Avernum: Escape From the Pit

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 70 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 52 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 70
  3. Negative: 3 out of 70

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. Pleiades
    Jul 22, 2012
    7
    I got this for £1.74 in a Steam sale so can't complain too much! However, Avernum's slavish devotion to early RPG tropes doesn't do it any favours. For instance, the (non) scrolling is enough to give one a headache: I've seen better on a Commodore 64... Nevertheless the familiar levelling-up and treasure-hunting rewards system is there to encourage you to keep on exploring andI got this for £1.74 in a Steam sale so can't complain too much! However, Avernum's slavish devotion to early RPG tropes doesn't do it any favours. For instance, the (non) scrolling is enough to give one a headache: I've seen better on a Commodore 64... Nevertheless the familiar levelling-up and treasure-hunting rewards system is there to encourage you to keep on exploring and there's some satisfaction to be found in doing so. Just don't expect an Ultima 7 or even an SSI Gold Box type adventure and, for the low price, you won't be disappointed.

    I really do hope though that Spiderweb make a bit more effort in evolving the underlying engine and game mechanics in future. Retro doesn't have to mean ugly, uninspired graphics and monotonous sound fx either...    … Expand
  2. AscensionWill
    Nov 19, 2012
    7
    If people aren't familiar if the Avernum series, it's a nostalgia fest for old-school gamers who want a sense of epic adventure and a rich environment to explore.
    Avernum: Escape from the Pit takes you on a journey as four adventurers, sent to the underworld of Avernum by the iron-fisted empire. Avernum is basically the solution of all of the Empire's problem. In the eyes of the empire,    If people aren't familiar if the Avernum series, it's a nostalgia fest for old-school gamers who want a sense of epic adventure and a rich environment to explore.
    Avernum: Escape from the Pit takes you on a journey as four adventurers, sent to the underworld of Avernum by the iron-fisted empire. Avernum is basically the solution of all of the Empire's problem. In the eyes of the empire, stealing bread from some poor merchant and killing off an important nobleman means the same punishment: banishment to Avernum. However, it's not as bad as it seems. Although demons, lizard-people and cat-people want to give you a nasty welcome, the prisoners have formed a subterranean world away from the empire.
    As the four adventurers, you are free to explore Avernum. However, the most important thing is to complete the Three Great Quests. Kill a nasty demon lord, kill the emperor, get out of Avernum.

    Now, does it have lots of replay value? Not really. To be honest, I had lots of fun exploring Avernum. That was the most enjoyable part, the game world is vast and takes me twenty hours to explore everything. However, there is nothing that really forces me to join another side. It's not like Spiderweb Software's other game Geneforge, where your choices matter. Avernum basically has one concrete ending (because you need to finish the three quests to finish the game, that or die) you killed a demon lord, killed the emperor and got out of Avernum. That's it. No, you chose this side and now you made a big difference in the war. It's the same, static ending. However, I did enjoy the character customization. If you've ever played any Spiderweb Game, they have this really annoying character sheet that always ticked me. Avernum had revamped that broken system with a more dungeon crawler-like arrangement. If you level up, you train a few points in stats, then a few points in certain skills trees and in certain levels you get traits. Pretty simple, but there's A LOT of customization. Especially the treasure. Each item was very unique and I had an obsession to collect them all. For example, Demonslayer isn't actually a very good item. It had mediocre stats and really didn't fit my warrior character. However, demons are a pain in the ass, so the plus 75% damage really gave a huge punch. There are also "Alien Blades" that deal poison damage and have really good stats. There are even rare artifacts that really help your quest, like the Orb of Thralni which gives your characters the power to fly. However, Avernum: Escape from the Pit isn't all perfect. I really didn't like the lack of music. There were only a few soundtracks and the rest of the sound was winds blowing and walking sounds. I guess it's suppose to build atmosphere, like you're in this desolate wasteland trying to survive. However, I just ignored the winds after ten hours into the game. I was kept on the edge of my seat because of its fantastic storytelling. Every time a random event popped up, I always was startled over what could happen next. This game is a nice thing to have. Knowing that you finished it will give a nice feeling. It's pretty cheap and it's good for its price. It's not a very replayable game, so the price is sort of okay.    … Expand
  3. Anon456
    Jan 17, 2013
    7
    This was a great game. The plotline never fails, the various cave and things never bore, it's very fun. HOWEVER. I did not like the outdoor travel. Part of the fun of playing Avernum 6 (the one a played before this) was traveling between cities and finding a bunch of secret caves and small groups of enemies. You can still do that now, but it's flare seems to have been taken away somehow.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Gameblog.fr
    Jun 11, 2012
    60
    Spiderweb relaunches its AVernum series updated with the gameplay originally developed for Avadon. Sadly, this first episode still has too many shortcomings because of its old age; a complete reboot wouldn't have been too much. Avernum still remains a nice dungeon crawler in an exciting world.
    Read full review
  2. PC Master (Greece)
    May 16, 2012
    75
    Jeff Vogel's ability to conjure interesting settings is really brought forward in this game. It is extremely interesting to wander Avernum's world, collecting information about the inhabitants that managed to build a new society from zero. [May 2012]
  3. Game Chronicles
    Apr 10, 2012
    90
    Overall, though, Avernum: Escape from the Pit is a rather good game. It captures the feel of 90s RPGs better than pretty much any other game out there, and scratches the nostalgia itch that players who grew up in the days of Black Isle might have. It's not without some minor flaws, but they don't do much to subtract from an otherwise excellent package.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »