Avadon the Warborn 10: Dealing with Dragons and Such

I am advancing in the game! Redbeard has moved to yet another location (this is his third) and I had to wait until I got there to place my new scarabs and get rid of a bunch of loot that I had collected while on my own in the Black Fortress.

I now am able to take three scarabs and am at level 18. So, about halfway through the game. The limit is level 30, but you are supposed to reach that a bit before the ending. I'm acquiring some decent gear, and my characters are stronger.

However, not strong enough to defeat the demons that surround the dragon's horde, which I have a quest to merely gaze upon and report its size. Plus, the dragon has a library that is just a bit too well defended.

I'm perhaps falling into a rut in choosing my characters. I really really like one of my shaman's spells: he creates a square on the ground that regenerates my characters, including my tinkermage pylons, as long as we are standing on it. It's a really good blessing. However, I'm pretty close to getting both of my tinkermages to have healing pylons (it takes six points to reach and you have to get the two preceeding pylons up to level six in order to increase that one). One I get at least on of those I should be able to leave the shaman behind for a bit and take some of my other characters.

This dragon is allied with Avadon and is quite friendly, despite the demons in the dungeon. As always with Spiderweb games, the graphics leave a bit to be desired:

Dragon is in the middle. See my little characters in front of him?

However, the dialogue is fine. He is most dragon-like and appears to like conversing with humans, rather like poor old Motrax in Avernum (I do miss Motrax!).

I spent most of my time in this area talking with all of my team, every one of whom has a little side quest to complete. Their personalities are nicely varied. Frankly though, I thought all the conversations went on a bit too long. I also enhanced a lot of new gear that I'd picked up. I'm starting to sell some of the previous enhanced gear that don't need anymore.

We had a few little quests around this area, dealing with Titans and Wretches. Plus, Redbeard has another major quest that I haven't started yet. Right now I'm trying to clear up the side quests, thus building my strength up so that when I tackle the major quest I'll be better off.

So the game remains fun and is advancing nicely. I've had a few fights I'll have to re-do, but I think I'm pretty close to ready for them.

Onward! To more side quests!

Next Entry.

Avadon the Warborn 9: Going Out!

So I have completed all the stuff in the original home, in the Black Fortress of Avadon itself! Even though I'm officially working for Redbeard, who is now the rival to Acting Keeper Protus, everybody welcomed me, and I told everybody the truth.

Well, maybe that'll get me in trouble with Redbeard, but how's he gonna know?

The challenge here was that there were quite a few fights that you have to do on your own. You don't get any helpers. Fortunately, because I'm a tinkermage (really the strongest character in the game) I can construct towers that shoot ice and bolts and suppression to the enemies. Much of the time the enemies focus their attacks on the towers and not on me, which is how I managed to win.

What's nice in this section of the game is that you really do get to go all over the Black Fortress, which hasn't changed much from the previous games and so is nicely nostalgic, and collect all kinds of loot.

My only real difficulty is that I've run out of space in my inventory. I've just put a bunch of stuff into the junk bag, and I'm going to have to clear it out before I sell anything. Bought and earned and found a few more scarabs. But there's some good stuff in that junk bag!

Well, I managed to do all of Redbeard's tasks and pick up some nice quests from folks I met in the Black Fortress. I've also agreed to try to grab some of Redbeard's hair, even though folks tell me that it's only weak magic that uses hair. Uh huh. Bet it isn't.

So I had a nice time in the old fortress, stole every thing I could, did all the quests, and now I'm through the portal and ready to start Chapter 3.

Sure hope there are at least five chapters. I figure I'm really about halfway through, judging by my character's levels. Apparently level 30 is again the cap, although you're supposed to reach it much later in the game this time.

So! Next time, I start Chapter 3!

Next Entry.

Avadon the Warborn 8: Going In!

Progress! In the last two days I have completed what I believe is the first half of the game. I did all the stuff with the ghost of Miranda, and have gone back to the Black Fortress--Avadon itself!

The reason I'm pretty sure I'm halfway through it is that the screen said "Interlude." That's what lengthy movies used to do. You have an interlude between acts.

Of course, it could mean this is only the end of the first act, and there are at least two more, perhaps four more, to come. Well that would be great!

I didn't have to go back to the forum this time. Actually the Miranda episode was relatively simple. You just watch the show, as it were, and have a few moderately good fights. Never felt threatened at any point.

This game is forcing us to make some choices. Are we with Redbeard or against him? So far I'm managed to remain fairly noncommitted, although so far Redbeard likes me.

Anyway, I'm back in Avadon now, landing at first in the deepest dungeons. I really like it that Jeff has used nearly the exactly same locations--really hasn't changed the backgrounds of the dungeons.

So far I'm still there. I have a quest from Redbeard to get a prisoner out. Haven't yet found the prisoner, but I saved and quit for the night as I was about to talk to the guy in charge of the dungeons--same one as in the first two games. Good!

So, tomorrow!

Next Entry.

Avadon the Warborn 7: Got 'Em!

Well I really thought I'd hit the wall in the game. I had to go to the Corruption area and there I had three quests, none of which I was able to do. And there were no other quests! I was forced to figure it out.

So I went to the Spiderweb Forum, where I was easily able to find advice on how to do the quests. The first one was to grab some special fungi. Easy enough, once you find them. But they're at the very back of an area with only one escape route, and the instant you grab them, revenants appear. That would be OK, but they're impossible to kill. They regenerate, no matter how badly you beat them up. After a while, you run out of options and they get you.

Fortunately the forum told me how to get them. I will reveal it here: the revenants are controlled by horrors. Kill the horrors, and you can kill the revenants. The problem with the fight is that the horrors flee to the south, and it can be difficult to catch them. So, build turrets and summon aid to attract the revenants, finally freeing you to go after the horrors.

So it was a tough fight, but doable and highly satisfying once done.

Then, I had to just get by as many enemies as I could to get up the stairs at the back of a cavern. Not easy because the "enemy stops you," but eventually you can make it, especially if you have a character that can teleport. Hint: you will need two characters at the end. One needs to engage the green monster to distract it, and the other merely needs to get up the ladder (once you've found the hidden switch that opens the trap door above). You might lose a character--I did, but only one character needs to get up the ladder.

Then there was a difficult fight with some charmed foes. They are tough, so you need to use whatever consumables you have: assault crystals especially, and turrets and wands. Hang in there and the fight is definitely doable, but only with the consumables.

So getting all that done made me proud, even if I did get the advice from the forum. I still had to do it.

Now the only path forward appears to be back to another area of the corruption, where I will face an old enemy, or her spirit, at least.

I'm at last starting to find some good items to equip my characters. Mostly you win them, but I confess to buying a wizard's staff, and I'm glad I did. However, I'm using the runestones to enhance my gear, and have now advanced to two scarabs per character. I'm at level 13, so clearly not even halfway through the game. Plenty of stuff to do, enemies to slaughter and loot to find!

Tomorrow!

(I must say that this is the first day I've taken in my newfound freedom from the Kirkus books to just play a game. Gad, it was lovely!)

Next Entry.

Avadon The Warborn 6: Continuing!

At last I have cleared my calendar of just-gotta-play-now adventures and can come back to Avadon. Unless Jonathan Boakes releases Blackenrock in the next few weeks, I ought to be able to finish.

Was off long enough that I had to remind myself how to play, but when you've been playing Spiderweb games for years, that's easy enough.

When I got the new computer I had to start all over, of course. But I managed to do a replay fairly quickly, and left my little characters just before they got some instruction about where to go next. So that helped quite a lot.

It seems that Redbeard has moved to a green refuge, and we can use scarabs there. I had some decent fights, with lizards and spiders. The spiders were quite tough at this stage of the game, but I managed it. I almost always take my other tinkermage on quests, because it's so helpful to have two.

Now I'm just getting started in the corruption, and have gone underground to try to do a quest for the elderly shaman lady I met. I must say, the enemies down below are quite a bit tougher than the ones up above. So we'll see how this goes.

But I'm back! Plus, I have time to play now! Zoom!

Next entry.

Barrow Hill, The Dark Path: REVIEW

You are alone in the dark, dark woods, surrounded by witchy wooden effigies, and it's becoming quite clear that one of the local ancient pagans is far from dead.

She's definitely after three teenagers who went out into the woods on the very night they were warned not to go, and she might be after you, too.

Can you appease her before she actually kills anyone?

That's the task you face in this sudden sequel to Barrow Hill, a nifty, atmospheric adventure that charmed the socks off of me ten years ago. We didn't know we were waiting for a sequel, but that wait turned out to be worth it.

Everything Old is New Again

You don't have to be familiar with the original Barrow Hill to enjoy this one, but fans of the earlier game will delight in seeing many of the same locations and even the same items in this sequel, all rendered just exactly right. I think the nostalgia is so satisfying because the original game left us with strong memories of its unique atmosphere. When we see our old mushroom-collecting basket on the kitchen shelf in this game, and the old dining room with the same tables and objects on them, and the familiar lobby with its abandoned vacuum cleaner, we feel as though we have come home.

In the previous game we restored the disturbed mystical balance of a Stonehenge-like site in Cornwall, UK. This time you'll be saving some teens who tried to tamper with old Cornish magic, and regretted it.

But Everything New is Old

Mia is trying to get in touch with her missing and probably dead brother Ben, a character from the original game. She's recruited her friends Ollie and Gus to help her, but things go wrong. Fortunately, Gus has left some clues in the form of SIM cards that purport to show what happened in video.

The teens are trying to use the ancient magic of the place, but they don't know what they're doing, as you will learn.

The Dark Path takes place at night, just as in the original game. You'll be wandering around the deteriorating Barrow Hill Service Station and in the surrounding woods, covering limited territory with a few excursions to other areas later in the game. Navigation will seem a bit tricky at first, until you get your bearings. The game provides you with a handy map to the woods, and your phone features a compass. Once you locate the limited destinations, moving around should become much easier than it seems at the beginning of the game.

Ah, but what do we do in those destinations? There's a "quoit," an ancient rocky den where Mia and her friends have set up headquarters. Mia's computer is there, along with some magic involving runestones that will give you a clue to a crucial puzzle. Don't worry; you'll find the runestones. But can you figure out how to use them?

Ancient puzzles?

Actually, the mostly inventory-based puzzles in this game are fairly straightforward. Not simple, by any means, but solvable if you watch and think, with one exception. The solution to SIM card puzzle, once you have collected all of the cards and found where to use them, simply makes no sense and I found no clues to suggest what to do. My suggestion: once you've found all the SIM cards, try manipulating them for a set length of time. Maybe you'll get lucky. If frustration sets in don't be shy about looking up the solution because that puzzle, unlike the rest, I found to be simply unfair.

The abundant other puzzles are nicely integrated into the environment and although a bit deceptive, as they should be, are imminently solvable. The major ones will take some of out-of-the box thinking, but clues along with thoughtful trial and error will provide you with satisfying success. One important puzzle depends on sound for its solution, so deaf players may have to ask for help on that one. It's a multi-layered, nifty puzzle though!

This is an inventory game, so finding an item often will spark the sudden realization of where to use it. There are a few red herrings, some items that turn out to have no use.

The endgame puzzles will require you to have noticed certain things, to have taken a few good notes, and to have considered things that may not be obvious. They all fit together to supply you will some real satisfaction when you solve them!

Dont' Get Lost in the Woods!

The atmosphere of the game—in the dark, in the spooky woods—as in the original game, works quite well to keep you involved. You might not notice the nifty ambient music, possibly because it enhances the atmosphere beautifully without becoming intrusive. Sound effects, walking through leaves, jarring chords when you find an item, environmental sounds, all fit perfectly to keep you nicely on edge.

The original game was simple on the surface, with an elegant game-long puzzle featuring many parts that fit together at the end. This game comes across as more sophisticated, but that dark atmosphere continues. We have far more human contact in this game than in the original, and some of it might make you jump in your chair.

Smaller can be Better

The Dark Path doesn't give you million-dollar graphics, but you don't need those to make an immersive, highly enjoyable game. Million-dollar graphics usually come with watered-down, stilted committee-style game design, and you won't find that here either. Give me the independent imagination of a small developer any day!

The game comes to us from Matt Clark's Shadow Tor Studios, associated with Jonathan Boake's Darkling Room, and as always in their games, both gentlemen contribute to each other's work. You'll find references to the other games from both developers, along with some sly humor, always helpful to keep you entertained.

I found the game constantly enjoyable, even when I got stuck from missing an item or two. If you enjoy sparring with the devious imagination of one person instead of a corporation, you will find some fun in Barrow Hill: the Dark Path. It's just spooky enough and just devious enough to completely immerse you in some great entertainment!

A most worthy sequel to a well-loved classic, pure adventure game! A definite "A" grade!

Profound Red 2: Fitting the Pieces Together

I have at last realized why it only takes me two or three sessions to finish a Carol Reed game. First, it's fun to just keep playing. Second, I use the in-game hint system a lot.

I think it's just fine to use the hints, because frankly, these games send you back and forth to various locations to find always just one (1) obscure inventory item, and it would be nearly impossible to search the entire game for that elusive piece. It rarely makes any sense at all. Carol finds stuff in extremely odd places and picks them up for apparently no reason. Later, we need just exactly that item! So, use the hint system. Even then, sometimes it's still tough to find the thingy.

Mikeal went back to derelict, rundown places with a vengeance this time. It seemed as though about a third of the game took place in abandoned factories and houses. Search every nook and cranny for stuff.

But also we get to go through plenty of peoples' apartments and houses, and I always enjoy that. These clearly are real places, and I'm enough of a voyeur to enjoy seeing how people live. I especially enjoy seeing the kitchens (well, I like to cook). At least all of the apartments weren't seriously messy this time.

We did get some nice shots of nature, which I always enjoy as well.

A nice Swedish stream

And there was a bit of nostalgia in this game. We got to go back to the herb garden, where we first met Jonas in Game One of the series, Remedy.

The old herb garden, where it is difficult to find stuff

That was twelve years ago, and Jonas has aged a bit, but he still looks pretty good to me!

Jonas always helps!

And, we return to the library, where we haven't been for some time!

It's always only for computer use, though!

I am curious, however, why we never get to use Carol's computer at home. Surely it is as capable of doing internet searches as the library's computers? Well, it gets us out of the house, and that's always good.

And of course, we meet our old friend Bigge, who provides comic relief in every game.

He really must have fun doing these!

I could write of the plot, but the plots are essentially the same in these games. They give us the rationale for exploring and finding things, and that's a fun thing to do.

This game is a bit x-rated, however, with the "Adam and Eve Club," which according to the credits, is a real place. Nice of them to let Mikeal photograph the place for the game! (And by the way, we never did use one of the items we found in the place. Carol did have a funny comment about it, though, which probably is why we pick it up.)

So, another fun Carol Reed game completed in two playing sessions! But I buy the new game every year because I know exactly what I'm getting, and I know I'll enjoy it.

These games won't appeal to everyone, but they do appeal to me! They're not especially difficult because of the in-game hint system. Without the hints, they'd be darned near impossible, so don't be shy, use the hints!

And I especially enjoy seeing the shots of Norrköping at night, which we usually get at the end of the games. No exception this time.

Looks like a really nice place to live!

So enjoy your Carol Reed games! And may Mikeal continue making them!