Developer: Digital Tome, General Arcade, Steffen Nyeland
Publisher: SNEG
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Siege of Avalon: Anthology – Review
Originally Siege of Avalon came out in 2000, the game was divided up into six chapters with the first two and the last one focussing on the main plot and the other three serving to deepen the lore and world-building. An anthology combining these six chapters into one neat package was quickly released as well, but it still has been a good twenty years since then. That’s why SNEG decided to bring this classic isometric fantasy RPG to modern audiences, leaving the graphics and story untouched and only updating the game to run on modern computer systems. This means Siege of Avalon can once again be enjoyed in all its glory – and with all its flaws.
Story
In Siege of Avalon, you play your own created character who sets out to the city named Avalon to find their brother and inform him of your father’s death. You haven’t seen your brother in years, since the war started over a decade ago, and Avalon came under siege by enemy forces, cutting off supply lines and leaving the city in chaos. Despite the trip being harrowing, you manage to arrive, taking up post among the military ranks and gearing up to make your own name as one of the people there to decide the end of the war, now approaching its final battles.
Siege of Avalon was very much inspired by books, so aside from a lot of plot being delivered through (sometimes optional) character dialogue, the world is also littered with scrolls and diaries you can read to get a better insight into the politics and powers at play in the story. You even just get small, mundane tidbits of everyday life for the diverse types of people living in Avalon.
Graphics
Because the graphics were completely left untouched, Siege of Avalon still has that retro look to it. Not to say this is a bad thing, though it does drive home how far video games have come since the turn of the century. Still, the isometric point-of-view gives players a good view of the battlefield and the user interface, in particular, was surprisingly fun to use and is very unique to the game. On the other hand, the graphics can feel a bit lacking in details at times, making it hard to differentiate which objects are and aren’t interactable for example.
Sound
The music in Siege of Avalon is as great as ever. It’s just another reminder of why this game is a fantasy RPG classic to many, having that same feel later emulated by other games in the genre. The soundtrack has a certain mystic flair to it for sure. Ample use of sound effects makes slinging spells or hacking at enemies with swords just as great, but Siege of Avalon does not have any voice acting despite its enormous amount of dialogue.
Gameplay
Siege of Avalon is a story-driven fantasy RPG. The game does not hold your hand, dropping you in the world right away with no tutorial and only a basic idea of where to go. You can set off on your own adventure immediately, keeping a journal with all active main and side quests. The plot is a big part of the game, so it’s not a bad idea to talk to everyone you meet. The dialogue can be amusing and allows you choices on how to progress, or which questions to ask.
Another big part of the game is fighting against all types of fantasy creatures and regular enemies. You start the game by picking whether you want to play as a fighter, scout, or mage, but in essence, this will only dictate your starting stats and what you have a natural knack for. While playing, you can still shift into whatever playstyle feels more natural, be it hacking away at your enemy with swords or keeping your distance to put your mana to work for spell-casting. As you progress, you will level up and also get training points to spend on learning new techniques.
Siege of Avalon has an interesting inventory system. Instead of limiting you in how much you can vary based on weight – as we’re used to from games such as Skyrim – here it all depends on what you can fit in the square grid of your inventory. It’s almost like a puzzle in itself since items can have distinct shapes that take up more room. Equipping items also works in a layering system, allowing you to wear multiple pieces of clothing and armor overlayed on top of each other to give different stats. With hundreds of different kinds of armor and weaponry in the game, this does allow you to craft your own personal set. As in any good RPG, traveling will allow you to pick up party members too. These can be kicked out of your good graces at will, meaning the game never forces you to keep somebody in your party if you don’t want them around.
Overall Siege of Avalon runs extremely smoothly and has all its old-school charm. Only a handful of issues remain – the lack of the tutorial being a glaring one. What is also interesting to note is that the game gives you the option to customize your character at the start of the game. Even if you pick the ‘female’ appearance, all NPC will keep referring to you as if you were a man, using words like “lad” and “brother” and even using he/him pronouns. If this is just an oversight or if Avalon is truly that progressive could be debatable.
Conclusion
Siege of Avalon returns to us in all its glory, proving again why it was a classic to begin with. An easy control system with lots of customization for your skillset makes for fun gameplay, while the extensive plot and worldbuilding are unseen in a lot of other games. Modern players might need to get used to the rougher edges in regards to graphics and style, but fans of the genre will be glad to see this iconic title returned.
Siege of Avalon: Anthology - Review,
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