The Void

Developer: Ice-pick Lodge
Website: www.tension-game.com/index_en.php
Price: £19.99

From the website:
The Void- a survival adventure game, in which you have to stay alive in the hostile world of Void and to get out from it as quick as possible. The choice is either to support life in its horrifying Hunters or its mournful girls or strip them of it. The way you pass through The Void is the way it changes. The way it reflects upon you.
The surrealistic world of the Void is based on a single resource that grants the ability to live and act – Lympha. Each color of Lympha possesses its own character and unique properties – both useful and dangerous. Only Lympha gives life, but it can take it back as well. Hunters’ blood, captured creature, gracious girls, tree brought to life, just everything is the source of Lympha. Any action you take: battling an enemy, talking to a Sister, hunting, searching, traveling – the price in exchange is Lympha.
The dynamic, interactive environment and the severe resource shortage constantly put the player into unexpected circumstances. Although the player is free to use any colors any time he should mind his global strategy, since the finale will turn out the way the world is painted. The gameplay in the Void is non-linear the ending (one of the 11) depends on the color and the amount of Lympha used.

Features:

• Lympha – the unified resource: the currency, the hero’s health, armory and inventory, the character’s stat system and the world settings.
• All the actions are done via drawing by Lympha. The amount of Lympha used influences the effectiveness of the result.
• The diversity of gameplay based greatly on random appearance and distribution of resources.
• 7 colors of Lympha are of the same value of nutrition, but produce a different effect in the same situations, if used.
• Each color of Lympha can benefit and each can harm. The player can take advantage of a color, though even a drop of any color can change the world of the Gap.

For a more in-depth look at what this brilliant game is all about you can read the Rock, Paper, Shotgun review here: Wot I think: The void

Avernum 6

Developer: Spiderweb Software
Website: www.avernum.com/avernum6/index.html
Price: $28.00 for the full game. Free Demo.

From the website:
The epic conclusion of the award-winning Avernum series. Travel into the strange subterranean land of Avernum, full of dungeons, labyrinths, and constant warfare. A final set of disasters threatens to destroy your homeland in a spasm of famine and warfare. Only you can help your people to get to safety before everything falls apart. As you wander the gigantic world of Avernum, you will experience:

• An enormous world. Hundreds of quests, dozens of dungeons and enemy fortresses, and multitudes of characters.
• A fascinating storyline, full of surprises, treachery, and epic battles.
• Many unique encounters. Not just mindless hack and slash. Many unusual enemies that will require clever tactics to defeat.
• Rich game system with over 50 spells and battle disciplines, many character building options, and powerful secret skills to unlock.
• Unique game world. Unique races and settings make Avernum different from any RPG out there.
• Experience with previous Avernum games is completely unnecessary to enjoy Avernum 6.

Planeshift

Developer: Atomic Blue
Website: www.planeshift.it
Price: Free

From the Website:
The objective of the PlaneShift project is to create a virtual fantasy world in which a player can start from humble beginnings and advance to greatness in whatever path they may choose. PlaneShift is a Role Playing Game - be sure to read our roleplay guidelines! We will focus our efforts on the reproduction of a real world with politics, economy and many non-player-characters controlled by the server that will bring our world to life, even without players connected!

Here are 10 reasons why you should become a player and a fan of PlaneShift:

• Planeshift is a great place to find new friends from all over the world!
• PlaneShift is a virtual world where you've always dreamed of living.
• PlaneShift is the first 3D MMORPG to be completely and forever free for players.
• Thanks to our open development process the game will be expanded endlessly for years to come.
• Planeshift is a game made by roleplayers to bring you all the immersion you need from a virtual world.
• A unique setting, realistic combat rules, great magic system with hundreds of spells.
• No budgetary constraints will stop development of the world or prevent the addition of new ideas.
• You can build your house, your castle, your realm.
• You have the option to live as an adventurer or as a normal citizen - both paths will be rewarded in the game.
• You can submit comments, ideas, bugs and the dev team will take those into account in future releases.

The following list represents some of the features of the final product:

• 12 playable races with unique traits!
• Unlimited professions through a skill system
• Original magic system with six Ways of magic
• Hundreds of spells
• Numerous huge worlds to explore
• A great number of quests to test your wit and skill
• Monsters and NPCs with good AI that produce game events
• A world that evolves with or without player interaction
• Create your own house or castle
• Politics and economy

... and much much more!