Avencast:Rise of the Mage

[Mem]

I took the plunge and ordered the game.

Patch 1.02 Link.
Patch info.


Game info below.

Avencast? combines the sense of adventure and character development found in RPGs with fast-paced action in the vein of classic beat 'em ups, all set in a world where magic truly rules the day."

- Minh Tri Do Dinh, game designer & 3d artist

Key Features

* Challenging game play: Keyboard-and-mouse-based controls that enable skilful and dexterity-based special moves and combos

* 50+ different combat moves and magic spells from three categories in two magic skill trees.

* More than 40 unique 3d models of monsters and characters

* A multitude of different enemies with a great variety of skills and strategies

* Equip your character with more than 120 unique items including magic weapons and armours

* Enchanting ambience in a detailed and charming 3d world - atmospheric moods through real-time soft shadows and impressively lit combat scenes through fascinating spell effects

* Intriguing storyline in 3 Chapters

* Multifaceted game play through riddles and quests that demand brain and dexterity

* 360° free camera control without annoying auto adjustment

System requirements

* OS: Windows® XP / Vista?
* CPU: 2.2 GHz Intel® Pentium® or 2200+AMD® Athlon? processor
* RAM: 512 MB (1GB for running on Windows Vista?)
* Video: GeForce FX 5700 or better / ATI Radeon 9700 or better
* PC DVD-ROM: 4x
* Sound: DirectSound® compatible (SoundBlaster® X-Fi? series sound card recommended)
* Available Hard Disk Space: 4.4 GB
* DirectX®: 9.0c

Screenshots.

Part 1 Peek at IGN.

Part 2 Peek

Avencast gameplay video clip (WMV 76.4mb).

Avencast official forums .

Price in UK is around £17 inc free delivery($35) so I decided to have something new to play over Xmas .

 

[you2]

Yea I tried the demo. Not too sure why it received such low scores in some reviews (one gave it a 4). The controls are a bit awkward but other than that it seemed like it is fairly well done. I've heard it is not terribly long (15ish hours).

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: you2
Yea I tried the demo. Not too sure why it received such low scores in some reviews (one gave it a 4). The controls are a bit awkward but other than that it seemed like it is fairly well done. I've heard it is not terribly long (15ish hours).

Not tried the demo.

Review wise seems to have been pretty good.

RPGFan 81% .

Gamezone 78% .

Gamersinfo review

Avencast: Rise of the Mage is quite possibly the best Action RPG I have ever played. It combines a very strong main story line with accents via puzzles, quests, riddles and lots of fast paced action. Quite incredibly, it has actually done what it intended to - it connects RPG and action - giving you both in a healthy dose.

If you combine the very respectable play length with the chance to play as the other (or a mixed) combat class then this game is a good deal for your dollar. While the controls take a bit of time to get used to, the combat is skillful and fun to play once you get into it... now I think I'm heading back to finish my blood mage character.

 

[Mem]

Update : Avencast comes in a basic DVD case with basic manual ,I installed it today in Vista x64( had to enable run as admin in properties of exe of Avencast) and played about 30-45 mins (with patch installed),game start reminds me of Harry Potter at the academy where you're student.

Avencast supports widescreen mode,I'm playing at 1680x1050 res which is very smooth,game even has a FPS display option so you can see how fast the game is running on your system.


I did a few quests in the academy and the worst thing about the game was the controls for movement ie.... W,A,D,S etc .. I customised the keys to arrow keys for movement,camera rotation is left control key(horrible default setting),I changed that to right mouse button (I moved range attack key which was right mouse button to space bar),left mouse button is used for close attack(melee).

Skill magic system you choose between range combat (Soul magic) or blood magic(close combat attack) with option to put points in your health ,mana etc...

The game so far seems a mixed between Diablo and NWN ,it does not excel in any area but seems playable once you get the controls to how you like it.
Stability is excellent since not had a single crash.Game has a quicksave(default is F5) and load times are not long.Expect another update from me later.

 

[MarcVenice]

Hmz, I reviewed this game and scored it 66%. It's from lighthouse interactive * publisher * which is Dutch, and I really wanted to score it higher, but yeah, gotta keep it real haha. Dunno, you'll be running around in the academy for a very long time, the items kinda sucked, the spells look great, but often take to long to cast, which made me think going with bloodmagic is a better idea. No real sidequests, and the ones you do get are awfully boring or simplistic. Game is rather short, I ended it in roughly 10 hours or so. There are statistics if I'm not mistaken, which keep track of that for you, unless those statistics were only available in the review version. Controls were okay once you got used to them. Graphics overall are okay-ish, but nothing spectacular, rather boring surroundings at times as well, in caves for example. It's not a bad game, but I doesn't hold up to games like Two Worlds or The Witcher for example. For 30$ it might be worth buying, more then that and I wouldn't.

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
Hmz, I reviewed this game and scored it 66%. It's from lighthouse interactive * publisher * which is Dutch, and I really wanted to score it higher, but yeah, gotta keep it real haha. Dunno, you'll be running around in the academy for a very long time, the items kinda sucked, the spells look great, but often take to long to cast, which made me think going with bloodmagic is a better idea. No real sidequests, and the ones you do get are awfully boring or simplistic. Game is rather short, I ended it in roughly 10 hours or so. There are statistics if I'm not mistaken, which keep track of that for you, unless those statistics were only available in the review version. Controls were okay once you got used to them. Graphics overall are okay-ish, but nothing spectacular, rather boring surroundings at times as well, in caves for example. It's not a bad game, but I doesn't hold up to games like Two Worlds or The Witcher for example. For 30$ it might be worth buying, more then that and I wouldn't.

I'm in the Academy crypt at the moment,searching everything .
I'm taking my time especially if its a short game,as to Two Worlds and The Witcher well I finished them both ,so running out of new RPGs,I even finished NWN2-MoB too.

 

[MarcVenice]

Yeah it's a really bad time for RPG lovers. I guess we have to wait for sacred 2, guildwars 2 and the like, fallout 3 perhaps. Space Siege might be interesting too. Oh well, there's plenty of other games right now that can hold my attention for a bit ...

 

[MarcVenice]

Hmz, IGN scored it a 7/10. Perhaps I was a little harsh on the game ? Oh well, funny to see I wasn't that far of compared to IGN though. You still liking it ? And what did you pay for it ?

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
Hmz, IGN scored it a 7/10. Perhaps I was a little harsh on the game ? Oh well, funny to see I wasn't that far of compared to IGN though. You still liking it ? And what did you pay for it ?

I paid £16.99 about ($34) inc free delivery,yeah game is ok,very stable and not seen any major bugs,only had one ( right clicking on inventory items does not give any item info).

I have just finished getting my crystal and on the next part at the academy.

 

[Mem]

IGN review.

With so many typical fantasy RPGs coming out all the time, it?s nice to see something a little different in Avencast Rise of the Mage. Despite the cliché setting and plot, it manages to differentiate itself well by incorporating environmental puzzles and an action-oriented control system.

Even if you don?t always feel terribly invested in the events, at least the thinking and dexterity required provide a more involved experience than your typical hold-the-left-mouse-button hack ?n slash. Avencast may not be for everybody, but while it could use a bit more spit polish in places, it?s more than the generic box art lets on.

 

[you2]

So Mem - what's your verdict on this game? Seems like you been playing it forever so I take it it is longer than 10 hours ?

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: you2
So Mem - what's your verdict on this game? Seems like you been playing it forever so I take it it is longer than 10 hours ?

I'm at the end of the game,got side tracked by Mythos(beta online game).

I think its longer then 10 hours for sure,I loot and explore every section of the game and do as many quests as possible,I would say good 15-20 hours.

I found one major bug which I was lucky to get a game developer to actually reply in my bug post thread in their forums,I use right mouse for camera rotation(like a lot of games) and the default for this is range attack and stats info( when you want stat information of an item in your inventory or loot you picked up etc).
Trouble is when you remap the right mouse button(from default setting ) you lose stat information,the game developer confirmed this as well and said they'll try to fix it in next patch.

Game reminds me of a cross between diablo and NWN think of a solo mage and you get the idea,game is decent enough and worth buying if you see it cheap,worst thing for me was the default controls(which I fixed by remapping right mouse to camera rotation,shame I lost stats info).

Btw some really good puzzles,you could end up stuck on them for awhile,if you got a low IQ then change my 15-20 hours estimate to 1500-2500 hours unless you cheat .