really enjoyed playing Avernum 2 the whole way through.
After escaping Avernum in the first game, I really enjoyed the story of the empire invading and going to war in this game.
I've just started up Avernum 3, and look forward to playing through all 6 games.
Ran well on Linux.
super retro, hands down one of the best games ever made especially the older version. in depth story and lore. takes a little time to get used to the game play but very addictive. 2 and 3 are the best along with geneforge. 10/10
TL; DR Return to Avernum, defend our underground home, save us from imperial tyranny! Try not to get radiation poisoning in the process.
Keep in mind that this is a remake of a remake, the original Crystal Souls released in ’96.
Note You can play the Avernum series in any order but if you do not play them in chronological order, you will miss out on the evolving circumstances, such as why we were justified in doing what we did.
Since this is a sequel, you should expect some spoilers for the preceding game.
Story
The Emperor was assassinated and they are blaming us! To arms to arms! The surface dwellers are invading Avernum!
Humans, Nephilim, and even Slithzerikai are fighting as one to protect their freedom but it is not enough, the Archmage Garzahd leads the invasion, we are pushed further and further back! Without assistance Avernum is doomed, but something remarkable happens, indestructible barriers are appearing, and paths into the deepest reaches of the underworld are revealed...
Crystal Souls is a sequel, it takes place in much the same areas as Escape from the Pit so it serves a nice chance to reunite with people and places you know. Sometimes you can finish what you started, finally cleansing the darkness with rituals of sanctification, others you can see the ruins of an old settlement or put acquaintances out of their misery. When a game takes place in the exact same place as its predecessor, this is how you do it, give us opportunities to see what has changed, and change things up so that it feels new and different, even when it is not.
But fear not for there are other things in Crystal Souls, the narrative and the situation are focused on the imperial invasion, and as you explore you will find military installations, the massacre of Slithzerikai civilians, and mages up to no good. It manages to offer some variety in quests despite ostensibly being about a war, and as for Garzahd, he is an interesting character, learning about him, and speaking with him, is fun.
However, the most interesting aspects of Crystal Souls are the friendly faces of the Slithzerikai, the Nephilim, and their newfound alliance with the Avernites. There is tension between them, and even the ones who have joined the alliance might have some reservations about it, this can make for some interesting dynamics, and I love that both species are playable, even if the dialogue remains the same. However, there is something more important, histories of bloodshed and mutual distrust are interesting, but are they as interesting as the Crystal Souls themselves?
The Vahnahtai were teased throughout Escape from the Pit, shimmering cloaks, strange corpses, and a language beyond your comprehension, now, far far below Avernum, they are awakened, and they are not pleased. They demand an envoy and promise certain doom if humanity does not comply. Well, I guess we are up.
It is hard to compare them to any other fantasy species because they might as well be aliens, they feel so different from anything you have ever seen that it is a treat to learn about them, their technology, beliefs, and the floating crystals of their forebearers.
They are also among the most relatable aliens I have ever met, because they, just like me, can sleep for centuries on end, they do it to prevent starvation, letting the outside world recover, and letting the mushroom fields replenish, but I do it on accident.
Presentation
Visually it is basically indistinguishable from Escape from the Pit, and it similarly inherits a lot of models from previous games such as Geneforge. If you are looking for a series with more involved art, you are in the wrong place
Crystal Souls, has a title track, it is the only music you are getting, I would describe it as apprehensive, and tense. It almost loops in on itself which I chose to interpret as a conscious decision to mirror the stalemate that has settled in the underworld, because I think that sounds cool.
There are also a few handful art pieces, usually accompanying one of three primary quests you receive, and since they often relate to endings I will not say much. However, there is one with a trio plucking mushrooms in the cavern, and it looks very nice, peaceful, and calm, a reminder of the sort of people you are protecting.
Gameplay
All Spiderweb Software games play the same sort of way, and the Avernum series is no exception. Avernum focuses on being a sort of sandbox dungeon crawler, you can explore an open world filled with events, towns, handcrafted dungeons and underground rivers to block your path. It is simple but very entertaining if you are into it.
I reused the preceding sentences from my Escape from the Pit review, because there are no major changes, and for that reason I will not get into the combat or exploration at any great depth.
Moving from Crystal Souls to Escape from the Pit there is only one major difference, and that is the narrative, combat is basically unchanged and large swathes of the map are the exact same.
I found it enjoyable, sometimes chilling, to reexplore familiar areas and see how the people and places I know have fared under the Empire’s advance, the difference in context and concept makes Crystal Souls feel completely different even when certain area maps are basically copied. That is not to say that Crystal Souls does not contain new maps, far from it, there are a number of new locations, some of them are strongholds of the Empire and others are further below...
I prefer Crystal Souls over Escape from the Pit, and that was a very early realisation. This was partly due to the more focused introduction, you are not thrown into a vast world, instead you are given a closed area, and clear goals until you are strong enough to wander about freely.
Yet my preference is largely because of the set pieces, and the new locations in the land of the Vahnahtai, and as stated, reexploring familiar areas, discovering what has happened in the interim. So, I do recommend people to play this after they have played Escape from the Pit.
Tangents aside, it was the decent into the deeper reaches of the caves that really sold me on Crystal Souls, it is a fascinating section with fun areas and cool lore, and it happens at the very start of the game. It is also fairly challenging since it is an extended section without being able to return to town for free heals or new equipment, what you have is what you get, and you might not want to pick up those shimmering metals, I hear they poison you.
Another great encounter is the Doomguard, for the ill-equipped it is one of the deadliest enemies in the entire game because they really do live up to their name. It is a sort of DPS-check, and it is the most fearsome tool in the empire’s arsenal.
Unfortunately, the final quests were a bit of a let-down, in Escape from the Pit they felt fulfilling and climactic, but in Crystal Souls two of them are a bit underwhelming. They have a lot of narrative weight, and they do feel monumental from that perspective, but from a gameplay standpoint they are far less memorable than assassinating a sitting Emperor, at least the third quest is almost as good.
First off: I want to say that if you enjoy exploration, then you should prob get one of the Avernum games. Although I personally enjoyed Avernum 1 more, that was simply because Avernum 1 was my first Avernum game. However, if I were to start over, I'd probably just go straight for Avernum 2 as it has a more interesting story. Now onto the actual review:
It suffers all the issues from the first game, except this time I'm no longer really exploring as much as I'm trying to get through the story and answer some questions.
The good:
The introduction of the vahnatai is a really nice touch. Apart from the empire's invasion, the contact with the vahnatai and exploring their realm is the real backbone of Avernum 2's plot (it's even in the name!). Unfortunately, the first three chapters are basically rushed with a fourth chapter that drags on and on.
The issues:
1.Your choices are pretty much inconsequential.
2. Related to the first point -- NPCs are pretty 'dead' and similar to one another. Side quests are just distracting at this point. I mean come on -- if you tell me that there's an event 'later in the day', I expect that something will happen.
3. I want to get on with the story (because that's the crux of the game), but I find myself having insufficient 'access rights' even after completing a bunch of inconsequential side quests.
4. The combat is repetitive, amplified by all the pointless enemy encounters throughout the map.
5. Verbose but meaningless writing and dialogues (same as in Avernum 1).
Overall, as with Avernum 1, the game plays more like a puzzle game than a story-driven RPG.
It would be great if someone can convince me otherwise. I really like the story, but I just can't drag myself through the repetitive combat and meaningless side quest just to 'unlock' the next segment of the story.
Great sequel to Escape from the Pit. Starting out from a reasonably advanced position. Everything is better than the first, and more challenging to boot.
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Дополнительная информация
| Разработчик | Spiderweb Software |
| Платформы | Windows, Mac |
| Ограничение возраста | Нет |
| Дата релиза | 22.12.2024 |
| Metacritic | 78 |
| Отзывы пользователей | 92% положительных (178) |