Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Avernum IV’s gameplay harkens back to the golden age of CRPGs while weaving in modern conveniences. You control a four-character party, assigning each member to specialties like fighters, mages, and rogues. The action unfolds in a top-down view, and every decision—whether exploring twisted caverns or negotiating with NPCs—carries weight. Combat is turn-based, with each character receiving a pool of action points to spend on attacks, spells, or movement. This familiar system rewards careful planning and tactical flexibility, ensuring battles never feel repetitive.

The interface, inherited from the Geneforge engine, represents a significant departure from earlier Avernum titles. Menus are cleaner, tooltips more informative, and the mouse-driven controls make quick item management a breeze. Keyboard shortcuts remain available for veterans who prefer rapid keystrokes, but newcomers will appreciate the streamlined point-and-click interactions. Movement, dialogue, and inventory access all feel intuitive, allowing you to stay immersed in the game world rather than wrestling with cumbersome menus.

Exploration is at the heart of Avernum IV. The vast underworld is filled with hidden passages, branching caverns, and reactionary environments that change based on your choices. Side quests abound, encouraging you to stray off the main path and unearth treasures—both material and narrative. Discovering secret doors or stumbling upon a new monster lair can spark a thrilling detour. Even late in the game, you’ll find yourself consulting your journal to track down elusive tasks or unravel overlapping quest threads.

Character progression is robust and forgiving. Each level grants skill points you can allocate across weaponry, stealth, and an extensive spell list. You’re free to build hybrid classes—a sword-wielding sorcerer or a nimble ranger who uses magic—from the ground up. The freedom to respec means poor early choices aren’t a permanent setback. Combined with recurring vendors offering unique equipment, there’s a real incentive to experiment with party compositions and revisit earlier areas with fresh tactics.

Graphics

Visually, Avernum IV bridges the gap between retro charm and modest modernization. While it retains the iconic character portraits from earlier entries, on-map sprites have been rebuilt with sharper lines and richer color palettes. The result is a quirky, almost painterly underground realm where stalactites glisten and lava pits glow with ominous urgency. Though it won’t win awards for cutting-edge visuals, the art style has a timeless appeal that complements the game’s tone.

Enemy designs showcase a diverse bestiary, from scuttling bugmen to ethereal shades lurking in shadowy chasms. Each creature sports its own color scheme and silhouette, making it easy to identify threats at a glance. Animations are simple but effective: a fireball explodes with satisfying pixel bursts, sword swings carry weight, and spell effects radiate ambient light across the dungeon walls. These modest touches enhance immersion without demanding high-end hardware.

Environmental variety is a particular strength. Avernum’s subterranean world isn’t a monotonous maze of gray rock; instead, players journey through mushroom groves, flooded galleries, and crystal caverns that refract lantern light in prismatic hues. Weather effects—drips of water, drifting ash clouds, or sudden dust storms in collapsed tunnels—add atmospheric depth to even routine travel. The layering of foreground and background tiles helps create a sense of verticality, making every cavern exploration feel fresh.

While there’s no real-time lighting or 3D modeling, clever use of shaders and color gradients conveys mood effectively. Dark corners feel genuinely foreboding, broken only by the flicker of torchlight or the glow of a summoned elemental. NPC portraits remain static, but expressive, anchoring the dialogue in human emotion. Overall, the graphics strike a satisfying balance: they’re easy on system resources yet full of character and flair.

Story

Avernum IV immerses you in a complex narrative centered on a land beset by unnatural disasters. Once free from the tyrannical Empire above, the subterranean realm of Avernum now trembles under earthquakes, mysterious eruptions, and the re-emergence of long-dormant evils. As leaders of a newly formed expedition, your party must traverse a labyrinth of political intrigue and primordial threats to uncover the root cause behind the upheaval.

Dialogue is rich and branching, with choices that influence NPC reactions and some quest outcomes. Encounters range from solemn (a hermit warning of an ancient catastrophe) to lighthearted (a troupe of cave-dwelling performers seeking an audience). These side stories lend Avernum IV a vibrant sense of place and human depth. Even peripheral characters leave lasting impressions—whether it’s a paranoid miner hiding forbidden lore or a merchant with an uncanny knack for bartering enchanted relics.

The central mystery unfolds in stages, beckoning you to piece together clues from written journals, environmental cues, and cryptic ruins. Rather than spoon-feeding exposition, the game trusts players to connect the dots, which lends a rewarding “aha” moment when revelations click into place. Plot twists abound—loyal allies may harbor hidden agendas, and ancient prophecies come into sharper focus only after multiple dungeon dives. This layered storytelling ensures the narrative stakes remain high throughout your journey.

Subplots tie into broader themes of freedom, consequence, and the tenuous balance between civilization and nature. The moral choices you make—whether sparing a vicious creature or choosing a faction’s side—ripple through Avernum’s sociopolitical landscape. Endings vary based on your completed quests and allegiances, granting replay value for those eager to explore alternative resolutions. In short, the story here is far more than background noise; it’s a compelling driver that keeps you invested from the first cavern to the final boss room.

Overall Experience

Avernum IV offers a satisfying blend of nostalgia and modern design sensibilities. Longtime fans of the series will appreciate the carefully preserved RPG mechanics, now polished through an updated engine. Newcomers will find the learning curve gentle, thanks to clear tutorials and a well-organized interface. Whether you’re charting unexplored territory or haggling in a bustling underground bazaar, the pace remains engaging rather than grinding.

The game’s balance between structured quests and open-ended exploration gives you plenty of agency. You might spend hours perfecting your party build or plotting the optimal route through monster-infested tunnels. Yet at any point, you can pause and marvel at the world’s rich lore or experiment with alternative strategies in combat. This flexibility keeps Avernum IV from feeling linear or repetitive, even after dozens of hours.

From a technical standpoint, performance is rock-solid on modest PCs. Load times are minimal, and the stable engine means few, if any, crashes. The audio design complements the visuals without overshadowing them—ambient soundscapes convey drip echoes in catacombs, distant subterranean rumbles, and occasional musical swells to underscore dramatic moments. Together, these elements craft a cohesive, immersive subterranean realm.

In totality, Avernum IV stands as a testament to deep, old-school role-playing done right. Its nuanced storytelling, tactical combat, and intricate world-building come together to form an unforgettable adventure beneath the earth. For players seeking a challenging, narrative-rich RPG that prioritizes exploration and player choice, Avernum IV delivers on every front.

Retro Replay Score

7.4/10