Game: Avernum 4: Greed and Glory
Genre: Strategy, RPG
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer|Publisher: Spiderweb Software
Controller Support: No
Steam Deck: Playable
Price: US $17.99 | UK £15.07 | EU € 17,55
Release Date: October 22nd, 2025
Review code provided with many thanks to Game if You Are.
Avernum 4: Greed and Glory – A Dungeon Dive Worth Getting Lost In
Avernum 4: Greed and Glory is a remaster of the 2005 cult classic, a throwback to an age when RPGs were text-heavy, strategy-driven, and proud of it. Think classic Baldur’s Gate. It’s big. It’s brainy. But if you like your Dungeons and Dragons in video game form, you may just love this game too.
Getting Started: Four Heroes, Many Possibilities
Before you swing a sword or zap your first goblin, Avernum 4 asks you to assemble your dream team of four adventurers. You can pick from familiar archetypes, warriors, rogues, wizards, and priests, and then mix and match to your heart’s content. Fancy a wizard who looks like a knight? Go for it. A healer with a thief’s grin? Sure thing.
You can rename your crew, tweak stats, and customise skills with a level of detail that’s both thrilling and slightly terrifying. The game basically hands you a giant fantasy buffet and says, “Build your own.” It’s the kind of setup that scratches the same itch as rolling up a fresh D&D party, only with fewer pencils and pop culture t-shirts.
The First Steps: Overwhelmed but Intrigued
Once you’re in, Avernum 4 doesn’t so much hold your hand as it politely waves from across the cavern. You’re dropped into an underground world under siege, goblins attacking, towns in peril, and mysteries lurking in every dark corner.
The tutorial does exist (and it’s surprisingly helpful), but this is still a game that expects you to learn by doing. Menus are dense, inventory screens are cluttered with loot, and there’s a constant sense that you’re two clicks away from discovering a mechanic you didn’t know existed.
And yet, there’s a charm in that. The moment things start to click, the way positioning matters in battle, the importance of juggling mana, health, and skill cooldowns, you begin to appreciate the game’s old-school rhythm. It’s slow-burning satisfaction, the kind you can’t rush.
A feature I really liked is that by holding down ‘tab’, you can see some points of interest in the game. This includes NPCs you can talk to and treasure chests. This is especially handy when it often feels like there is a lot of detail on screen all at once. That being said, I have niggles. Smaller pickups are not highlighted, such as weapons drops after battle or small items on the ground. You have to click this treasure chest button in the bottom left of the screen, which seems quite regular to search the general area, which can feel tedious.
Combat: Strategy Over Speed
Every fight in Avernum 4 feels like a mini chess match. It’s turn-based and tactical enough to make you double-check your inventory before picking a fight. Positioning is everything: flanking enemies, managing spell ranges, deciding who gets to heal and who has to stand there as monster bait.
Victory usually leads to a glorious shower of loot, and you’ll spend an almost embarrassing amount of time comparing swords, swapping armour, and wondering if that slightly shinier staff is worth the hit to your mana pool.
If you’re a tinkerer, you’ll love this. If you’re allergic to menus, well… bring a strong cup of coffee.
Story and Writing: A World That Feels Alive
The subterranean world of Avernum is bursting with lore, politics, and personality. This isn’t your usual elves-and-orcs fantasy. Spiderweb Software has built a world that’s weirder, scrappier, and more human. You’ll find factions squabbling over territory, goblin invasions threatening settlements, and plenty of choices that affect how people treat you. Also, watch out for stealing people’s stuff.
Dialogue is everywhere, short, punchy, and often quite funny. You’ll read a lot, but the writing has a warmth and wit that makes it feel less like homework and more like a storybook come alive.
It’s also flexible. Want to play as a noble saviour? Go for it. Or lean into the “Greed and Glory” part of the title and chase wealth over wisdom. The game rarely punishes you for your choices; it just lets you live with them.
Graphics and Design: Nostalgia Served Neat
Avernum 4 has an old-school isometric look straight out of the early 2000s. There’s something wonderfully traditional about its fantasy aesthetic, handcrafted caverns, glowing mushrooms, little pixel people swinging little pixel swords. It feels like paging through an old fantasy novel. There isn’t a ton of music but what the game lacks in score it makes up for in good ambience. The drips of water as you explore a mysterious cave or the growl of a wolf in the near distance. It’s a game that brings its worlds to life.
Conclusion: Old Magic, New Shine
Avernum 4: Greed and Glory won me over the longer I played. It’s a game that asks a lot of your time, your attention, and your patience, but it gives back in spades. Once its rhythm clicks, you start to see the beauty in the complexity: the freedom to shape your heroes, the layers of tactical combat, and the thrill of exploring a world that feels truly alive beneath the surface.
It’s not beginner-friendly, but it’s not unfriendly either. It’s a game that trusts you to find your own way. And that’s fine.
If you’ve got fond memories of classic RPGs or you’re curious about dipping your toes into something with real depth, grab the free demo on Steam. You’ll know pretty quickly if this is your kind of adventure.
For me? It was a surprising delight, deep, challenging, and strangely comforting.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot
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