Even though The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is already available and Neverwinter Nights 2 and Gothic 3 are poised to strike during the holidays, that doesn’t mean that we mush ignore less known RPG games. From my experience with Zanzarah: The Hidden Portal I have learned that these smaller titles can have some interesting ideas, which can bring satisfactions far greater than those offered by the so-called AAA titles, which usually are just sequels in a successful series. This is why I followed with interest the progress of Mayhem Studios’ Neverend, a RPG which promised good things, judging by the screenshots and trailers released on the Internet.

     Unfortunately, the first impression isn’t bad, it’s horrendous. I was so traumatized during the first few hours of play that I was tempted to uninstall it without giving it a second thought. It’s only after about a third of the game when you come to realize that maybe Neverend isn’t such a bad game after all. Until then though you’ll have to endure the horrible voice acting – the voices aren’t even close to matching that of the respective characters – the mayor of Mildrew for instance. And the fact that all the texts are spoken isn’t something to brag out. Moreover, the texts have spelling errors and some of them are just wrong – as in, you’re reading one thing and the character is saying another. Another thing that proves the amateur nature of the game is the tutorial, which despite the fact that it teaches you the game mechanics and principles, is filled with bad jokes which lack the slightest traces of humor.

     The story is above average and is gradually revealed to you, which is a good thing. It’s also quite interesting and is probably the main reason why would you want to finish the game, even though the latter can cause severe trauma to your nerves. The first clue that this isn’t just another storyline is the intro itself – you don’t know why Agavaen, the protagonist, is a member of gang of thieves. Due to some in-fighting, a couple of them left, robbing the others and taking Agavaen’s amulet among other things. This is how the game starts. To recover the amulet and the stolen treasure you’ll have to cross a swamp and to do that you’ll need a guide. This will be your first quest in the game. I won’t go into further details so that I won’t spoil any surprises, but there are two endings for the story (good or bad) depending on your reputation.