Role playing game fans should all know of Jeff Vogel and Spiderweb Software by now. Vogel and Spiderweb have been producing ‘old school’ RPGs since the shareware days back in 1994. His classics include the Exile, Geneforge, Nethergate, and Avernum games. The games are characterized by having huge areas, loads of well written story and dialogue, nice combat systems, and just tons to do.
Spiderweb has gone from being a ‘shareware’ developer to a great example of the ‘indie’ developer movement. They provide something that meets a need not being served by mainstream development – in this case, classic role-playing games in a style long since forgotten. Read on!
Another unique thing that Spiderweb software does is release their games for the Mac first, followed a few months later by the Windows release. The final thing that Spiderweb does is offer *massive* demos for their games – their demo is longer than just about any shooter ever made and even longer than most recent RPGs! And that just scratches the surface! Recently Jeff announced that the next entry in both the Avernum and Geneforge series would be the last.
So just last week he announced that the final entry – Avernum 6 – was available to download and purchase for the Mac. I have been working on testing the beta version for the last few months and have recently restarted on the final version for review, and it is my favorite entry yet! The best thing – if you have a Mac, you can grab the demo and give it a try – if you like it, pay $28 to unlock the massive game. If not – no worries! Here are some features:
The epic conclusion of the award-winning Avernum series. Travel into the strange subterranean land of Avernum, full of dungeons, labyrinths, and constant warfare. A final set of disasters threatens to destroy your homeland in a spasm of famine and warfare. Only you can help your people to get to safety before everything falls apart.
As you wander the gigantic world of Avernum, you will experience:
* An enormous world. Hundreds of quests, dozens of dungeons and enemy fortresses, and multitudes of characters.
* A fascinating storyline, full of surprises, treachery, and epic battles.
* Many unique encounters. Not just mindless hack and slash. Many unusual enemies that will require clever tactics to defeat.
* Rich game system with over 50 spells and battle disciplines, many character building options, and powerful secret skills to unlock.
* Unique game world. Unique races and settings make Avernum different from any RPG out there.
* Experience with previous Avernum games is completely unnecessary to enjoy Avernum 6.
Head on over to the official site for more info and to download the massive demo.
