Avernum II: Crystal Souls

Avernum II: Crystal Souls is a remastered turn-based tactical RPG set in the expansive underground caverns of Avernum, a realm of exiles banished from the surface Empire. Following a brutal invasion by the despotic Empire, mysterious force barriers suddenly divide the caverns, stalling the war and isolating a band of loyal Avernum soldiers; players must lead this party on a perilous quest to uncover the barriers’ origins, navigate treacherous landscapes filled with magic and monsters, and secure victory for their underground nation through strategic combat, skill progression via a visual tree, and morally complex decisions.

Avernum II: Crystal Souls: Review

Introduction

In the shadowy depths of a cavernous underworld, where the flicker of torchlight battles eternal darkness, a band of exiles rises to confront an empire’s iron fist and ancient alien mysteries. Avernum II: Crystal Souls, the 2015 remake of Spiderweb Software’s 2000 classic Avernum 2 (itself a spiritual successor to the 1995 shareware gem Exile II: Crystal Souls), harkens back to the golden age of isometric RPGs while boldly updating its formula for modern audiences. This isn’t a flashy blockbuster—it’s a labor of love from indie developer Jeff Vogel, emphasizing deep storytelling, tactical depth, and player agency in a genre often dominated by spectacle over substance. As a historian of CRPGs, I’ve revisited countless underground epics, from Ultima Underworld to the Elder Scrolls, but Crystal Souls stands out for its unyielding commitment to classic design principles amid a sea of open-world bloat. My thesis: This remake not only revitalizes a foundational indie RPG series but cements its place as a timeless beacon for thoughtful, text-driven adventures, proving that evolution need not mean revolution.

Development History & Context

Spiderweb Software, founded by Jeff Vogel in 1994, has long been the unsung hero of indie RPGs, operating as a one-man show augmented by a tight-knit team of collaborators. Vogel, the visionary behind the Exile and Avernum series, programmed, designed, and conceptualized Crystal Souls himself, with assistance from business manager and design aide Mariann Krizsan, interface artist Ben Resnick, and contributors like Phil Foglio for skill illustrations and CineScore for the title theme. The game’s 46 credits reflect this boutique operation—beta testers like Mark Booker and Jesper Lundkvist polished the edges, but it’s Vogel’s singular voice that defines the project.

Released on January 14, 2015, for Windows, Macintosh, and later iPad (with simultaneous Steam and App Store launches), Crystal Souls emerged in an era when indie RPGs were blossoming via platforms like Steam and GOG, but facing stiff competition from AAA titles like The Witcher 3 and Dragon Age: Inquisition. Vogel’s vision remained defiantly retro: no 3D graphics or voice acting, just an isometric, tile-based engine akin to his 2011 remake Avernum: Escape From the Pit and 2012’s Avadon: The Black Fortress. Technological constraints? Vogel embraced them, prioritizing accessibility— the game runs on Windows XP and older hardware, a boon for “dinosaur PC users” as one enthusiast noted—over cutting-edge visuals. In the mid-2010s gaming landscape, dominated by live-service models and microtransactions, Crystal Souls represented a countercultural stance: affordable ($5.99 on GOG), content-rich shareware revival that honored the shareware roots of Exile. This remake addressed the original Avernum 2’s dated mechanics, updating combat and progression while preserving the core loop, all on a shoestring budget that let Vogel “stick to his guns” without compromising artistic integrity.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its heart, Avernum II: Crystal Souls weaves a tapestry of invasion, intrigue, and intercultural tension that builds masterfully on the first game’s foundation. The plot kicks off in the aftermath of Avernum’s fragile independence from the tyrannical surface Empire. As imperial forces pour into the subterranean nation, a cataclysmic event erects impenetrable force barriers, fracturing Avernum’s caverns and halting the war in a stalemate. Players command a customizable party of four loyal soldiers, marooned in a remote outpost, tasked with piercing the veil of mystery to dismantle the barriers and tip the scales toward victory.

The narrative unfolds across chapters that escalate from localized skirmishes to galaxy-spanning (or cavern-spanning) diplomacy. Key plot beats involve uncovering the barriers’ origins—tied to the enigmatic Vahnatai, an ancient, alien-like subterranean race hinted at in the predecessor. These crystalline “souls,” powerful artifacts stolen by humans, become the MacGuffin driving conflicts: the Empire seeks domination, Avernum survival, and the Vahnatai restitution laced with vengeful mysticism. Side quests layer in moral ambiguity, from negotiating fragile alliances in exile towns like Formello to assassinating corrupt mages in hidden forts. Multiple endings hinge on player choices—diplomatic overtures might broker peace, while aggressive tactics ignite all-out war—though, as one reviewer noted, some outcomes feel narratively contained rather than world-altering.

Characters shine through Vogel’s dense, dialogue-heavy prose, exclusively in English and demanding patient reading. Your party members evolve via level-up traits, gaining personalities through journal entries and interactions—no voiced lines, but evocative portraits by Jason Walton and NPC sketches by Steve Mabee bring them to life. Antagonists like the despotic Emperor or scheming Vahnatai shamans embody themes of oppression and cultural clash, drawing from dystopian tropes and frontier myths. War’s futility underscores the story: barriers symbolize isolationism’s perils, while Crystal Souls artifacts explore technology’s double-edged sword—tools of enlightenment or destruction? Diplomacy quests, such as mediating between rival factions or decoding ancient runes, probe misunderstandings between humans, sliths (reptilian allies), and Vahnatai, adding philosophical depth rare in tactical RPGs. Yet, for veterans of Vogel’s Geneforge or Avadon series, the familiarity might evoke déjà vu, as reboots inevitably recycle beats. Still, the trilogy’s middle child delivers the series’ strongest narrative arc, blending personal survival with geopolitical intrigue in a way that feels profoundly human amid the fantastical.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Crystal Souls distills the essence of turn-based tactical RPGs into a grid-based, isometric playground that’s deceptively simple yet profoundly strategic. Core loops revolve around exploration, combat, and progression in Avernum’s labyrinthine underworld. Parties navigate via point-and-click interfaces—direct control for movement, auto-mapping for navigation—uncovering secrets like hidden vaults or trap-laden ruins. Puzzles introduce light innovation: pressure plates, dispel barriers, and movement-triggered ambushes demand careful positioning, evolving from the predecessor’s linearity into a semi-open structure.

Combat, the game’s beating heart, is squad-based and turn-based, pitting your four adventurers against foes in real-time pauses. Updates from the original shine here: a visual skill tree lets players allocate points into melee, mage, priest, polearm, bow, or utility disciplines like Tool Use and Cave Lore. Melee builds unlock spell-like special attacks (e.g., a parry that stuns), while mages and priests hurl area-of-effect fireballs or healing waves, amplified by Spellcraft and Resistance. Progression ditches rigid archetypes—traits like Nimble Fingers or Elemental Focus emerge dynamically on level-ups, encouraging experimentation. A full-magic party, as one player detailed (two mages, a priest, a hybrid bow-user), dominates mid-to-late game with absurd AoE damage, though early warded enemies force melee backups, adding tactical spice.

Character creation offers races (human for bonus traits), stats (Intelligence for casters, Endurance for tanks), and builds—paladins blend melee and priest spells, warmages fuse poles and arcana. Inventory management is crunchy: loot abounds for selling or crafting at specialized vendors, who forge artifacts from rare ingredients like Vahnatai crystals. Fast-travel pylons streamline backtracking, a welcome QoL tweak. UI refinements—a slicker inventory, clearer skill webs—mitigate the era’s clunkiness, though the interface can feel dense for newcomers. Flaws persist: combat pacing drags in grindy encounters, and the complexity (e.g., sequencing spells like Move Mountains 2 before key barriers) rewards walkthroughs over pure intuition. Innovations like dynamic traits and crafting elevate it beyond rote tactics, fostering replayability through party variants—archery squads for precision, hybrids for versatility—while maintaining the “tough to master” curve that defines Vogel’s oeuvre.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Avernum’s underworld is a masterpiece of implied vastness, a sprawling network of caverns, fungal forests, and ruined outposts that evokes the claustrophobic wonder of early CRPGs like Pool of Radiance. Divided by barriers, the setting pulses with reactivity: towns like the exile hub of Formello buzz with war refugees, while Vahnatai lairs hum with alien bioluminescence. Exploration rewards discovery—secret Empire forts, slith temples, serpentine cults—building a lore-rich tapestry of lost civilizations and factional strife. Atmosphere thrives on text: NPC dialogues reveal backstories, from desperate blacksmiths to enigmatic shamans, fostering immersion in a world where every cavern tells a story of exile and resilience.

Visually, Crystal Souls opts for functional minimalism. Isometric tilesets, updated from the 2000 version, feature varied textures—glowing crystals, misty tunnels, chaotic halls—courtesy of artists like Alexander Deruchenko and Linda Strout. Character icons and paper-doll portraits add personality, but the low-fi aesthetic (no animations beyond basic movement) dates it against 2015 peers like Pillars of Eternity. It’s a deliberate choice: simplicity enhances the underground’s oppressive feel, turning every shadow into a threat. Sound design, enhanced in the remake, complements this with ambient drips, echoing footsteps, and a synth-heavy score from CineScore that swells during battles. Combat cues—spell zaps, sword clashes—punctuate turns without overwhelming, while the lack of voice acting keeps focus on the narrative’s rhythm. Together, these elements craft an experience that’s more intimate than cinematic, where the mind’s eye fills the gaps, heightening the thrill of uncharted depths.

Reception & Legacy

Upon launch, Avernum II: Crystal Souls garnered solid if niche acclaim, earning an 81% critic average on MobyGames from five reviews. Multiplayer.it lauded its decision-making depth (88%), praising versatility for newbies while noting regressions for series veterans. GameWatcher/Strategy Informer (85%) called it an “essential purchase” for fans, forgiving tech hiccups for its rewarding journey. Digitally Downloaded (80%) hailed it as a throwback reminding RPG fans of storytelling’s primacy, ideal for turn-based enthusiasts. Softpedia (75%) and IGN Italia (75%) appreciated the indie excellence and content volume but critiqued the unpolished graphics, complex rules, and English-only text, positioning it against rivals like Shadowrun: Dragonfall. Players averaged 4.1/5, though sparse reviews underscore its cult status—collected by just 45 on MobyGames.

Commercially, as a $19.99 digital title (often discounted to $5.99), it succeeded modestly on Steam, GOG, and iOS, buoyed by Spiderweb’s loyal fanbase. Reputation has evolved positively: post-launch patches refined balance, and retrospectives like Zander Dulac’s 2025 blog crown it the trilogy’s peak for narrative strength and Vahnatai lore. Offkorn’s 2019 playthrough highlighted GUI improvements and magical party viability, while Fanboy Destroy celebrated its old-school ethos in a polygon-obsessed industry.

Crystal Souls’ influence ripples through indie RPGs, inspiring text-heavy titles like the Queen’s Wish series and reinforcing the viability of retro engines. It democratized CRPGs for low-end hardware, paving the way for accessible revivals like the 2018 Avernum 3: Ruined World. Vogel’s work underscores indie’s power to preserve history—Crystal Souls isn’t just a remake; it’s a testament to enduring design amid fleeting trends, influencing a subgenre that values depth over dazzle.

Conclusion

Avernum II: Crystal Souls masterfully balances reverence for its roots with thoughtful modernization, delivering a war-torn underworld brimming with tactical intrigue, moral quandaries, and exploratory joy. From Vogel’s visionary scripting to its skill-tree innovations and atmospheric caverns, it excels as a CRPG that prioritizes player ingenuity over hand-holding. While dated visuals and textual density may deter casual players, they reward the dedicated with dozens of hours of emergent storytelling and replayable builds. In video game history, it occupies a vital niche: a bridge between 90s shareware pioneers and modern indies, proving Spiderweb Software’s formula timeless. Verdict: Essential for RPG aficionados—a 9/10 masterpiece that reminds us why we delve into the dark in the first place.