Avadon: The Black Fortress

 PC
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 69 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 69
  3. Negative: 8 out of 69

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. cleverboy
    Apr 28, 2013
    4
    ah, spiderweb games. i remember playing the shareware versions when i was a wee little kid and finding them so very addictive and rewarding. after buying avadon, i fired it up hoping for the same magical experience. but i was sorely disappointed. i stuck with it for around ~15 hours, but i couldn't get over all its flaws and just gave up. yes, the graphics aren't the prettiest, butah, spiderweb games. i remember playing the shareware versions when i was a wee little kid and finding them so very addictive and rewarding. after buying avadon, i fired it up hoping for the same magical experience. but i was sorely disappointed. i stuck with it for around ~15 hours, but i couldn't get over all its flaws and just gave up. yes, the graphics aren't the prettiest, but that's not why you play spiderweb games. the real flaw, for me, was the execution; everything felt dumbed-down, including the combat mechanics and the spelled-out plot. i do applaud the developer for the inter-party dialogues and the side-quests that do flesh-out each character, ala mass effect, but i didn't enjoy that gameplay itself, which just made it painful to play through. in the end, i couldn't plow-through with nostalgia and sheer willpower alone; i didn't find it enjoyable and decided to stop playing.

    maybe if this is your first time with a spiderweb game in which case you might really like it. but if you've played other games from the dev in the past, i'd suggest skipping this particular one.    … Expand
  2. Tryntius
    Sep 24, 2015
    4
    Avadon is a graphically unambitious title. The sound is unremarkable as well. But sound and graphics are not it's drawing points. This game attempts to create a rich world full intrigue in which you can have agency. At first, I thought this game was really special and would allow me to affect the game world; but this proved to only an illusion. Here was the first example that brokeAvadon is a graphically unambitious title. The sound is unremarkable as well. But sound and graphics are not it's drawing points. This game attempts to create a rich world full intrigue in which you can have agency. At first, I thought this game was really special and would allow me to affect the game world; but this proved to only an illusion. Here was the first example that broke this illusion:

    On the second main quest of the game, you are required to hunt down a specific beast. The game requires you to encounter the beast several times and fight it; only to have it slip away each time. Upon my first enounter, it ran away right away. I happened to have saved several neat items and was able to deplete it's health and force it to stay near my party. What happened? It showed no health, continued taking hits, but did not die.

    The game gave me the appearance of: "If you are a skilled player, you can take this thing down here and now and get a uniquely different end to this quest/story" but delivered: "Nope, you can only do this quest in one fashion and one fashion only." This only got worse and more prevalent as I went along.

    Spider Software, either make me an actual agent in your games or make it clear that I am a peon on a path. Do not lie with your mechanics and lazy programming.    … Expand
  3. Voyou
    May 20, 2021
    3
    Walls of texts, in small fonts. You'd expect such a game to compensate with good looks, or good writing, or rich mechanics, anything to justify its existence. This one doesn't. You've seen much better in a previous century.

Awards & Rankings

76
#76 Best PC Game of 2011
86
#86 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Mar 1, 2012
    66
    Avadon's lore and setting are promising , but it's all ambition until the developers decide once and for all, if they want to stick to the hardcore or if they prefer to turn to a wider crowd. You can't win them all. [March 2012]
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 19, 2011
    85
    Spiderweb's new RPG series is also Jeff Vogel's first game for iPad. The game is a relic from the past, but in a good way. Although most of the games for iPad cost a nickel, there's definately room for little more expensive hardcore games. [Sept 2011]
  3. GameSpot
    Sep 9, 2011
    70
    Avadon: The Black Fortress offers up some good old-fashioned role-playing, as long as you can handle the dated production values and a few design quirks.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »