Aveyond 4: Shadow of the Mist Demo

Villains are rarely questioned on their motives, although the writers usually make sure that they are not likable enough for that to be a problem. As such, most RPGs feature a clean black and white situation, in which heroes only wish the good to prevail, while the villains eat babies and burn down hospitals. However, what if bad people were not evil just for the sake of it?

Aveyond 4: Shadow of the Mist is a top-down RPG that’s part of the Aveyond series, yet it takes a pretty bold turn when it comes to the story and the general atmosphere. However, the rest of the gameplay elements are more or less the same, except of course for the improvements that have been introduced by the developers in the meantime. Hence, if you played the previous episodes, it should be fairly easy to jump into this one.

The story revolves around a pretty nasty dude by the name of Boyle Wolfsbane, with dreams to conquer the world and maybe subjugate it a bit. However, as it always happens when such plans are about to come to fruition, a party of brave heroes manages to defeat him. You play the role of Wolfsbane as he tries to regain his reputation, although it’s mostly a humorous tale, rather than an evil one.

The gameplay recipe is not revolutionary, but it works, and it is balanced enough to provide you with a pleasant experience. You can choose from three different difficulty levels, depending on how prepared you are to deal with dangerous foes. Wolfsbane can team up with other people along the way as well, which means that you’ll usually have an entire party with you, slaying monsters and solving quests.

There’s a clear emphasis on story and dialog, rather than repetitive combat and mindless hack and slashing, but there are times when you might have to focus on clearing certain areas of enemies. Lastly, the game still features the classic top-down perspective and 2D graphics, but the artwork and the level design are top-notch, so it’s always a pleasure to explore the world and admire the scenery.

In the end, Aveyond 4: Shadow of the Mist is an engaging RPG with enough humor to get everyone hooked from the first few minutes of gameplay. The story is different and intriguing, while the mechanics are intuitive and simple to learn.