Reviews

What should've been a vast, epic journey aimed at both Gothic veterans and newcomers to the series, Gothic 3 is soured by numerous technical flaws that persist even after extensive patching, and certain mechanics that will only make sense to those who already know the series. But if you can look past those problems, you'll discover a game with stunning graphics, a good musical score, an intriguing story, and great freedom of choice.

The latest of Spiderweb Software's Avernum games, Avernum 5, features an interesting setting, a big world, and some solid old-school gameplay, making it a great offer for the existing fans of the series. But if you're just looking to get into it, you should brace yourself for outdated visuals and non-existent sound design along with an unoriginal plot, repetitive quests, and some weak bits of combat.

An adaptation of an obscure novel that assumes familiarity with its source material, Hard to Be a God is clumsy enough to be considered a diamond in the rough, only there's no diamond. Still, if you can deal with its linearity, bad localization, and awkward controls and combat mechanics, you'll discover some great worldbuilding, good characters, and a solid story.

Avencast: Rise of the Mage isn't quite sure what it wants to be – an action RPG or a tactical one, an RPG at all or just a puzzle game. And it's often the parts that have nothing to do with role-playing that are any good here, like the fun puzzles and customizable interface. It does have a distinct class system, but that doesn't help with its linear, cliché-ridden story and monotonous combat.

While it's positioned as a hack-and-slash title, Birth of Shadows actually infuses that subgenre with some interesting ideas and a tactical layer that feels really novel, even if somewhat clunky. The game's ideas may be better than their execution and some of the hack-and-slash elements it removes aren't replaced by anything, but you may still find it enjoyable if you like both Diablo-style action RPGs and RTS games.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is a hybrid that combines an RPG with a match-3 game. And while this may seem like a crazy combination at first glance, the game is actually very addictive, colorful, and gives you plenty to do. Just keep in mind that it can drag on a bit, and can become quite repetitive due to some shallow mechanics.