Avalan (Icon64) $3.99 USD

Game title: Avalan
Game description: Avalan is a top-down, flick-screen exploration game with light strategic elements, set on an ancient holy island once home to the mysterious Sky Wizards who created the legendary Master Sword. An unholy monk has swept through the island, stealing all of its sacred relics, shattering the Master Sword into pieces, and raising a formidable army of skilled soldiers to thwart all who dare oppose him. You play as a brave female warrior on a quest to recover the fragments of the Master Sword, reconstruct it, and return it to its long-standing resting place. At the start of the game, you roam the vast labyrinthine landscape unarmed, collecting treasure and perhaps a few fragments of the Master Sword. However, you will soon find your path blocked by sword-wielding knights, who must be defeated with a well-aimed sword throw of your own. Your warrior can only carry one sword at a time, so you will need to constantly seek out new weapons scattered throughout the island to clear your way forward. Once you collect the final fragment of the Master Sword, the unholy monk will begin hunting you down. You must urgently transport the fragments to a central location to reassemble the sword before making a final stand to defeat the monk once and for all.
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Production - 78%
78%
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Fun - 55%
55%
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Depth - 70%
70%
Summary
For fans of casual-paced exploration games—or those with fond memories of playing Treasure Island or Willow Pattern Adventure—Avalan is sure to be right up your alley. The game is easy to pick up, and progression largely revolves around backtracking to locate swords that can be used to defeat knights blocking your path.
And that’s about it—which is my main issue with Avalan. In the long run, it lacks variety, as gameplay becomes repetitive. While exploring the game world is enjoyable and there’s no real pressure to rush, I wish additional puzzle mechanics or item collection elements had been incorporated to provide a greater sense of progression and challenge.
From a production standpoint, the graphical assets are visually appealing, but the overall presentation is somewhat let down by the decision to exclude textured floor tiles. The overwhelming presence of black detracts from the game’s visual experience.
Avalan successfully achieves its goal within its intended design scope, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that there was an opportunity to create something much more memorable.
Overall
68%User Review
( votes)Pros
- Attractive graphic assets
- 256 screen game world
- Casual paced exploration
- Auto map included
Cons
- Repetitive game play – lacks progression
- The ground graphics (or lack of) is presented in black
- No save or checkpoint function
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