Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

Did you ever want to play a steampunk RPG? Well, this is the closest you are going to get. The game lets you explore a world in which magic and technology are diverging, and your character gets to make the decision of which they will pursue. (You can even choose a mixture of both). One negative is that if you want to follow the path of guns, you are going to have a very rough road of it. You have to purchase bullets, which happen to not be that cheap. And the damage that the guns deal does not power up as quickly as the swords do. The story is interesting, it's a world of elves, dwarves, gnomes, orcs, and humans - and with the mix of tech and magic in the 19th century, you have lots of intriguing interactions and characters. The final boss brings an interesting twist, and the final boss is not so much a snarling villain twisting his mustache, but a sympathetic character. Is this game as good as Planescape: Torment? Not even close. Is it worth playing? Definitely!

Hours of fun but like some of these older games, can get a bit tedious.

Fantastic story line and writing. The world concept was well implemented. The game has so much replay value, as there are hundreds of different ways to play. The trio of legendary game makers over at Troika really paid attention to detail when they made this masterpiece. They really don't make games like this. Unlike most RPGS all the characters are more than 2d. There's a real depth to any decision you make. You decide how the story progresses. There's no simple good or evil. Nothing is stereotypical, and the world feels real. The music is amazing. The character development works perfectly, there are so many options and rewards. There are few games that resemble Arcanum. Fallout 1, Fallout 2 & Starcontrol 2 come to mind

Not only is this game everything the other reviewers say, but it's got whole dialogue trees for some things you wouldn't expect. If you start your character out with low intelligence, the entire game is shaped around that with new options and responses. I am taking off a star on purpose from this otherwise awesome game, because technology has (or had) some serious issues - including end-game enemies literally dodging bullets constantly. If you do play, go magic. That's all I'm going to say about that.

Amazingly flexible character skill creation and advancement, an engaging and enjoyable world with perfect mood music. A wide range of spells, formulae, designs and schematics, plus a healthy list of magick and superior tech loot, a combat system reminiscent of Fallout (praise be it's name above all others). My only complaints are the lack of females, and a few key-binding complaints. nothing major to note. Heck, fallout didn't even have a character portrait for your toon, lol. Arcanum was a game I borrowed from a friend for only a few days. Simply put, I was blown away. That was years ago and I yearned to find a copy all these years. Another friend recently told me about GOG, and that Arcanum was only $6 US, OMggg... well you get the picture. Do yourself a favor and buy this, right now. If you loved Fallout 1, if you love magick AND guns, if you love playing good, evil, or anything in between, oh it's endless... *growl* just buy it...