Avernum 4 Remade: Spiderweb’s Underground Epic Goes Bigger, Not Just Prettier

Why this remake actually matters

This caught my attention because Avernum 4 is the awkward middle child of Spiderweb’s beloved underworld saga-the 2005 entry that shifted engines and design in ways that split the fanbase. Now it’s getting a full rebuild as Avernum 4: Greed and Glory on October 22, 2025 for PC and Mac (with iPad to follow), and Spiderweb is promising more than upscaled tiles and a new font. We’re talking a new engine, improved turn-based combat, expanded dungeons, and over 20 fresh questlines, partly bankrolled by a successful Kickstarter. That combo says “real second chance” rather than “nostalgia tax.”

Key takeaways

• This is a ground-up remake, not a reskin-expect systemic changes, not just nicer caves.
• 20+ new questlines and expanded dungeons suggest genuine new content for veterans.
• Combat and QoL improvements aim to fix the pacing and friction that dogged the 2005 release.
• Kickstarter funding ($97k from 1,628 backers) likely paid for the “extra” content, not just the porting work.

Breaking down the announcement

Spiderweb Software is rebuilding Avernum 4 in a brand-new engine with overhauled visuals and tactical combat improvements. It’s coming to Windows and Mac first on October 22, 2025, with an iPad version “soon after.” The studio says there are “hours of brand-new content,” including more than 20 new questlines and sprawling dungeons layered into the classic story about a crumbling subterranean nation fending off monstrous forces.

Founder Jeff Vogel put it simply: this world endures because it’s an alien frontier where “anyone can go to be free and seek their fortune.” He also promises new players won’t be lost jumping in here. That’s important-Avernum has 30 years of lore, but Spiderweb has been good at making each game self-contained without hand-holding you to death.

The real story: Avernum 4’s do-over

If you were around for the original, you’ll remember that Avernum 4 shifted how the series flowed—less of the classic outdoors travel feel, more compact zones, and a rhythm that some fans found grindy. It wasn’t bad, but it felt like an experiment that didn’t entirely land. A full remake gives Spiderweb the chance to smooth those seams: smarter encounter design, better quest density, clearer build options, and a world that rewards wandering as much as questing.

Spiderweb’s recent remasters, like Geneforge 1: Mutagen and Geneforge 2: Infestation, have been quietly excellent at modernizing without losing soul—cleaner UIs, improved journals, better tooltips, sensible difficulty options, and combat pacing that respects your time. If Greed and Glory follows that playbook, expect cleaner party management, more readable battlefields, and fewer “I broke my build at level 8” moments. The studio doesn’t do flashy, but they do care about friction, and that matters more in a 40-60 hour CRPG than any lighting pass.

What’s new vs. what’s marketing

“Overhauled visuals” from Spiderweb will never mean Larian-level spectacle. That’s fine. Their charm is the crunchy tactics and dense writing. What I’m looking for is legibility: crisp tiles, clear ability icons, and effects you can parse at a glance so you spend less time squinting at status icons and more time planning flanks and spell combos. If the new engine delivers that, the upgrade is real.

“20+ new questlines” is the other eyebrow-raiser. Are these brief side errands or full narrative arcs with meaningful choices? The studio’s track record leans toward the latter—small quest chains that spiral into faction tensions and moral weirdness. Give me more of that: rival cities asking you to sabotage each other, shady mages with temptingly dangerous offers, and consequences that echo a few hours later. If these new lines stitch into the core story rather than sit on the margins, veterans will have a fresh map to redraw—not just a checklist to clear.

Kickstarter fuel and iPad hopes

The Kickstarter raise—$97,000 from 1,628 backers—isn’t wild money, but for Spiderweb it’s enough to justify extra zones, bespoke encounters, maybe a new skill tree wrinkle or two. Crucially, this studio delivers; their crowdfunded projects ship and the “stretch” content actually arrives in the game. The iPad version is also a big deal. Spiderweb’s turn-based systems and readable UI scale well to tablets, and having a meaty CRPG you can chip away at on the couch makes Avernum uniquely easy to live with.

The gamer’s perspective: Who should care?

If you loved the classic Exile/Avernum vibe—freedom-first questing, choices that make enemies as often as friends—this is the most expansive version of Avernum 4 yet. If you bounced off the original’s pacing, this remake might fix the pain points through smarter combat flow and denser quest hubs. And if Baldur’s Gate 3 brought you to CRPGs but you want something scrappier and more reactive (and, let’s be honest, much smaller in install size), Spiderweb’s worlds scratch that itch without the bloat.

My lingering questions: How deeply do the new questlines integrate into the main arc? How far do the “combat improvements” go—initiative tweaks, terrain interplay, new status effects? Will there be expanded difficulty and accessibility settings out of the gate? Those details will decide whether Greed and Glory is a must-play remake or a solid “wait for a holiday sale.”

TL;DR

Avernum 4: Greed and Glory isn’t a lazy remaster. New engine, revamped turn-based combat, and 20+ fresh questlines signal a real do-over for the series’ most divisive entry. It launches October 22 on PC and Mac, with iPad coming after. If Spiderweb applies its recent remaster smarts, this could be the definitive way to get lost in the underworld again.