Jeff Vogel has now recreated his
Exile trilogy in three
Avernum games. The three games in this series (titled simply
Avernum,
Avernum 2, and
Avernum 3) follow storylines identical in the large to those of the Exile games, but with many expansions and improvements.
To make a long and twisted trio of stories short: Avernum, the place, is a prison colony in the caves deep beneath the cruel Empire which rules the surface. It's full of monsters, political dissenters, criminals, misfits, rebels, wizards, and stranger beasts. Only strong magic makes it livable at all, and the best thing there is to drink is beer brewed from dried mushrooms. Avernum, the first game, is about securing this dangerous home from the terrors of the caverns, and avenging the Empire's injustices. Avernum 2 is about first contact with an alien race deep in the caverns, and a war between the surface and the cave dwellers. Avernum 3 is about rapprochement between the two nations, a quest to rid the surface of plagues of monsters to make way for the Avernites' return, and the mystery of who's trying to despoil the surface world.
Some things to look for in Avernum if you've played Exile include:
- Semi-3D user interface. The game appearance is that used in Nethergate, Vogel's game set in a magical Roman-era Britain. It's nothing fancy -- reminiscent of a mix of Ultima V and VI -- but it does quite nicely for the game.
- Vastly expanded world. The world of Avernum is some ungodly factor larger than that of Exile. There are more towns and dungeons, more side quests, more stuff to find, and more backstory.
- Better game balance. In Exile, mages kicked fighters' ass. In Avernum, fighters do vastly more damage in a single blow, but offensive mage spells target more opponents.
- Expanded skills system. There's much more flexibility in growing your characters, thanks to a number of special skills they can pick up. Each skill comes with an illustrative cartoon by none other than Phil Foglio in the stats display, too.
- And yes, the little joke at Elf Sternberg's expense is still in there.
The Avernum games are available for both Mac OS (Classic) and Windows. Carbonized versions are slated for fall 2002, and Blades of Avernum -- an adventure construction set based on Blades of Exile has been mentioned.