Last fall Spiderweb Software released Avadon 2 The Corruption for Mac and PC, and I said that the sequel improved on the original in every way. Now iPad users get the game optimized for the touch interface and with all post-release patches. How has the game transitioned? As with the original, the iPad version is my favorite!
Type of app: Role Playing Game
Platform/where to buy: iPad; available in the iTunes App Store
Developer: Spiderweb Software
Description:
Avadon 2: The Corruption Features:
* Comes with the entire game, fully functional. No need to pay more money to do anything.
* Epic fantasy role-playing adventure in an enormous and unique world.
* Five different character classes, with dozens of unique spells and abilities.
* Uncover the fascinating histories of Avadon and the many lands of Lynaeus.
* Many different endings. Will you be loyal to Avadon or switch sides and bring it down? The choice is yours!
* Dozens of side quests, dungeons, and secrets to discover.
* Hundreds of magical items to find. Use powerful crystals to make your artifacts even more powerful.
* Huge adventure with lots of replay value. Experience with Avadon: The Black Fortress is entirely unnecessary to enjoy Avadon 2.
Major features:
My review for the Mac / PC version of Avadon 2 was in-depth and detailed, and everything I said remains true for the iPad game – which is a great thing with all Spiderweb games. Therefore I will quickly highlight those items here before moving on to the specifics of the iPad release.
Quick Summary
Spiderweb Games are best viewed as ‘classic RPG elements, reimagined for new audiences’. They are isometric, turn-based third-person games that look more like games of the Baldur’s Gate era, but offer huge and sprawling stories with interesting characters and choices that allow you to shape the experience. Combat is challenging and strategic and requires thought and planning – both in terms of your party members and specific battle preparations. Right up through the end of the game you are part of an unfolding plot and can have a major impact in how the world turns out. It takes the solid foundation of Avadon and improves everything about the experience.
Technical Aspects – the game looks good, with atmospheric music and sounds. It is very much ‘of its genre’ in terms of the state of indie isometric games.
Getting Started – unlike many genre classics, Avadon 2 doesn’t put too many game-shaping decisions on you before the game starts. You choose character class, and that is pretty much it. Then you jump into the game and shape your character as you progress.
The Story and Characters – my opinion from my original review was that the thing you get in trade for the ‘next gen graphics’ when you play a Spiderweb game is excellent writing and an intricate story with fully formed characters.
Combat System & Battles – The Avadon games use a turn-based combat system that will be immediately familiar to anyone who has played a Spiderweb game in the past, and easily accessible to fans of turn-based role-playing games in general. There is a combat mode and adventure mode you can toggle with a keypress, and choosing adventure mode allows real-time movement and unrestricted action. Once an enemy is in range and has spotted you, the game automatically drops into combat mode.
Character Development – Avadon forges a middle ground, with a clear main character acting as the leader in a party-based adventure. As you gain levels you are granted points to put to attributes such as strength, intelligence, dexterity and endurance. These impact the damage you do with melee or ranged weapons, your defenses and resistances, and your magical abilities. These points have an immediate impact on gameplay, where a single point to strength can make the difference between taking out an enemy in one round versus two.
Role Playing – The original Avadon felt somewhat constrained in terms of choices – at least compared to the Avernum and Geneforge games. So I was glad that in Avadon 2 from the very start I felt in control of my character and destiny. Of course, there are a few key moments where you really have no choice on the outcome at a high level – but can likely impact the relationships with characters involved. And that is exactly what happens: you are ‘turning left’ no matter what, but how everyone feels about each after that left turn depends on your choices – oh, and the impact of those moments remains throughout the game!
Ease of use/Overall performance:
Avadon 2: The Corruption is a huge and complex game, but it translates to the iPad extremely well. Once you learn the correct way to manage movement and combat on the isometric grid, you will not have any issues. I struggled a bit back with the original Avadon, but since then it has become second nature to me so I had no problems at all playing Avadon 2!
The game does an excellent job retaining suspend-state information, so when you quit and restart it will hop back into the game exactly where you left off, even if has been a few days. That is much better than leaving to answer an email and having to reload a game again and possibly lose some gameplay data!
Would use again/recommend?: Definitely! Even though I had played Avadon 2 on Mac and PC, I was enthusiastic about playing again on the iPad. The game is relatively small in terms of storage consumption, meaning it will continue to remain installed on my iPad.
And because it offers solid performance, easy controls and a great and replayable RPG experience, this is an easy recommendation even at $9.99!
Suggested changes/wish list for updates: Nothing
Source: Publisher provided review code
Price: $9.99 on the iTunes App Store
Here is the trailer: