Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

I really enjoyed Arcanum when it first came out. I still enjoy playing it. The story revolves around you being in a blimp crash and being found by a newly religious man named Virgil. Virgil tells you that you are supposed to be the reincarnation of an all-powerful being and that a group of assassins are out trying to murder you. And that is where your journey begins... In terms of plot, Arcanum's works quite well. While it's not overly original, I feel it was very well done and it's a lot of fun to unravel the plot as you reach different points in the game. The main quest is very easy to get through and there are quite a few side quests as well. Arcanum can be a lot of fun. There is a TON of room for character customization. Each level you will gain a skill point to invest where you like. Every 5th level you gain two, and at the start of character creation you have five points to spend. How you spend those points is up to you and what you want to do. You can build nearly anything you wish: from the smooth-talking gunslinger, to the beautiful mage, all the way to a half-wit who can barely speak (hilarious options for stupid characters) but for whatever reason everyone still loves them and wants to be their friend. The only thing you cannot do, is create a character who is both technologically and magically inclined. Combat has two modes: turn based and real time. Real time is pretty much pointless as things move too quickly and are over too fast to focus on what you're doing. You can hire followers (some have voices, others do not). The AI is pretty shallow. Followers and enemies charge each other head on. That's it. This game is unfinished and somewhat broken. Magic is far more powerful than technology. There were also known bugs that I never encountered, but those may be fixed by now. Overall, I say give this game a try. One warning is this version tends to have a speed issue. There is a fix, but I don't know if it works with the GOG version.

I myself is one of those who loves it. If you are considering buying this game, remember it's not perfect. And to make it run without the lag, download the the latest unoficial patch 2.0.2

There are clearly a number of things wrong with this game, the animation style, the game balance, the combat, unless you cheat technology builds are often non-viable, AND YET this game is a Brilliant Masterpiece nonetheless. There are very few games that can compare to it in terms of story, setting, choices, well written engaging dialogue, clever social satire, intriguing areas to explore, and a sense of consequences for your choices. The closest thing I can compare this to is Fallout 2, if you liked Fallout 2 this is that but in a steampunk fantasy setting.

It has been... about 15 years ago that I first played this game. Still got a map and a lore book that was included in a set when it was released in my country for the first time. First a word, or few, of a warning. This is one of this game that when You start playing it You will either love it or utterly hate it... and I felt in love. This is not a history about technology and magic. This is a mystery story that happens to be situated in a world of technology and magic. And the mysteries that are hidden, that you can unravel as You journey throughout this world, are many and amazing. The complexity of the lore that is scattered and available to You make it one of the best examples of how such games should be made. If you are not the kind that likes to read book in games... by not reading it You are missing about half of the whole picture. It is a crime not to read, really. I walked in the world of Arcanum a few times as different characters. Every class has it's advantages, and every profession (and race) gives you different results in encounters in that world. I wasn't really fond of magical class at the time, although being a mage is necessary for completing a nasty and interesting ritual at one encounter. Do not get me wrong, I enjoy playing an elf mage (best race for magic), but an elf engineer is a bit more challenging way to play, and a little more fun, by my account. And yes, I played other races then elf. Try playing ork (halfork?), most shunned race in that world. Arcanum is a... steampunk word indeed, and in such a world a profession that can engineer things can bring you more fun then any other. Whats more it is a treasure trove for... those that like to rummage through the trash bins. Here others waste is you treasures. You want to complete your new pistol by lack a revolving chamber? Try checking a trash-bin close to the nearest newspaper boy. You might get lucky. And if You read the lore... there is only one truth: History likes to repeat itself.

Still feels like a rushed, underdeveloped game. Since most reviewers covered positive aspects, I`ll focus on the bad: Due to being based on plot twists, replay value is on par with rewatching Sixth Sense - you may end up doing it once for the sake of catching some details, but more than that is a chore. Areas are vast but mostly empty (in terms of quest density). Graphics (especially animations) are worse than in its predecessors from the same age. Combat mechanics - unbalanced like it wasn`t even playtested. Keyboard shortcuts are strange, unintuitive or lacking (try playing a thief type, or pretty much anyone other than straight click-to-hit fighter). NPCs dialogue text is imposed over the area and not displayed in another window, making it harder to read. Game is full of the 'I should not have sold that vendor trash, because it wasn`t' moments. Side-quests are fed-ex kind, very few can be solved by talking with NPCs the right way. Game is bad at self-explaining its mechanics: what does the "MSR:18" or "NP -50" mean when I equip that item and how exactly does it affect my combat effectiveness? Good luck without checking external sources. Compared to the masterpieces of the era (Fallout 1&2, Baldur`s Gate 1&2) - it is a pee-wee league game.