Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

Among my most favourite CRPGs up to this day, I love the storyline, I love the writing, I love the artstyle, the atmosphere, the gorgeous music, the narrative themes. I also had fun with the gameplay, even if it's kind of broken.

This is like Fallout 2 in a fantasy/steampunk-setting with every flaw that came with fallout2. Which makes it hilariously fascinating and also as bad as good, including your sort of dogmeat companion. ;-) You have to get the fanpatch though, because of some leftover bugs. Magic or Tech i.e. Guns? Or simple Swords? Your Choice. Companions? Why yes, and here take this destroyer of cities with you on your quest, or go nearly alone, but that will be quiet hard to accomplish. The many recipes for the techs are mostly fascinating and let you dive into the world, after some chemicals recipes you'd love to mix some household items together (trust me, don't), because it works in this game. Besides a nice story to follow and a big world with many details and places to explore.

First things first: If you have yet to do so, get the "Unofficial Arcanum Patch by Drog Black Tooth". It has a ton of bug fixes, adds resolution options, with some extra choices that you can access. So the review: Out of all the classic CRPS you might have heard about, or even played, Arcanum is the game that allows for such a VAST ammount of playstyles, that it really is on top when it comes to gameplay options. There is also the fact that this is one of the most "reactive" games I have ever played. Every choice you make, all from your character customization stuff like Gender/Race/Attributes, will have a reaction. The game also leans in on the whole "Technology Vs Magic" system, and it REALLY goes deep into it not only narratively, but also in interactivity. If you are a mage, and try to shoot a gun, you might end up killing yourself by accident. The world itself is completely open. If you know where stuff is, you can go there right after making a character, including LATE-GAME places, to get amazing gear/tech schematics. Some other stuff to consider; Tech-builds are way more challening than playing a mage. So keep that in mind. And if I had to say one negative, as this is more of a gushing review, it is the fact that the game never wants to tell you anything, whether it be damage calculations/why an attribute or STAT may have changed, etc. Expect to be confused every now and then. That being said, this is one of the best RPG experiences I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy, and it saddens me that it truly is one-of-a-kind.

The only good gnome is a dead gnome!

Troika made a mere three games in their sadly short time as a developer, but each of them in a gem in their own (buggy) way. On release Arcanum was criticized for a flawed engine, lackluster combat and a half a dozen game breaking bugs, but all of this could be overlooked by the possibilities presented in the game. You could literally be anything in this game. Anything from a elf mage in a top hat and smoking jacket, to a brutish half-orc carrying a huge club, to a techno-savy human in a suit of steam powered armor suspiciously akin to a fallout powersuit. And the game not only allowed all this but adapted itself to each playthrough. Every game was different in it's own way. A mage could not play the same way a fighter could, nor were technologists welcomed by mages. If you only play one RPG this year, make it Arcanum, and experience exactly what an RPG SHOULD be. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to put on my top hat for another playthrough...