Spiderweb Software released Avernum 4: Greed and Glory on October 22, 2025, and it’s everything you’d expect from a studio that’s been making indie CRPGs for 31 years without compromise. No chasing trends. No live service mechanics. No loot boxes. Just a massive turn-based fantasy RPG where you explore an enormous underground world, build your party exactly how you want, and make choices that actually matter. It’s old school in the best way, and founder Jeff Vogel wouldn’t have it any other way.
The 25 Year Journey
Avernum 4: Greed and Glory is a complete remaster of the 2005 game Avernum 4, marking the 25th anniversary of the Avernum series. But calling it just a remaster undersells what Spiderweb accomplished. Jeff Vogel went through every location, every line of text, every encounter, and every asset to revise and expand the entire experience. The original game was enormous but had flaws, particularly an underdeveloped story and exhausted execution from a solo developer who’d bitten off more than he could chew.
Twenty years later, Vogel had the perspective to see what went wrong and the experience to fix it. The story has been heavily reworked to be exciting and full of interesting choices. Thanks to Kickstarter backers, he added over 20 new quest lines, four new major locations, piles of new characters, and enough dialogue for every major character to feel alive rather than functional. Traveling envoys from the Empire appear throughout the game for diplomatic interactions that weren’t in the original.
This isn’t Spiderweb’s first remaster rodeo. They’ve redone 13 classic games over their three-decade history, and they’ve learned to respect what fans loved while fixing what didn’t work. The world, characters, and game systems remain mostly the same. What changed is the depth, the polish, and the storytelling that makes you care about saving or betraying this underground nation.
The Underground Nation of Avernum
The setting is what makes Avernum special. You’re not saving a generic fantasy kingdom. You’re exploring Avernum, a vast underground realm of caverns and settlements that was originally a prison for the Empire’s criminals and exiles. Over generations, these outcasts built their own civilization deep beneath the earth. They value freedom because they had to fight for it. They’re scrappy survivors who’ve made something remarkable from nothing.
But Avernum is in chaos. Powerful factions clash, bandits make travel dangerous, ancient magics are awakening, and the government struggles to maintain order. Into this mess comes your party of four adventurers looking for fortune, glory, or just survival. The open-ended story lets you pick sides, negotiate with monsters, broker peace deals or engineer profitable catastrophes, and generally carve your own path through the underworld.
The worldbuilding is rich without being overwhelming. Avernum has its own history, culture, politics, and problems that feel specific rather than generic. This isn’t another world of elves and orcs doing the same old fantasy tropes. It’s a unique setting with humor, darkness, and personality that comes from decades of refinement across multiple games.
Tactical Combat That Respects Your Time
Combat is turn-based and tactical without being tediously slow. You control a party of four characters in battles where positioning, ability timing, and build synergies matter. The system offers over 100 spells, traits, and other methods to enhance your power, giving you genuine options for how you approach encounters. Want to build a sneaky rogue, a heavily armored tank, a devastating wizard, or some hybrid monstrosity? Go for it.
What Spiderweb understands that many modern CRPGs forget is that combat encounters should be interesting, not numerous. You won’t spend hours grinding through identical battles. Instead, you’ll face varied challenges that require thought and adaptation. When you do encounter trash mobs, the interface is responsive enough that clearing them doesn’t become a chore. For a game that could easily demand 60 plus hours for completion, respecting player time is crucial.
Dungeons That Aren’t Just Combat Arenas
Dungeons in Avernum 4 mix exploration, combat, puzzle solving, and storytelling rather than being linear hallways full of enemies. You’ll find secret passages, environmental storytelling through item placement and notes, moral choices with lasting consequences, and shortcuts you can unlock for future visits. The design philosophy prioritizes variety and surprise over quantity.
Reviewers specifically called out the clever dungeon design as one of the game’s strengths. These aren’t procedurally generated rooms filled with random loot. They’re handcrafted spaces with personality and purpose within the larger world. When you clear a dungeon, you feel like you’ve accomplished something specific rather than just checking off another location on a map.
The Reddit AMA Revealed Everything
Jeff Vogel did an Ask Me Anything on Reddit on October 23, 2025, and his responses were refreshingly honest about the indie game business. After 31 years, Spiderweb Software survives by making games they want to make for an audience that appreciates them. They’re not trying to compete with Baldur’s Gate 3’s budget or Elden Ring’s scope. They’re filling a specific niche that AAA publishers abandoned decades ago.
When asked about Linux ports, Vogel admitted dedicated versions are unlikely but the games run on WINE. Android ports aren’t happening until sales improve enough to justify hiring someone. Translations into other languages face the same economic reality. A scenario editor is beyond his expertise. These aren’t evasive PR answers. They’re a solo developer being honest about limitations and priorities.
What’s next for Spiderweb? Wrapping up the Queen’s Wish series and continuing to remaster older titles. There’s a massive back catalog of classic games that don’t run properly on modern machines anymore, and Vogel wants to preserve them. It’s not the most exciting roadmap for people craving revolutionary new ideas, but it’s sustainable for a studio that’s been profitable for three decades by knowing exactly what they are.
The Graphics Debate
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Avernum 4: Greed and Glory doesn’t look like a 2025 game. The graphics are functional, clean, and improved from the 2005 version, but nobody is showcasing this in a graphics comparison video against Cyberpunk 2077. This is intentional. Spiderweb focuses resources on gameplay systems, writing, and world design rather than cutting-edge visuals.
Some players cannot get past this. If you need photorealistic graphics and mocap animations to immerse yourself in a game, Avernum isn’t for you. But for people who grew up with Ultima, Might and Magic, or the original Baldur’s Gate games, these graphics do exactly what they need to. They communicate information clearly, maintain consistent visual language, and get out of the way so you can focus on the actual game.
The updated interface built for modern systems is actually a significant improvement. UI scaling works properly on high resolution displays. Controller support has been added. The game runs smoothly on current hardware unlike the original. These quality of life updates matter more for long-term playability than flashy particle effects.
Who Is This Game For
Avernum 4: Greed and Glory targets a specific audience and makes no apologies for it. If you want AAA production values, voice acting for every line, cutscenes, or modern conveniences like quest markers and automatic fast travel, look elsewhere. If you want a massive, complex RPG where reading matters, choices have consequences, and building your perfect party is half the fun, Spiderweb has you covered.
The game particularly appeals to older gamers who remember when CRPGs dominated PC gaming and graphics were less important than systems depth. But it’s not pure nostalgia bait. Younger players who discovered the genre through Divinity Original Sin or Baldur’s Gate 3 and want to understand its roots will find a polished, complete experience that shows how engaging these games can be without modern budgets.
Platform Availability
Avernum 4: Greed and Glory launched on Windows and Mac through Steam, GOG.com, and Spiderweb’s official website. An iPad version is coming in December 2025, continuing Spiderweb’s tradition of supporting mobile platforms where their games actually work well. The turn-based nature and responsive interface make touch controls viable in ways that real-time RPGs struggle with.
The game is priced reasonably for the amount of content provided. You’re looking at 60 plus hours for a thorough playthrough, with replay value from different character builds and story choices. That’s exceptional value compared to many modern RPGs that cost three times as much and provide a quarter of the playtime.
FAQs
When did Avernum 4: Greed and Glory release?
The game launched October 22, 2025 on Windows and Mac via Steam, GOG.com, and Spiderweb Software’s website. An iPad version is scheduled for December 2025.
Is this a remake or a remaster?
It’s a comprehensive remaster of the 2005 game Avernum 4. Every location, text, encounter, and asset was revised. Over 20 new quest lines, four new locations, and extensive new dialogue were added along with a reworked story.
Who develops Spiderweb Software games?
Jeff Vogel founded Spiderweb Software in 1994 and remains the primary developer. It’s essentially a one-person operation that has released 18 original titles and remastered 13 classic games over 31 years.
Do I need to play previous Avernum games first?
No, Avernum 4: Greed and Glory is designed as an entry point. While it’s the fourth game chronologically, you don’t need prior knowledge to understand the story or world. The game provides necessary context.
How long is Avernum 4?
A thorough playthrough takes approximately 60 plus hours. The game is massive with extensive side content, exploration, and character customization that extends playtime significantly beyond the main story.
Are the graphics outdated?
The graphics are functional and improved from 2005 but not cutting-edge by 2025 standards. Spiderweb prioritizes gameplay systems and writing over visual fidelity. If you need modern graphics to enjoy games, this isn’t for you.
Is there voice acting?
No, Avernum 4 uses text-based dialogue throughout. This is consistent with Spiderweb’s design philosophy and budget constraints. The writing quality makes this work well.
Can I play on Linux?
There’s no native Linux version, but the game runs on WINE according to Jeff Vogel. Dedicated ports for other platforms aren’t currently planned due to resource limitations.
Conclusion
Avernum 4: Greed and Glory exists as proof that you can survive as an indie developer for three decades by knowing your audience and serving them well. Jeff Vogel isn’t trying to compete with billion-dollar studios or chase viral success. He’s making the CRPGs he wants to play, and enough people want the same thing to keep Spiderweb Software profitable year after year. This remaster represents everything that philosophy enables. A massive, complex RPG that respects player intelligence, offers genuine choice and consequence, provides tactical depth without tedium, and tells engaging stories in a unique fantasy setting. The graphics won’t win awards and the marketing budget is nonexistent, but the game is excellent at what it does. For CRPG fans tired of publishers abandoning the genre or diluting it with mainstream appeal, Spiderweb Software continues delivering exactly what you want. Avernum 4: Greed and Glory proves old school design still works when executed with passion and experience. If you have any fondness for classic PC RPGs, add this to your library. The underground nation of Avernum needs heroes, and you might be exactly what they’re looking for. Just remember to bring patience for reading, appreciation for tactical combat, and tolerance for graphics that prioritize function over flash. Do that, and you’ll find one of 2025’s best RPGs hiding beneath the surface.