I am a big fan of Indiana Jones and am hoping the next movie will be deserving of the legacy. But this has nothing to do with that. Today I am talking about a different ‘indie’ – Independent games.

Fans of classic PC RPG games are an underserved market segment – and Mac gamers even moreso. So when we find ourselves suddenly holding two wonderful classic turn-based fantasy RPG’s that are playable on both the Mac and PC … uh … um … ooh, sorry, got a little woozy there! Needless to say it is a rare treat.

Anyone who has had an eye on the independent game scene in recent years knows Jeff Vogel and Spiderweb games.  In the past couple of years he has released the fourth chapter in the party-based Avernum series, the fourth entry in the single player Geneforge franchise, and an updated release of the classic Nethergate: Ressurection.  Now he is back with Avernum 5.  As the web site declares “The latest game in the award-winning Avernum series. Travel into the strange underworld of Avernum, a land full of misfits, bandits, and barely civilized monsters. Hunt the villain who tried to kill your Empress, and keep him from assassinating you first.”   And it is a blast – these games are HUGE, featuring dozens of hours of gameplay, massive areas to explore, plenty of challenging combat and character development.  The graphics might take a bit to get past – but it is an example of why you shouldn’t limit your gaming based on appearances alone.

Here is a shot of Avernum 5 from Spiderweb Software:

This holiday season brings us a newcomer – Basilisk Games.   The web site describes it as ” a classic role-playing game experience that will take you across massive outdoor environments and deep into sprawling dungeons as you seek to uncover the mystery of who – or what – you are.”  It looks fantastic for an ‘indie’ game, but you won’t mistake it from the latest pixel-pumping shooter.  But the gameplay is rock-solid, the character development is challenging due to limited skill points, and the overall game quite fun.  It is definitely smaller than Avernum, but it is a good size adventure with plenty of replayability.

And here is a shot of Eschalon: Book 1 from Basilisk Games:

Of course, for me the great thing is that I’m playing both of these on my Mac – but Eschalon is already released for the PC and in beta for Linux, and a PC version of Avernum 5 is coming soon.  With so much attention paid to huge releases this year, small efforts like these get little play in the media – but are just what the fan of classic RPG’s is looking for.  So hit the web sites and take a look – both games also offer large demos with small downloads.  Give them a shot and decide for yourself.  Then, if you like them do as I have done and vote with your wallet and support these hard-working independent developers!

Tags: Misc