Avencast: Rise of the Mage
Encyclopedia
Avencast: Rise of the Mage is an action role-playing game
for Microsoft Windows
developed by ClockStone Software
and published by Lighthouse Interactive
(worldwide except Russia
). The game heavily borrows elements of beat 'em ups. This is apparent from the ability to cast spells by rapidly combining movement inputs with mouse buttons. Alternatively short cuts can be assigned for easy access of spells. Also the scheme of recurring Boss
fights reflects this relation. The inclusion of riddles shows the connection to adventure game
s.
The game's magic and combat system features more than 50 spells and about 150 unique items can be found or bought in the game's world.
Upon return to the academy, a cut scene shows the hero being chased and the academy destroyed by hostile demons. He finally reaches a haven inside the academy, where a few other NPCs
have barricaded themselves. This is the starting point for the main part of the story, where he will discover his ancestry and reveal the mastermind behind the invasion of the academy.
An equal amount of experience points can be achieved by finishing quests. Some quests also award the character with equipment, including unique items. Quests often contain riddles that must be solved by the player for accomplishment. These involve the activation of switches, the usage of runes to open passageways and the alignment of mirrors to focus laser
like rays.
The game features a minimap that shows quest locations and automatically updates with the areas the player has visited.
Although the game features potions for healing and refilling mana, the character automatically recovers and gains both health and mana over time.
The player can divide the level-up points between attributes and spells. A new spell can be acquired in exchange for level-up points if the required level for that spell has been reached and optional prerequired spells have been acquired earlier.
Spells are distributed in three spell trees, namely Soul Magic, Blood Magic and Summoning. Soul Magic spells are primarily ranged spells like projectiles or walls of fire. Blood Magic refers to spells that primarily increase or cause close combat damage with the staff. Spells include common ones for poisoning, inflaming or freezing. Less common spells like leeching life or tossing the opponent backwards, who in turn will knock other opponents he collides with over, are also included. The Summoning tree features spells for summoning creatures that will fight on the players side.
The attributes Soul Magic and Blood Magic increase the effectiveness of the spells in the corresponding spell trees. Additionally the Summoning spell tree is split in half. One half of the summoned creatures is improved by raising the Soul Magic attribute, the other by the Blood Magic value. The shield spell, which is also listed in the Summoning spell tree, is unaffected by those attributes and can be used for blocking the attacks of opponents.
) and Blood Magic (red
) spells. Soul Magic spells are always finished with a right-click while Blood Magic spells are completed with left-clicks on the mouse.
Spells can be placed in what are called spellcaster's assists. These are slots on the sides of the game's screen where spells can be positioned. The icons in the spellcaster's assists show the short-cut assignments and also the alternative keystroke combinations. Additionally the icon for a spell changes its colour if the character currently does not have enough mana to cast that spell.
Alternatively a crouching evasion step to one of the four basic movement directions can be taken by combining the movement key with the space key.
Since the release of Avencast, Clockstone has released the development tools
, allowing fans to build levels or modify the game content.
RPGFan rewarded Avencast with 81%. GameZone
concluded with a rating of 7.8. On GameSpot
the game achieved a score of 7.5. IGN
gave this game a 7.0.
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
developed by ClockStone Software
ClockStone Software
ClockStone Software is an Austrian video game developer founded in 2006. They specialize in the independent development of video games and 3D multimedia applications....
and published by Lighthouse Interactive
Lighthouse Interactive
SilverBirch, Inc. was a video game publisher located in the Netherlands and was Acquired by Lighthouse Interactive in 2008. The company "Lighthouse interactive" had offices in Toronto and Montreal, Canada, Haarlem, The Netherlands and London, England....
(worldwide except Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
). The game heavily borrows elements of beat 'em ups. This is apparent from the ability to cast spells by rapidly combining movement inputs with mouse buttons. Alternatively short cuts can be assigned for easy access of spells. Also the scheme of recurring Boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
fights reflects this relation. The inclusion of riddles shows the connection to adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
s.
The game's magic and combat system features more than 50 spells and about 150 unique items can be found or bought in the game's world.
Plot
The game tells the story of a young male apprentice who was raised by an old mage and sent to the Academy of Avencast to finish his studies of the arts of magic. The player takes control of the character when he is about to undergo preparations for his final exam which is to be passed in the local Crystal Caves.Upon return to the academy, a cut scene shows the hero being chased and the academy destroyed by hostile demons. He finally reaches a haven inside the academy, where a few other NPCs
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
have barricaded themselves. This is the starting point for the main part of the story, where he will discover his ancestry and reveal the mastermind behind the invasion of the academy.
Gameplay
The gameplay comprises killing monsters to gain experience points which in turn can be spent on raising characters stats or acquiring spells. Additionally the monster's bodies can be searched for gold or equipment like weapons (primarily staffs) and armour which can be sold or used by the character. For the purpose of carrying equipment the game provides the character with an inventory and also a belt for healing and mana potions and spells. The game allows fast access to items on the belt by key-bindings. This speeds up repeatedly opening books, which is necessary for solving some of the quests.An equal amount of experience points can be achieved by finishing quests. Some quests also award the character with equipment, including unique items. Quests often contain riddles that must be solved by the player for accomplishment. These involve the activation of switches, the usage of runes to open passageways and the alignment of mirrors to focus laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
like rays.
The game features a minimap that shows quest locations and automatically updates with the areas the player has visited.
Although the game features potions for healing and refilling mana, the character automatically recovers and gains both health and mana over time.
Attributes, spells and leveling
The game's character sheet contains entries for health, mana, Soul Magic and Blood Magic. These attributes can be raised by distribution of level-up points, which in turn are received for reaching a new level when the current number of experience points exceeds a certain threshold.The player can divide the level-up points between attributes and spells. A new spell can be acquired in exchange for level-up points if the required level for that spell has been reached and optional prerequired spells have been acquired earlier.
Spells are distributed in three spell trees, namely Soul Magic, Blood Magic and Summoning. Soul Magic spells are primarily ranged spells like projectiles or walls of fire. Blood Magic refers to spells that primarily increase or cause close combat damage with the staff. Spells include common ones for poisoning, inflaming or freezing. Less common spells like leeching life or tossing the opponent backwards, who in turn will knock other opponents he collides with over, are also included. The Summoning tree features spells for summoning creatures that will fight on the players side.
The attributes Soul Magic and Blood Magic increase the effectiveness of the spells in the corresponding spell trees. Additionally the Summoning spell tree is split in half. One half of the summoned creatures is improved by raising the Soul Magic attribute, the other by the Blood Magic value. The shield spell, which is also listed in the Summoning spell tree, is unaffected by those attributes and can be used for blocking the attacks of opponents.
Spellcasting
The game provides two different interface methods for spell casting. The player can either rapidly enter a combination of movement key and mouse button presses or alternatively map spells to short-cut keys. The key combinations necessary to cast a spell are indicated by arrows and symbols for the corresponding mouse button. Additionally a colour key helps to distinguish between Soul Magic (purplePurple
Purple is a range of hues of color occurring between red and blue, and is classified as a secondary color as the colors are required to create the shade....
) and Blood Magic (red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
) spells. Soul Magic spells are always finished with a right-click while Blood Magic spells are completed with left-clicks on the mouse.
Spells can be placed in what are called spellcaster's assists. These are slots on the sides of the game's screen where spells can be positioned. The icons in the spellcaster's assists show the short-cut assignments and also the alternative keystroke combinations. Additionally the icon for a spell changes its colour if the character currently does not have enough mana to cast that spell.
Movement and camera controls
The game's character is viewed from the outside. The game supports different methods to control the character, including: Easy control, Expert and Follow camera.Evading
The player can perform evasive rolls by hitting the directional movement keys twice in fast succession but the character will not regenerate mana or health while doing so for an extended amount of time.Alternatively a crouching evasion step to one of the four basic movement directions can be taken by combining the movement key with the space key.
Development
Avencast began as a hobby project to create a Diablo clone that incorporated elements of other popular past games. It was Clockstone's first game release and took about four years to complete. The game was completed with a relatively small team - Clockstone's CEO wrote the majority of the game engine himself in C++. Clockstone team members had little or no formal education in game development field.Since the release of Avencast, Clockstone has released the development tools
Game development tool
A game development tool is a specialized software application that assists or facilitates the making of a computer or video game. Some tasks handled by tools include the conversion of assets into formats required by the game, level editing and script compilation.Almost all game development tools...
, allowing fans to build levels or modify the game content.
Reception
Primarily the spell effects and the interactive combat system, that departs from the usual point-and-click interfaces of current (as of January 2008) RPGs, gained recognition.RPGFan rewarded Avencast with 81%. GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
concluded with a rating of 7.8. On GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
the game achieved a score of 7.5. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave this game a 7.0.