Arx Fatalis

Oh, another fun game :) Mouse gestures for spellcasting give it an interesting twist. I personally found it a little hard to adapt to at first (especially since there's a move mode and a pointer mode), but YMMV. Still, it's fresh and somehow it seems "right" (no single-button mashing [in fact, you can hotkey a spell, but for the next use only - tedious], instead you really have to *do* something). I'm not sure how the graphics hold up today (it's been a while), but I guess "fair", since it wasn't overwhelming to begin with. Which, let's face it, is not the important issue. Story-wise I'd say Arx is unexceptional RPG fare (as mentioned before, this, too, is not necessarily a bad thing) with some puzzles, but quite a linear plot. Be aware that Arx is completely underground, so you're in for quite a dungeon crawl :)

The world of Arx is atmospheric and immersive. The sprawling dungeon heavily encourages exploration. Coupled with excellent sound design, you will satisfyingly tiptoe through unknown areas in a way that cannot be matched by modern waypoint-centric games. Player agency and interaction is key: you must think and pay attention when you play this game! You are always rewarded for picking up on the slightest details, such as noticing books that might be useful to certain NPCs. Arx also uses verticality, with hidden items on ledges you can retrieve with telekinesis or levitation. Magic is performed by actually drawing runes with the mouse cursor. Your spell catalog grows impressive and powerful with intuitive rune combinations. However, it can be finnicky to get shapes to register–especially during battle! Thankfully, you can store up to three spells to instant cast. Character-wise, you have your typical melee, mage and ranged builds. You should specialize: magic is the easiest, while ranged/thievery is the hardest. Compared to other games, it takes a surprisingly large investment in lockpicking and stealth to be viable. Unfortunately, the GoG release is quite buggy on modern Windows. I initially struggled to get the game launching at all. Beyond that, crashes are common so save often. The sound occasionally cuts out and can be resolved by toggling EAX or restarting. Some textures have ugly black backgrounds when they should be see through. Past the technical issues, I found the game's lore and plot a bore. The premise of humanity being forced underground has potential, but I never felt strong investment in any of the characters. The combat experience varies. Lower enemies fall swiftly to your blade or powerful spells with ease. On the other hand, tougher bosses drag on and become more of a chore than a genuine challenge. The final boss of the game is one of the least satisfying fights I have seen in any game. All said, worth trying out.

this entire game takes place underground, and i love it anyway. i cant remember the last time i played through an rpg 4+ times. it's just fun. there's 3 "general" builds you can do; warrior, mage, rogue, and they all work fairly well.(being a swordmage is also completely viable, because combat is largely a joke.) there's a ton of ways to handle the quests, and the freedom you have makes it veryyy enjoyable. the world feels very alive. there's a human kingdom, a goblin kingdom, a troll kingdom, a dwarf kingdom, a snakewoman city, you can either run around murdering everyone or be diplomatic or you can just decide you don't like a certain racelol, you can rob everyone blind if you have high Sneak, you can rob stores and resell their wares back to them, you can buy shares in troll mines that may make a profit, you can steal a dragon's eggs or pay her for them, you can buy a beer and drink it, you can feed dogs, you can cook food on fires, you can bake bread and pies, you can gamble and then rob the dealer when he's had enough of you. You can even get a gf. there's just so much to do in such a small game. it's a lot of fun. something you might not like is that enemies don't respawn infinitely, so you can't grind forever. most people don't even hit the level cap of 10. So you kinda have to spec you character a little carefully. but there's no shortage of resources in the game, especially if you just play as your class. only real issue with the game is that it does ultimately fall short of other games with how "alive" the world actually is. Somehow it does manage to really pull it off though. Maybe because of the setting, everything feels very significant. some tips: 1 kind of enemy in the game is absurdly fast and strong. if you're a mage, ezpz, if you're a pure-strength warrior, you're boned, use invisibility potions. mage is OP, warrior is probably the hardest class to start as there's a really really good pdf guide out there, just search for it and you'll find it

First time I played this game I didn't thought much of it. But when I started it again I got hooked. Though if I remember correctly I never finished the game but that proves there's lot to play at least. The puzzles give this dungeon adventure a certain taste than just mashing enemies and collecting stuff. The quests are also very varying from the good old mashing to negotiating and stealing. The spell system was very refreshing and when playing as mage, killing your enemies with spells the system adds it's own suspense to the game. The menu system is bit awkward but it doesn't ruin the game. Also possibility of making potions and other stuff is a good addition.

I first played this game in 2013. If you like exploration, discovering secrets, negotiating traps, and robbing vaults (abandoned & in use) in an entirely unrestricted manner, this game is for you. There are no contrived restrictions on accessing any part of the game or tackling any quest. The level design is incredibly well done and rewards those who take the time to discover secrets and short cuts through the interlocking labrynths. I had basically explored the entire game before I really even began the "crticial path". Mixing rogue skills and magic is the way to go. This is not to say going anywhere you want in the game will be easy. Traps are lethal, locks are difficult to pick, monsters are simply stronger than you, and the magic system--while admirable--is difficult to use. It is possible to prepare a spell in advance for 1-click casting. utilize this wisely. That being said, the magic system is incredibly useful and will let you do all manner of things that modern conventions would consider game breaking. Some gamers may find themsevles frustrated by the lack of direction, map notes, and vague quests. This game was among the last of the RPGs before "stream-lining" became an industry standard. Difficulty is real, and you will not be able to rambo your way through this game. The graphics are dated, but I feel that they hold up. The sound is mostly ambient. It builds the cold and isolated atmosphere, but contains no remarkable music. I experienced next to no bugs. If you enjoy this genre for adventure, and have the time to methodically plump the depths of a truely elaborate labrynth, then this game is for you. If you're looking for something casual or plot driven, I would keep moving. It will be your loss though.