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Avernum 2: Crystal Souls similar games & best alternatives

Avernum 2: Crystal Souls

PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, Mac • 2015

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Quick resume

Huge indie fantasy role-playing adventure in a massive, underground land. Packed with over 100 towns and dungeons and an epic story. Fight to complete up to three distinct game-winning quests. Master over 60 spells and abilities. Hunt for hundreds of magical artifacts. Over 50 hours of gameplay.

Global score

90/100

Genres

Adventure, Indie, Role-playing (RPG), Strategy

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    Pros

    • Deep and engaging story
    • Large open world with extensive exploration
    • Challenging tactical turn-based combat
    • Character customization and party building
    • Long playtime and replayability

    Cons

    • Dated graphics and sound
    • Tedious backtracking and some slow combat
    • Interface quirks and minor usability issues
    • Limited character class variety
    • Lack of multiplayer or social features

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

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      3

      "Players can freely explore open-ish world, choose characters in party, and customize skill trees, but story progression is linear and some character control is forced."

      Capsule for DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT

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    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      4

      "The game offers challenging tactical turn-based combat requiring strategic thinking and skillful use of positioning, abilities, and resource management."

      Capsule for Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart (Neptunia) Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart (Neptunia)

      "The game offers challenging turn-based tactical combat with skill trees and character development requiring strategic thinking and mastery."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -4

      "Focus is on single-player experience with no mention of multiplayer or competitive elements."

      Capsule for Geneforge 1 Geneforge 1

      "Focus is on single-player experience with no indication of competitive or multiplayer elements."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      4

      "Players report long playtimes (20-50+ hours), with many side quests and exploration encouraging extended engagement."

      Capsule for Risen 2: Dark Waters Risen 2: Dark Waters

      "Players report long playtimes (50+ hours), deep engagement, and habitual play through multiple quests and exploration."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -5

      "Gameplay is single-player with no cooperative multiplayer elements; players manage their own party independently."

      Capsule for Ruined King: A League of Legends Story™ Ruined King: A League of Legends Story™

      "Gameplay is strictly single-player controlling a party; no multiplayer or cooperative play."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      3

      "Character customization and skill builds allow creative approaches, but world and quests are mostly predefined."

      Capsule for Eschalon: Book I Eschalon: Book I

      "Character customization and party building allow creative approaches, though the game follows predefined quest structures."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "No evidence of exerting control over other players; interactions are single-player and narrative-driven."

      Capsule for I Am Your President: Prologue I Am Your President: Prologue

      "No evidence of exerting control over other players; interactions are single-player and story-driven."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Players use the game as immersive escape into a rich fantasy world with exploration and survival challenges."

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      "Players use the game as an immersive escape into a vast fantasy world with rich storytelling and exploration."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and nostalgia, with no obligation or external pressure noted."

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    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      3

      "Players experiment with character builds, skill upgrades, and exploration paths."

      Capsule for Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition

      "Players experiment with different character builds, skills, and exploration paths within the game."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      5

      "Strong emphasis on discovering new areas, secrets, and lore in a large open world."

      Capsule for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® Game of the Year Edition (2009) The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® Game of the Year Edition (2009)

      "Strong emphasis on discovering new areas, secrets, and lore in a large open world with many quests."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      2

      "Character customization allows some self-expression, though visual options are limited."

      Capsule for Avernum: Escape From the Pit Avernum: Escape From the Pit

      "Character customization allows some self-expression, though graphical customization is limited."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      5

      "Strong fantasy setting with magic, mythical creatures, and an imaginative underground world."

      Capsule for Heroes of Steel RPG Heroes of Steel RPG

      "High fantasy setting with magic, mythical races, and an imaginative underground world."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -5

      "Single-player experience with minimal social or community interaction."

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      "Single-player experience with minimal social or community interaction."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      4

      "Players develop characters through leveling and skill trees, learning enemy abilities and tactics."

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      "Players develop characters through skill trees and level-ups, learning game mechanics and strategies."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

      "Typical sedentary computer RPG with no physical activity elements."

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      "Typical sedentary computer RPG with no physical activity elements."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -4

      "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement in combat and exploration."

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      "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement in combat and exploration."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -5

      "No evidence of forming close social relationships; gameplay is solitary."

      Capsule for Blasphemous Blasphemous

      "No evidence of forming close social relationships; gameplay is solitary."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      2

      "Players lead a party of characters, managing their roles and tactics."

      Capsule for Zoria: Prologue (2020) Zoria: Prologue (2020)

      "Players lead a party of four characters, managing their skills and tactics."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      5

      "Strong RPG progression with leveling, loot acquisition, crafting, and skill upgrades."

      Capsule for Stolen Realm Stolen Realm

      "Strong RPG progression through leveling, skill point allocation, and item acquisition."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      2

      "Some players find the game relaxing and immersive, though combat can be challenging and occasionally frustrating."

      Capsule for Heroes of Steel RPG Heroes of Steel RPG

      "Some players find the game immersive and relaxing, though combat can be challenging and sometimes tedious."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      -2

      "Sensory stimulation is minimal; the game has simple graphics and no audio, focusing on strategic gameplay."

      Capsule for Airline Manager Airline Manager

      "The game has minimal sensory stimulation; graphics and sound are simple and retro, focusing on text and imagination."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -5

      "No social status or recognition mechanics; focus is on individual play."

      Capsule for Graveyard Keeper Graveyard Keeper

      "No social status or recognition mechanics; focus is on individual play."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      5

      "Strong narrative immersion with rich lore, meaningful choices, and engaging questlines."

      Capsule for Dread Delusion Dread Delusion

      "Rich narrative immersion with detailed lore, character interactions, and multiple questlines."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      5

      "Turn-based combat requires planning, skill builds, and tactical decision-making."

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      "Turn-based combat and character development require planning, problem solving, and tactical thinking."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      2

      "Some suspense and challenge in battles, but overall controlled gameplay."

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      "Some suspense and challenge in combat, especially on higher difficulties, but overall controlled gameplay."

    • Value

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      4

      "Players report good value for time with long playtime and enjoyable content."

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      "Players report excellent value for time with extensive content and long playtime."

    • Violence

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      3

      "Combat involves defeating enemies with weapons and magic, typical of fantasy RPGs."

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      "Combat involves fighting enemies with weapons and magic, typical of fantasy RPGs."

    • Survival

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      3

      "Players manage health and resources to survive challenging encounters and progress."

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      "Players manage resources and character health to survive challenging battles and exploration."

    Analysis

    Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Leadership, Survival, Violence, Strategy. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Exploration. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Sensation, Cooperation.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Where to buy

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 30/04/2026