Aveyond 4: Shadow of the Mist Review - A Humorous RPG Where A Villain Acts Like A Hero

Written by Nikhil Chowdri on February 15, 2016

Reviews: Play as the bad guy in this whimsical turn-based RPG from Amaranth Games.

Aveyond 4: Shadow of the Mist is a light hearted turn-based RPG made by Amaranth Games. Players take control of the dastardly Boyle Wolfbane, who finds himself in a bit of a predicament after failing in his quest for world domination. After suffering defeat at the hands of some lousy heroes, Boyle and his wolf, Fang, find themselves down on their luck in the town of Wyrmwood, which houses washed up villains. However, when something happens that threatens the fate of the world as well as Boyle’s cherished canine, he has to find a way to become the hero that he never was. Aveyond 4: Shadow of the Mist is a humorous take on the turn-based RPG formula that is a fun little distraction for fans of the genre.

The combat system is pretty much what you would expect from a turn-based RPG. Instead of using mana, Boyle gets energy from dealing damage to his opponents making it a refillable resource, so you’re not limited to a certain number of spells per battle. You can upgrade your magic arsenal and learn more spells by capturing tiny little purple creatures. Furthermore, he can bring along a minion with him that has special abilities, although they do not provide much in the way of DPS (damage-per-second). Along the way, you will pick up companions that can join your party and offer unique abilities such as the skill of brewing potions. There’s not much in the way of grinding as the game is not designed to be a hardcore experience. You will get all the experience points that you need over the course of playing through the story and defeating enemies in regular encounters.

Aveyond 4 fully embraces its comedic nature and it is definitely the strongest aspect of this game. It does have some pacing issues early on as it starts out a bit slow, but really hits its stride once you leave Wyrmwood and join up with Myst who happens to be a mercurial mist wraith (whatever the hell that means!). Boyle is constantly getting deceived into doing the ‘right’ thing against his will and his childlike angst at accomplishing what most people would consider heroic feats is quite hilarious. Although the core idea of a villain performing courageous tasks has been done before, Aveyond 4 manages to put a unique spin on it by using a judicious smattering of humor throughout the game.

From an audio standpoint, the game is just alright. The soundtrack is present but for the most part it’s forgettable. There are several annoying audio ticks throughout such as the sound of footsteps as well as the constant silence (with the exception of regular ambient noise) that do not complement everything else that’s so well thought out about this game. Other aspects of the game presentation are enjoyable, however. The visuals are bright and colorful, and while not particularly impressive, are not a detriment to the overall experience. The environments are well populated and detailed; the characters are expressive and the dialogue is downright hilarious at times.

All told, Aveyond 4: Shadow of the Mist is an enjoyable experience. During this early part of the year, when there’s not a lot of games coming out, this is a nice little experience that will give you many, many laughs and a decent turn-based RPG along the way. While not reinventing the wheel, the game is great for what it is and at the end of the day, that is all you can really ask for.