Aveyond Review

Written by: Keith Durocher Published: October 26, 2006 Haven't we all, at one point or another, secretly wished we were the hidden heroes of an epic adventure, and that everything we know about life is just a mundane chore placed upon our shoulders in order to protect us from the fantastical dangers of our past? It's a primeval concept, one that has been visited and revisited in popular culture. With Aveyond from Amaranthia Games, we're presented with a story about a young girl who grows to be a woman, and discovers not only herself but her incredible power as well. Aveyond is a top-down role-playing game similar to Nintendo's Zelda. The ultimate point is to tell a story, with avatar development, spell casting, combat and treasure collecting weighing in heavily as well. Graphically, this approach is long out-of-date. However, there's an excellent sense of style in effect, as well as some superb storytelling and a beautifully elegant control interface -- not to mention the thoroughly developed world crafted by Amanda Fae. Rumour has it she's working on a follow-up. If you've ever been curious about trying a role-playing game, this is your perfect opportunity to give the genre a try. Scoring (out of five stars): Graphics: Ease of use: Gameplay: Difficulty: Sound effects: Music: Final analysis: Click here to download the free trial version of Aveyond.