Aveyond 4: Shadow Of The Mist Review

Thanks to videogame engines like RPG Maker VX Ace, Twine, and Ren'Py, even average jabronies like me can make robust and satisfying titles without writing even a line of real code. This has allowed the floodgates to open for developers, allowing people that previously would have been prohibited from entering the industry on account of their lack of technical skills to make games. As such, Steam has been hit with a wave of one-man indie titles made in the aforementioned engines, most notably Labyronia, Depression Quest, and now Aveyond, the fourth edition being the one up for review. With the open aspect of RPG Maker being ever-present – all that stands between a dev and a licence is about £80 – it must be asked; can Aveyond hang with the big boys or is it an amateur production?

Aveyond 4: Shadows in the Mist is (if my maths is correct) the fourth instalment of the Aveyond series. This is encouraging already as many RPG Maker titles on Steam are so strongly influenced by Final Fantasy VI that they all more or less look like black market copies with the serial numbers filed off – surely if we've gotten to number 4, Aveyond must have its own identity? I can gladly report it does, as Aveyond is funny and charming in equal measure. Taking on the nearly tired videogame trope of playing as the bad guy, the game puts us in the shoes of Boyle, a character who edges on anti-villain level: after being seen ruling the world in the game's prologue and being crushed by a group of daring heroes, we focus on his life after his downfall, where he has been reduced to being put-upon by the local witch, forced to do errands while looking after his beloved dog.

Great sympathy gets generated for Boyle here, and this is one of the clear successes of Aveyond: it makes us care about the events of the game and the characters within, which is what makes any good RPG so compelling: it's what makes the difference between Final Fantasy X and XII, where the characters made the game worthwhile in the former in a way that the latter, to some, failed to do. Couple in the genuinely funny writing and Aveyond 4 is, taken as a collection of dialogue and characters, very endearing.

However, this is still a videogame and needs to work as such. As it's been made in RPG Maker, it's mechanically sound: the battles are turn-based, work nicely, and exploration is easy enough to do on account of the good controls, but this isn't really praise for the Aveyond team. What is different than any other game made in this engine are little things. First, the battling system and GUI are slightly tweaked; instead of just doing straight-up attack moves to do damage, Boyle needs to attack enemies head-on to charge up your mana meter, resulting in bigger, more devastating attacks. [note: I feel like this system has been done in a few other games, but for the life of me, I cannot think where] This provides a refreshing spin on the age-old battle system that might feel tired to some gamers. Even though this is a slight change, the gameplay feels fresh and new, helping the game to distinguish itself from its RPG Maker brethren as a result.

On a presentational basis, Aveyond is also head and shoulders above its contemporaries. Again, it's clear what engine it was made in, but there's a level of consummate polish here that makes the game look that little bit more cinematic, helping it to stand out from the crowd. The frame-rate of the game is lower in comparison to other RPGs, giving it a more film-like quality (compare the difference between 24 fps and 30; this game is closer to the former). The game also implements some gorgeous effects such as a deep penetrating fog which lingers over the world, while implementing quality 16-bit sprites; Aveyond looks absolutely dazzling.

One massive criticism I would levy against this game is the price. I understand that small-time developers can't really make games for the art, and if they don't have a full-time job, they need money to eat. That is totally understandable. Despite that, this game, at full price, costs £10.99, which is a ridiculous price point considering that one can buy Final Fantasy VII, widely considered the best RPG of all-time, for a pound less.

Aveyond 4 is a decent little RPG, brilliantly crafted in terms of aesthetics, and robust in terms of gameplay. This is an absolutely solid effort and the developers have done a good job. This will be well enjoyed by any RPG fan, but the price isn't a negligable factor, and crucially, this game does not justify the hefty £10.99 price tag. It's a good game, certainly, but not “£10.99” good.