Arx Fatalis

I have played a lot of games on PC or console and this one belong to the few you can play many time and still discover things. This game looks like Might and Magic or Ishar except you only control one character and is in full 3D. Strangely this kind of game was very common in the 90's but there was just a few in the 2k's. There is a once very active forum on the developer's web site : Many hints, information or explanation. Can work in a very decent way on a 2004 PC under Windows XP. Almost works under Linux + wine : The game suffer massive slowdown when the book is openned.

"Arx Fatalis" has so many qualities - everything from the atmosphere, storyline, gameplay and overall design is top-notch. Unfortunately, it suffers from a lot of bugs and it's more or less impossible to get it to run well on a modern computer. You will either get a really low frame rate or the game will keep crashing on you (most likely you'll experience both!). I thought I got it working well this last time I played it, but eventually I started getting the "fatal memory error" bug and various other, smaller issues. It is somewhat playable if you have A LOT of patience, though. This game truly deserves 5 stars, but as it is, I can only give it 3. :(

Compared to recent RPGs, this game is very different and feels very fresh. This game does not try to simulate an open world as Fallout and Oblivion tried, yet it feels much more open than the worlds in the said games. Where in an open world invisible walls seems wrong, in dungeons the real walls are ok. And you move through dungeons starting with escape from a prison all the time. The dungeons feel as natural and well designed as the offices in Half-Life 1 do. And the story develops very well. If I should compare it to other games, it would be a combination of Die by the Sword and Might and Magic VI-VIII. The realtime combat with some degree of strategy (just move closer, strike, pull out, etc.), mostly linear way forward and RPG style like Might and Magic VI-VIII. The only thing that I would like to change is the controls. I would be much happier if I were able to collect items by pressing spacebar and having the inventory over the whole screen with the game paused. But yeah, just a minor flaw.

This game made a very clean escape from being one huge medieval sewer level. The setting of the game is a world whose sun died long ago. The races of the world worked together and managed to move civilization underground before the inevitable apocalyptic freeze. Now, the peace and cooperation is wearing thin. You start in a dank dungeon with nothing but vague promises from a fellow prisoner who offers to help. Progressing from literally a bone-swinging savage in tattered leather thongs, you can become any sort of warrior, launching massive fireballs or cleaving foes with swords. However, the game becoming increasingly unforgiving, so the player learns to be consistent in skill development. The amount of environmental interaction rivals the best of modern RPGs. You can mine gems and metals, cook, manufacture weapons, and use the environment to kill more difficult foes. The story gets darker and creepier the further you go, but the developers accomplished a great in adding vast detail to what is supposed to be a limited environment.

[Please excuse any spelling mistakes... I'm not a native speaker] I bought Arx Fatalis some years ago, so I can't really talk about the version offered on gog.com. I had some framerate and vertical-sync problems, but managed to handle them with a graphic card driver update. Well... it didn't work perfect, but at least the game was playable without getting headaches :) The crashing to desktop also stopped. Maybe it's best to do some "pro"/"con" listing, as it is the kind of review I would like to read :) + + Atmosphere: one of the most creepy I have ever experienced! Sometimes claustrophobic (very dark and narrow caves), other times just disgusting (in the best sense of the word :) ). I absolutely don't suffer from arachnophobia, but in this case... + Quite a lot to explore: many side-quests and secrets + The magical system, that is one of the most interesting/challenging I have ever played + Big areas without loading. There is much walking in this game but somehow it's not annoying + Almost no respawning of enemies, which I do prefer instead of fighting over and over the same enemies in the same area + Real-time battles: changing weapons or using items without pausing in the menue makes the game more challenging/realistic + Technical side: yes, it's old, but imho it's enough to create a great atmosphere - - A bit too easy - Map: quite useless, as there are almost no markings of special areas. I would recommend to print them and make your own markings with a pen - Story: not too overwhelming - Controls: sometimes a bit clumsy (f.e. jumping) Many people may compare this game to the Elder Scrolls Series (especially Morrowind), but I think that sucks :p Both games are great, but have a whole different approach. If I could, I would give Arx Fatalis 4,5 stars!