Reviewed by Eva Cekanska
Aveyond is an old-school RPG game with some mind-boggling amount of quests and multiple endings. Sounds great, I know, but I have to be honest and admit that at first I was somewhat turned off by the idea of playing anything that’s not 3D. Call me a new-age hipster of the gaming world, I don’t mind, it’s true. I value the ability to rotate the camera and I take rag doll physics for granted. But when Aveyond was suggested, I was compelled to try it. After all, mastering RPG Maker is no easy feat and I was impressed with Amaranth Games, which is both owned and operated by a female. Try I did and the results were not at all what I expected.
So basically, here is the idea: you are a young girl who is fatally connected to the possible destruction of her world. Now we’ve all played RPGs before, so I know you’re sitting there with your cynical smug expression, sipping your cynical bubbly water thinking “What else is new?”, am I right? Well, there are a few things. While I have to admit that the storyline is not the most original, it is compelling and it will certainly keep you playing way past your bedtime. But the real success of Aveyond’s unique charm is not the story itself but the small details that really make it something special. This game is funny, innovative and wildly imaginative.
I’m pretty sure it’s just common gamer knowledge that what truly makes or breaks an RPG is the cast of characters. Well, have no fear. You play the game as Rhen, a purple-haired peasant girl from Clearwater, who is somewhat naive and confused but she’s got the spunk to match. She’s accompanied by the ever growing troupe of the magically inclined, some of which will drive you crazy and others that will make that cynical bubbly water come right out of your nose as you laugh at their antics. Furthermore, you can really get into your Aveyond life, complete with pets, a mansion and if you’re lucky a marriage to go along with those two.
Aveyond gives you hundreds of characters for you to interact with (including some vegetarian vampires) and of course, even more baddies to combat using the extremely manageable turn-based fighting system. Plus, I know I really love this, but you can see the enemies before you enter into a fight with them and while they inch towards you quite persistently you can still avoid them all the same if need be. To top it off you’ll be entering some of the most inspired worlds I have seen in quite some time, my favorite being Teacup Town. The citizens are small enough to be stepped on but still manage to harbor an unhealthy appreciation for the junk sold by traveling sales squirrels.
Now that’s not to say that Aveyond is without flaws. Sure, the fact that a bee is carrying twenty gold pieces threw me off too, and the dialogue can definitely seem a bit silly at times. The truth is that if I can cast off my doubts and try this game (and really love it), I know if you have even the slightest inclination to play you’ll be blown away with how uniquely fun this old-school RPG is. But, before you put that bubbly water down and download this little number let me just say how integral saving is to your mental health. Trust me.
Special thanks to Joe Lieberman and Amaranth Games for providing the full version of this title.