Arx Fatalis

This game deserved once 5 or 4 stars. In 2019 I thought about giving the game 3 stars, since the game has a lot of issues, which made me almost stop playing the game. Yet the questdesign is so good, that I wish Arkane and other developers would make more games like this (without it's issues). The outstanding questdesign allows the game to be played differently, like Ultima Underwold. Some say the warrior way is the only way, some say to play as magician is the only way, which means that both ways are viable. One can achieve goals peacefully or with violence. And the best thing about this game is that the non violent way does not depend on some obvious dialog choices but on solving puzzles, like in an adventure game. There is not one quest a simple fetch quest. Arx also has an excellent leveldesign (interlocked levels) and some unique features like the magic system. However, the game has also a lot of issues. - the game needs fan patch Arx Libertatis - even with the fan patch there are graphical glitches - the story is generic - human characters are boring - voice acting for humans is bad - a lot of skills are useless (stealth seems to be useless) - footsteps sound like high heels on marble even when crouching with some stealth skills - music is boring - graphics are a bit outdated and some things are hard to see - some corridors are so small that the player is blocked by another character - user interface is cumbersome - melee combat is simplistic - magic system can be frustrating - loading screens when transitioning - frustrating black monster in dwarven mines - no dialog choices - some unpolished mechanics leed to frustration (the right idea not working) So this game is ripe for a remake but it still deserves attention until some game do it better.

It's a good game with some interesting lore and gameplay. The spellcasting is unique, the gameplay is fun (for the time this game was released). We shouldn't judge it for it's flaws since this game is from 2002. The only thing I can say of for new players is to do some research on the gameplay, it can deter lot of the new players. But for the price, 1 dollar is a very good deal you should not miss out on. The story is great with some cool twist and turns, the sidequests are OK. Some are good, others feel "empty" in a way - like it's just there cause it can. In the end, great game with minor flaws.

Simply put, Arx Fatalis is an amazing immersive sim set in an post-apocalyptic underground fantasy setting. If you enjoy games like Thief and Deus Ex, you'll love this. Arx Fatalis is a true classic. Just make sure you install Arx Libertatis mod, it's 100% required if you want to have the best, optimal experience of this game. Just do it, it's free. Arx Liberatis (among many other things) fixes the magic casting system which was basically broken. From their FAQ: -Update the Arx Fatalis source code to support modern systems -Improve portability of the game -Provide ports and on-going support in source for modern systems -Eliminate bugs or limitations of the original -Improve basic functionality to bring the engine on-par with similar modern games -Provide for further improvements and customizations to be made to the game by the community If the game didn't have it's problems at launch (which have now been fixed) this game would have been regarded as one of the best RPGs of the 2000's.

I always wanted to play Arx Fatalis when it was released years ago but eventually forgot about it after a few weeks. I purchased a copy yesterday here on GOG after confirming it would play well on a Linux machine. It kinda does but instead of using WINE for it in a Linux environment I strongly advise you to install the ARX LIBERTATIS port. (Google it) So far it has been a great game. Just leaving this review for those who don't use Windows but Linux instead :-)

I've played and finished Arx Fatalis and I have to say that it is only an average game. Unlike sprawling environments of RPGs like Oblivion the level design is very tight and there's always something interesting. The environments are also fairly different. Sound is also well done and feels very appropriate. Unfortunately, many aspects of the game that try and make it immersive such as combining raw ingredients to make food come off as unnecessary or repetitive after a while. For example, there is no short cut to making food even after discovering the ingredients. So to make more apple pies, you have to manually mix dough and water over and over again. There is also no place to store items so I ended chucking everything in an empty room and making a huge mess. The same problems go with spell casting, you have to manually draw runes in the air to cast spells. Again, this is suppose to be immersive but just ends up annoying when you do it for the 50th time. Sword fighting is extremely simplistic but normal attacks are pointless and you have to always charge your attacks to deal any real damage. And most goblins and humans take at least 3 or 4 fully charged attacks before dying. It came to the point where I wondered why the developers even bothered letting you attack without charging up. I am perhaps judging it harshly and overall the gameplay and atmosphere is fairly well done considering the limited resources of the studio. If you play the second game by the studio "Dark Messiah - Might and Magic" you'll notice some of these criticisms have been addressed. For example, learnt spells can simply equipped and can be cast with a single click and you no longer need to cook food so Arkane have obviously taken on board the criticism.