Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

I've played through Arcanum at least a couple of times now, and it is really a wonderful game. It has an interesting and complex storyline, cool characters and lots of atmosphere. I definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a game that can be played again and again.

This is a game I dig out every year and spend ages playing. The story is immense. The characters are brilliant. The game play is awesome. There is honestly nothing bad I can say about this game. I wish they would bring out a part 2 ! I lost my discs a couple of years ago, so was delighted to see a legal copy available on GOG ! I strongly recommend this game to everyone who likes a good RPG. I loved Baldur's gate, but in my opinion this is FAR better.

The steampunk part of the game is quite fun,The storyline is good. The choices on how to do the fights are good. .The graphis are good. the magical weapons powers are creative.The choice of characters,races,pc backgrounds character hooks, are good, The reasons for magic being a bane to tech nd tech being a bane to magic is a unique reason for a common end effect:which i allways thought was a excuse of a reason. & The character image in the game play are on the small side.Also using magic spells is juxtapositionly not as easy to use as the items of tech.casting spells is could be better.hence this is how they contol you to tencd to using tech over magic!.Yet still doing magic is still better in this game then others.

My brother bought this game when it first came out and I remember having to sneak it out of his bedroom during my 'sick' days from school. This game is still as fun, fantastic and addictive as I remember. The character creation is a vital part and you'll find yourself starting over and over again until you get it right. Nice story, okay graphics and enough playability you'll be playing it ten years later!

The only reason it is possible to overlook such crippling bugs in this game is because it has such depth and freedom of character development and playstyle, as well as an interesting world and main story. Games like this one epitomize to me the contrast between highly linear JRPGs and open-world western RPGs. I cannot stand the former and adore the latter. As the latter, Arcanum allows you to create a mind-boggling variety of character types, even deciding their backstory which actually affects the abilities of the character. The game world itself is challenging but rewards free roaming exploration with hidden treasures and side-quests. But there are the bugs. My first play through was destroyed by a bug. Having focused primarily on one save file, I was unprepared for the bug that corrupted that save file and ruined my game. It caused me to quit Arcanum initially. I had to come back much later (after I got over my frustration) and re-attempt the game. On the bright side, this allowed me to approach the game from an entirely different perspective (using technology instead of magic) and appreciate the game all the more. I also learned my lesson. If you play this game, please please please use multiple save files. I recommend saving often, and using several save files in case one gets corrupted. You will not be disappointed with the game itself. It is magnificent!