8. Avernum: Escape from the Pit

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If you are looking to play a core Western-style RPG on your mobile device, the kind that up until recently was found almost exclusively on a PC, your choices are few and far between. One of the lesser known choices, Spiderweb Software’s Avernum: Escape from the Pit is as hardcore as any PC RPG out there. In part that’s because Avernum started life as a PC RPG and in part it’s because Jeff Vogel, the man that is Spiderweb Software, has been crafting and selling smart, vibrant homespun RPG worlds since 1994. Avernum is actually a ground-up reboot of Vogel’s first RPG excursion: Exile I, Escape from the Pit. Spend even a little time with Avernum and the reason for the reboot quickly becomes clear. Avernum: Escape from the Pit not only sports smart, comprehensive RPG mechanics and a finely detailed and storied world, it’s also built on a brilliant premise. The world of Avernum is bisected between the citizens of the empire, who live on the surface under the rule of the cruel Emperor Hawthorne and the dregs of society who, due to criminality (most often speaking out against the big guy) are consigned to the vast subterranean world of Avernum. The game begins with your party of adventurers being dumped into the underworld. From there, a rich interactive plot unfolds. Drawing influence from seminal RPGs like Baldur’s Gate and Ultima VII, Avernum: Escape from the Pit is sure to please old school and hardcore RPG fans alike, who will undoubtedly find themselves in their element playing this party and turn-based RPG. At $9.99, it will run you about five times as much as your average Android title. For core gamers looking to play a seminal RPG on their phone however, the extra cost should prove a drop in the bucket.

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