Avernum

About

Avernum is a turn-based RPG that drops you into a brutal underground prison where survival means navigating politics, combat, and limited resources. You control a group of outcasts trapped in a large dungeon complex ruled by warring factions and oppressive systems. Gameplay blends tactical combat with dialogue-driven quests, forcing you to weigh alliances, supplies, and morality as you plot an escape. The point-and-click interface lets you explore a layered world where every choice ripples through the narrative. The game stands out for its grim, no-frills storytelling and complex societal dynamics. It doesn’t hand you clear-cut solutions, famine, disease, and power struggles feel tangible. With 86% on Metacritic, it’s praised for its depth and replayability, though its retro 2D visuals and steep difficulty might surprise newcomers. Fans of thoughtful, consequences-heavy RPGs will find plenty to chew on across its 40+ hours.

Storyline

You have been cast down into the dark, volcanic pits of Avernum, filled with foul monsters, constant warfare, and thousands and thousands of your fellow prisoners. This is your punishment for not fitting in, for speaking out against the powers that be, for being an inconvenience to the government of the cruel Emperor Hawthorne. You have been sentenced to life imprisonment in the caverns, eventually to die there, forgotten and unmourned. But you need not accept your fate. There are those who wish to struggle against this injustice, who wish to return to the surface world and to fight against tyranny. But first, they need a hero, they need inspiration, and, most of all, they need someone who can find an escape route. Can you help them? Will you be the first person to escape from Avernum?