Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

The first thing that immediately grabbed me in Arcanum was the SETTING itself. It seems pretty unique, because it’s a pretty standard fantasy world with the classic fantasy races – bearded, technologically minded dwarves, magical and nature-aligned elves, industrious gnomes and so on, but there’s a twist that builds upon this classic fantasy depiction, and the twist is that the world is currently undergoing an industrial revolution. Next point I loved about the game is the MUSIC. Not all pieces are remarkable, but the ones that are really, really stayed with me. It’s certainly a good decision by the game to put one of the most beautiful tracks right in the main menu. How about the STORY, then? I would lie if I said I thought it was boundlessly brilliant or anything like that, but for me it was definitely engaging and mostly competently done, interesting enough to keep me going through the 65 hours I spent in the game, and with a couple of highligts I’ll probably remember for a really long time. Finally, the GAMEPLAY. I didn’t find it’s gameplay to be anything overly fascinating, but that’s maybe because I never really entirely grasped it. Arcanum’s really one of those games that expect you actually READ the manual. And I never did. But one thing that really brings Arcanum down in my opinion is the significant amount of trash mobs that you have to kill and their sheer repetitiveness. There’s a LOT of travelling and only like 3 random encounters. I’m not even kidding. What do you think about my opinion? How do you remember Arcanum? If you’d be interested in checking out as someone who really values exploration, story and immersion goes through the game for the first time, you may check a BLIND playthrough on my youtube channel, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWCNGo5_19I&list=PLp4TpsJ7HUWW431baJHkNmF2KfucvTXB2

This game has a lot going for it but you'll need to work for it and be patient to get to the "good stuff". By work and be patient I mean put up with many many bugs, technical faults, poor AI, long load times and few QOL features. But beyond these is a fantastic world that feels believable and the player is given plenty of roleplay opportunities through dialogue and mechanics. Be a beautiful elf who is a necromancer, an ugly dwarf who's a master of magic or a finely-dressed orc who is a tinkerer - or anyone and anything in between! The game has reactivity to your choices, oh and you can resurrect almost any fallen NPC and speak to them and as part of a quest it can be beneficiary. A great RPG letdown by a rushed development with many cut corners and technical issues that drag it back down.

Arcanum is, in many ways, the archetypal Troika game: Brilliantly conceived but sloppily executed. Bugs, combat that vacillates between tolerable and awful, unbalanced gameplay and an at times obtuse plot mar the experience. Still, the fact that Arcanum is among the finest RPGs ever created speaks volumes to the creative clout wielded by the now-defunct Troika. The game's weakest point is the combat. It is unbalanced, boring, repetitive, illogical (monsters are a mishmash of fantasy tropes that frequently have little or nothing to do with their respective environments) and is most often merely used as a barrier to player progress. The last point in particular is frustrating to me. In good game design, combat should enhance story progression, not hinder it. I don't want every combat area to merely be a grinding slog between plot points. The game's strongest point is the character creation and realization. You really can create and play a huge variety of characters (though the viability of characters varies wildly due to balance issues). Even if a technologist with an allergy to magicka is at a huge disadvantage compared to a pure mage, you can still play one consistently throughout--and the game will recognize and respond to your choices. That is not true with a great many RPGs that funnel different characters into one path or don't respond to unique character builds. Arcanum knows the difference between a suave human swashbuckler, a haughty elven mage, a brilliant dwarven tecnologist, a nimble halfling thief, and a half-ogre with a stunted IQ but an overgrown fist, and will respond accordingly. That, in and of itself, is probably worth the purchase price at $6. In conclusion, this is an outstanding game that could have been truly remarkable if only the flaws had been ironed out before release. If you like story-driven games with deep character choices and real role playing, there are few games before or since that are better. If you like great combat and high production values, however, you will likely be disappointed.

I love this game. I love its attention to detail, the way how it represents the world, lore, the story, the choices you make, the reputation you build, great sidequests, how the story gives the player two main quests in the same moment and the way it lets the player to decide what to do and where to go. The game respects the player and his ability to think. I definitely consider the RPG system the best RPG system amongst class-free RPGs. I love how technology affects magick and vice versa. I cannot 100% say that there is a perfect balance between these paths, since I have to play as a 100% mage yet. I love lvl 50 cap and that you are given just 1 point after leveling (2 points every 5 levels). This forces the player to choose the path immediately from the beginning and hold to it. There are tons of skills and just 1 point when you get a level. When you do not plan, you just may end up being a very poor character. There are problems: 1. the difficulty balance - It is just not good when a game forces you to fight lvl 1-10 monsters in "story" areas even close to the end of the game. You just constantly fight much lower enemies during the whole game (except the beginning). 2. the battle system - the game can be played as a turn-based RPG and a real-time RPG and neither of the two is good. The real-time is very fast-paced and it's nearly impossible to control anything at such a speed, turn-based's just basic, bare boned and does not require almost any strategical planning or playing. 3. the ending - NO SPOILERS (just to be sure) While I love the plot, all the plot twists and how the game ends - meaning the main point, I just did not like the final battle, it was just laughable. After it a couple of short videos are shown, the short ending and you appear in the main menu. 4. the bugs - Due to them I do not know what summary at the end I actually got. I killed the main boss three times with all my characters alive and every time I saw a different summary.

Obscura: Not clearly expressed or easily understood. (Oxford Dictionary.) George Lucas once said a motion picture is never finished, it just escapes or words similar. This could also apply to games and could be fairly suppositioned that Arcanum must have escaped well prior to completion. A huge vast portmanteau sandbox of a game with no tutorials, this is no “my first cRPG”. Perhaps prescribe “three-wheeler” Fall Out 1 for non-RPG playing friends and family as a fun trainer and introduction to the world of role-playing. Patience is a virtue, a virtue much needed if you are to get into this RPG. If, up to now, your main supply of fun in gaming was strategy or adventure or shooters, run, run away now! This is an RPGer’s RPG of the save frequently, die frequently variety. Unlike most RPGs you start out as an individual protagonist on your own and gradually build up your collection of NPC followers. Be warned, accumulation of NPCs can take a while with the possible exception of the first. One of the more innovative features provides opportunity for evolution thru out the game of Good and Evil alignments depending on your actions (as in real life). Voice “acting” is mercifully sparse, as are game options regarding graphics, sound etc. If you enjoy running back and forth fetching items and executing various tasks for strangers and getting killed frequently (save, die, reload, die, reload etc) then Arcanum is your game. If you like wolves, wolves and more wolves and killing rats as big as overfed chihuahuas you’re gonna love it. If you like having to talk to every single character met to get info that should just be readily available, like locations on a map for example, you’re gonna love it! Tedious chores are something you can find in 9/10 typical fields of employment so why oh why would anyone want to play a game filled with tedious chores? And yet paradoxically, altho this game has a long list of defects, this does not stop Arcanum from being loads of fun! Rating: 60%