I have played this game 3 times. Not to completion, but I have played it 3 times. The reason I have played it 3 times is because I love Jeff Vogel games. Geneforge is probably my favorite RPG series in existence. Avadon seems to be inspired more heavily by that, than Avernum. However, it does everything wrong.

The game throws TONS of choices at you. Not as many as Geneforge, but tons. None of them matter. "Should we save that thing?" Sure! "Oh, nevermind. Here's a plot reason for why you can't." The game has the open-ended feeling of a Geneforge game, but railroads you after every choice. It's obnoxious how many times you are asked for your decision only to have it immediately written away. Early on you're told to capture enemies to scan their brains, but every single one refuses to be captured; no matter how many prompts are given to capture them. It's impossible to do.

The game gives you permanent companions that will complain of a dilemma. You can choose to promise your assistance, or shoo them away. Regardless of your choice, every single one of them will progressively run away and claim nobody promised to help them. Each one essentially getting themselves killed if you decide to not help them. Each one changing their opinions dramatically with some idea of abandonment; regardless if you were supportive of their goals.

The game forces a stealth mission onto you later on. When you arrive, someone far below your station says, "Yo dawg, send your companions home. We're doing this as a duo." No matter what you tell him, no matter how much your companions complain, and even if you straight out pick the dialogue options to REFUSE to continue with this low-ranking officer telling you what to do, your companions WILL go home. You WILL enter with just him. And he WILL immediately get himself injured and get both of you trapped so you can be forced into a linear stealth mission. The rest of the mission is filled with satirical jokes and complete nonsense consistency. Get into a fight with a large group of enemies? Nobody runs to get help; despite every other animal and brigand doing so for every earlier piece of the game. Nobody will hear the fight either despite the magic, arrows, blades, carnage, and screaming that sounds out. However, get to the boss? IMMEDIATELY you are heard somehow; despite being much farther from any other NPCs than before (They are just spawned next to you, randomly).

I have tried this game 3 times because I want to like it. Again, Spiderweb's Geneforge is my favorite RPG series of all time, but Avadon is a joke. Nothing you read matters because you have no choice in anything. Every dialogue option is a lie except for the one Jeff Vogel (The creator) decided was the correct one. It's exhausting being tossed around in an extremely repetitive plot where you can predict everything because the manner of which the cycle regurgitates itself becomes self evident by the time you finish the second zone for the first time.

I would not recommend this. Geneforge is infinitely better if you want your choices to matter. Avernum doesn't even give you choices so it's literally this, but the game doesn't try to trick you into thinking you have freedom every new dialogue. I'd recommend either of those over this 1000x over.

Avadon is a good game, and sadly overshadowed by its older siblings, Avernum and Geneforge. While Avadon cannot match the highs of either of those games, it is still an incredible time. Jeff Vogel's writing is consistently high quality, and the storytelling found in this game is extremely impressive in comparison to the games out there that don't even try to say something interesting.

Your party is full of interesting people, people you can relate to and want to work with. There are several great twists and turns, and I enjoyed most of my time with Avadon.

The issues that I would bring up is that the ending is a little sudden (at least the ending that I got, dunno if there is any secret ones besides the obvious work for Avadon ending or go against it.). It doesn't really even culminate in a final boss fight, even after getting your entire party together for the first and last time in the game.

I would also say that a lot of the combat encounters in the mid to late game felt like padding. I was rarely in any real danger from common enemies, yet they still took some significant time to cut down, I do wish the common rabble were a bit more easily deposed of.

All in all, Avadon is a story worth telling, with fun and memorable characters, and is a pinnacle of the CRPG genre. Spiderweb Software really does provide a very specific experience you can't find anywhere else.