Download Anvil of Dawn

Now, where should one start to describe a masterpiece? I can't think of anything about the game that could have been done better. If you don't understand it by now, the game will receive a score of 5 - without ANY doubts whatsoever!

You are one of five heroes called forth to rescue a kingdom from total destruction. Your choice of character will affect the story of the game. You might not notice these small changes at the beginning of the game, but they will be more noticeable at later stages. There are, for instance, completely different endings for each character. This brings us to the next aspect of the game: playability. Is the game worth playing five times in order to see the different endings? The short answer would be Yes. As RPGs go, this one scores incredibly high on playability. You are free to go anywhere you please. Maybe you want to go directly to the top of the Ancient Tree, before going anywhere else (just to get the magic branch that will help you greatly in your quest), or maybe you want to free the King of the orange gorillas and gain his support against the Warlord. Perhaps you want to follow the book and do as the Old One tells you (go straight to the Dark Lantern and consult the mage that dwells within)... The choice is yours. Whatever you choose, the task will not be simple.

But what could possibly hinder you?

Well, enemies of course. All the enemies you meet are either colourful (the tree-men), fantastic (dragons), massive (orange gorillas), realistic (Scots complete with kilts), difficult (fire-breathing stone statues), annoying (knife-wielding snakes) or all of the above. The ones mentioned here are just a small percentage of the actual creatures you will meet. The way to beat the different monsters will be to memorize their attack patterns. Every abomination will have its own way of attacking, so you need to have a good memory. Don't worry. It's not too hard to learn. Other than things to kill, you will also meet things to speak to; so-called NPCs. These are as special and diverse as the monsters are varied. Some will have items they want to give you, some might give you clues, and some might just be frustrating, but none of them is boring! The thing that repeats itself, however, is that most of them want you to help them in some way. A thing I really like about the talking in the game is that you can watch the facial expression of your character in the picture. The dialogues are truly masterpieces, as each sentence has been carefully carved into a state of perfection! The plot in the game derives from these conversations, and so the plot becomes deep and alive because of these interactions with the different NPCs. Lastly, there is a third group you will meet from time to time: the other four heroes. Depending on the character you chose, their tales will be different. And you will meet them all over the land.

How would you fight the many dangers in this world?

With weapons, magic and lots of healing potions! There are numerous weapons available in the game. These fall under different categories: hacking, slashing, thrusting and ranged. You train yourself in these categories, so you will need to make the best of both your abilities and your weapon(s). Each weapon is also carefully made and they all look great! They also have different damage scores. Just like a pen-and-paper RPG, these scores are listed as, for instance, 2d8 (meaning two eight-sided dice added together). The way you fight in the game is simple. You left-click to use the item/weapon in your left hand, and right-click to use your right hand. Since the weapons are so well-made, the game's creators had to do something special about the magic as well. They solved it by having the character draw different symbols in real-time in order to cast a spell. This creates a unique effect and also makes your character seem more alive. All the spells belong to different classes and have different symbols and they also come with a shortcut on the game's interface. How could it be any simpler? As for inventory, you have infinite pockets. Just remember that more weight will make you tired more quickly. Fatigue means you lose strength and agility. Not something you would want before an important fight. As the game progresses, you will come across sacks and chests that will greatly help you organize your inventory. And before I forget it: Do NOT underestimate the value of rocks and boulders! These are used as weights on different scales all through the game.

The game is divided into two worlds: the dungeon-inspired sites (where all the fighting will take place) and the travel map. The rendered backgrounds for the travel map are extraordinary. Take a look at the screens on the right.

I could go on all week about this game and its greatness, but I won't. Look at the screens and download it at once. It is without a doubt THE best RPG I have ever played!