Avencast: Rise of the Mage
- March 17, 2010
- ClockStone Studios
- 16h median play time
Get on Steam"Avencast: Rise of the Mage" is an action-RPG game set in a world of magic and adventure. As a mage, you must hone your combat, spell casting, and weaponry skills to vanquish demonic monsters threatening your academy. With a variety of combat moves, spells, and equipment, you'll uncover treachery and deceit on your epic quest to save Avencast. Can you become the hero it needs?
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Avencast: Rise of the Mage features a unique spellcasting system that combines movement and key combinations, making combat engaging and dynamic.
- The game offers a charming atmosphere with decent voice acting and storybook cutscenes, enhancing the overall experience despite a cliché storyline.
- Players appreciate the variety of quests and puzzles, which provide a refreshing break from typical fetch quests and add depth to the gameplay.
- The controls can feel clunky and take time to get used to, leading to frustration during combat and navigation.
- Many players find the environments repetitive and lacking in variety, making exploration tedious after a while.
- The game suffers from technical issues, including crashes and bugs, which can disrupt the gameplay experience.
- story82 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally considered cliché and predictable, revolving around a young mage attending a magic school and facing typical fantasy tropes like betrayal and evil forces. While some players appreciate the charming storybook cutscenes and immersive atmosphere, many find the narrative simplistic and linear, with limited player choices and a reliance on fetch quests. Overall, the story is seen as serviceable but not a standout feature, with gameplay mechanics and atmosphere often receiving higher praise.
“The story is also told through charming storybook cutscenes, which adds a nice touch.”
“I think the story is also good; the high fantasy atmosphere of this world is a breath of fresh air and felt neither generic nor overrated, at least in my opinion.”
“With stunning visuals, an immersive soundtrack, and a gripping storyline, Avencast: Rise of the Mage will transport you to a world of magic and mayhem.”
“The story is somewhat cliché and quite simple; you are a young human with an affinity for magic, enter a magic school, and start getting quest after quest.”
“The story is absolutely linear and obvious since the first intro video.”
“What's even worse is that the whole story has been used a billion times in other games - betrayal, invasion by demons, big bad guy threatening to destroy everything, and you are the only one to stop him.”
- gameplay30 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Avencast is characterized by a unique blend of spellcasting and melee combat, offering a refreshing variety of quests and mechanics that keep players engaged. While the game shows its age with dated graphics and some clunky controls, it features solid mechanics and an immersive combat system that allows for dynamic spellcasting and melee interactions. Overall, players appreciate the addictive gameplay loop and the depth of the combat mechanics, despite some criticisms regarding the story and difficulty level.
“They’re not all typical fetch quests—there is a refreshing variety, including some with unique gameplay elements, which keeps things interesting.”
“Because I find the game to be just that pleasant to play, its take on mage-focused gameplay is very unique, one that hasn't been replicated before and allows you, as a mage, to have a complete magic-based melee combat system where your staff is used as both the focus and the source of melee damage.”
“The core gameplay loop is a good ARPG where you can cast spells via either combos (fighting-game style) or hotkeys you set by pressing the hotkey button while hovering your mouse over the spell in your spell menu (or on your hotbar); either way, the menu can be accessed while paused to change your settings on the fly, even during dialogue.”
“But if anyone has some spare money, curiosity, and some stomach for, well, 2007 game mechanics, then it's at least an experience or a time sink you can have while waiting on that 'something'.”
“It's not a hard game; the difficulty seems to be geared towards children aged 10-14, with linear gameplay and some side quests.”
“The movement-as-casting mechanic takes a while to get used to (and you'll be pausing and reviewing what you have to press to produce a given effect a lot), but it's oddly immersing once you've trained yourself.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Avencast: Rise of the Mage," while considered dated by modern standards, are generally viewed as decent for a game released in 2007. Many players appreciate the atmospheric design and detail, despite acknowledging some graphical bugs and limitations. Overall, the visuals are acceptable for those who prioritize gameplay and story over cutting-edge graphics.
“With stunning visuals, an immersive soundtrack, and a gripping storyline, Avencast: Rise of the Mage will transport you to a world of magic and mayhem.”
“For a game that was launched in 2007, the graphics, effects, and mechanics are impressive!”
“The graphics are not modern, but their design is very atmospheric and beautiful.”
“The graphics are a tad bit dated and the camera can be finicky at times with a really weird control (where it controls independently from your character but even with that I still played 6 hrs with no problem).”
“While the story is a bit simplistic and the graphics are dated by today's standards, what this game has for it is an innovative and unique magic casting system.”
“The graphics feel quite aged; it's not insanely bad but definitely not up to 2010 release standards.”
- music14 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the immersive soundtrack and its ability to complement the game's atmosphere, while others find it repetitive and unremarkable. Notably, certain tracks stand out for their emotional impact, but overall, the music is described as decent yet lacking in variety. While it enhances the experience, it may not leave a lasting impression for all players.
“With stunning visuals, an immersive soundtrack, and a gripping storyline, Avencast: Rise of the Mage will transport you to a world of magic and mayhem.”
“There's autumn outside which adds a bit of melancholy to the scene and the music there is complementing it beautifully.”
“The ambient music and sound effects establish a mood that fits the environments well.”
“Also, the music wasn't half-bad, although it did get old after an hour or more due to pure repetition.”
“I don't even remember if the game had any music, that's how unremarkable it was.”
“The music is also very limited and gets a little annoying too as it plays the same loop every time a mob appears.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with large, similar-looking areas that make exploration feel monotonous. Boss fights and later enemies are described as frustratingly resilient, leading to slow and uninspired battles that resemble clearing trash mobs in an MMO. Overall, the grinding experience detracts significantly from the enjoyment of the game.
“Every area, especially the academy, feels too large and looks almost identical, making exploration tedious after a while.”
“The whole game felt like clearing the trash mobs in MMO/grinding.”
“Long, mind-numbing grinding that is extremely uninspired.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique high fantasy setting, which feels fresh and immersive rather than generic. Players appreciate the beautiful design and engaging environments, with notable comparisons to the mage tower in Dragon Age: Origins, as well as a mix of appealing and creepy elements that enhance the overall experience. Despite some criticisms of the story, the atmospheric elements and level design contribute significantly to the game's charm.
“The high fantasy atmosphere of this world is a breath of fresh air and felt neither generic nor overrated, at least in my opinion.”
“The atmosphere in the first part of the game is unique and appealing.”
“The immersion is good and the atmosphere is excellent!”
“This game has an atmosphere and story like the mage tower in Dragon Age: Origins, with an action-RPG combat system.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a mix of amateurish charm and intentional comedic elements, with many quests offering humorous experiences that enhance gameplay. While some players find the humor reminiscent of tabletop RPGs, it is generally appreciated for its lightheartedness and creativity. Overall, the game balances its comedic aspects with engaging content, appealing to those who enjoy a fun narrative.
“That being said, they clearly have talent despite sometimes sounding like amateur tabletop RPG players humorously voicing their characters' dialogue.”
“I jest about this in part because I feel like the creators had a sense of humor about their creation, and while I might mock it a bit, I really respect that too.”
“There are many quests, most very humorous, to level you up and to even give you great rewards.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is criticized for having minimal to no replayability, with players expressing that the lack of engaging content and the repetitive nature of gameplay do not warrant a return to the experience.
“This game offers none to minimal replayability.”
“I don't find it having any particular replay value that is worth suffering through its faults and repetitiveness.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report that while there are some stability issues, particularly with floor glitches, a guide is available to help resolve these problems through a configuration file edit. However, accessing certain setting files can be challenging, as they cannot be opened with standard text editors like Notepad.
“There's a guide for the tech issues if your floor glitches (a cfg/text file edit fixes it). Sadly, the other setting files are impossible to open with Notepad for some strange reason.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Character development is described as straightforward, but players should be cautious as the same points are allocated for both learning new spells and enhancing character attributes, which can lead to strategic challenges.
“The character development is fairly straightforward, with the biggest challenge being that the same pool of points is used for both learning new spells and increasing character attributes.”
“The depth of character development allows for meaningful choices that impact gameplay and story progression.”
“I love how the character development system encourages players to invest in their characters' backstories, making each choice feel significant.”
“The character development is fairly straightforward, with the biggest issue being that the same pool of points is used for both learning new spells and increasing character attributes.”
“Character progression feels limited and lacks depth, making it hard to form a connection with the characters.”
“The choices in character development are too simplistic, leaving little room for meaningful customization or growth.”
