Avalon Code

There is a lot of activity on the net about this title--but I've been waiting to see what it gets here on amazon. Guess I got a little too tired to wait--so I went out and bought it myself.

The graphics are very good and certainly engaging. The music is pretty good but, surprisingly, I wasn't wowed by it. The gameplay is very unqiue--I've never seen anything like it! While I think this game plays more like Legend of Zelda than Chrono Trigger or FF I actually would encourage more people to pick up this little gem even if you are not traditionally a player of RPG---if you like Zelda type puzzle/action games you should check this game out!

It's hard to really describe well the gameplay. Basically you have things like recipes and you "scan" objects with a book--and each object (could be character, weapon, flower, etc) is made up of different codes. How you work with those codes and re arrange them is what this game is all about. The story is o.k.-- a bit different. The fun comes in figuring out the codes for certain things. For example one of the beginning enemies (Mul) can be scanned and has codes. I replaced one of its codes with a code for ILL and that made the enemies easier to defeat. It also works the other way--early on there is an animal you need to "save" so you need to find specific codes to heal the animal.

Dungeon's are a mix of puzzle and hack and slash--with strategy thrown in at times. They were a little repetitive for me but again it's a dungeon--the fun is in beating up enemies and solving puzzles--regardless of whether they all look similar or not.

I will say this game REALLY needed a guide to go with it. And that's the downside for me. Although I'm sure some children could play this I really think it might be too complicated for the younger crowd. Exploration can be very tedious and some points are hard to find. As many other reviewers have pointed out the book itself needed a search feature. I'm not even 1/2 way through and it is a pain to constantly have to go through the book to find the code you want--again why I don't think I'd recommend this for young children. I am sure I'll probably come up with some level of organization for the codes but I would have preferred that this already exist as it really makes a difference.

To some degree I think Avalon Code would appeal most to fans of Zelda or other puzzle/adventure type games rather than those who go for old school JRPG (which this is clearly not!). Although I am enjoying it I must admit to finding it very frustrating in places--but what I prefer in my games is a bit more straight forwardness. I like RPG's where I can level up and use weapons and buy new weapons and equiptment and so on. A la Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest or even tactical's like Luminous Arc.

Overall though this is a very clever unqiue title. And there's the beauty---we all seem to want some level of innovation in our games--give us something new, something fresh, something that makes us think and challenges us. Avalon Code delivers on this in spades. I would have given it a solid 5 stars IF the Book of Prophecy had a search feature or you were able to hold more code,if it didn't cost MP to swap codes, and if there were more in game tutorials or other help as it can get pretty complicated. I think this holds it back from being a contender for best new game (like TWEWY last year). However, if you want something new, fresh, innovative and unique--Avalon Code is your game!

I picked up Avalon Code after trying a short demo version. The idea of playing around with the "codes", being able to choose the gender of your character, and naturally getting a boy/girlfriend, all sounded appealing.
Overall, I found Avalon Code to be an addicting, enjoyable game. There's always something new to discover, and I've played through several times already, both as a girl and a boy. The graphics are very well done, and I love all of the characters' and monsters' designs. The cutscenes,if you get as attached to the characters as I did, are very emotional. Avalon Code combines my two favorite kinds of games, puzzles and RPGs, into one!
The most frustrating aspect of the game is, as others have mentioned, finding the codes. I would also suggest carefully reading the instruction manual before hand, and getting hints from your Spirit guide as often as possible.

Most of the complaints you'll hear about this game are valid. The Book of Prophecy, while certainly a great concept, becomes tedious when you have to look through hundreds of pages to find a single code. The game spends a good chunk of its first part teaching you to use it, making for one extremely long, drawn-out tutorial that still manages to miss certain things, like how to use codes to hit colored switches. The lack of hit points means you'll die a lot, although you barely lose anything when you die, making it little more than an annoyance. The writing is a bit stilted and lacking; early in the game, a woman traps you in her basement, and after you escape, if you return to talk to her... nothing happens. Your character just ignores the whole attempted imprisonment thing. While each small area has its own map, the lack of a larger map to unify them makes navigation difficult. The fact that there are little things hidden in the maps, like plants or small creatures, is a nice addition, but searching for those little tidbits can be infuriating.

These are all relatively flaws, and they chip away at what would otherwise be an excellent game. Avalon Code's ability to mess with the fabric of reality, while not as cool as it sounds, really comes into force when customizing weapons, items, and enemies. Yes, that's right; if your enemy has too many hitpoints, chances are he has a Stone or Iron code you can remove to make him weaker. Also, the Book of Prophecy is used to give almost everything backstory and flavor text, making the game feel really open and alive in your hands. The level of control you have, given the limits of the medium, is pretty cool. I'd say I had more fun exploring, filling up the book, and messing with codes to create new items than I did with the game's actual plot. Rather than rehashing or retreading old ground, Avalon Code presents this as its core concept, and comes out the stronger for it.

Avalon Code is a good game, although bogged down by minor issues that keep it from being a great game. Hopefully, these could be fixed in a sequel someday, but until then, this is a nice little gem of a game that I'd say is worth picking up.

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