All long-time RPGers know of Fallout and its spiritual predecessor Wasteland. Arx Fatalis is quite similar to Fallout's legacy in that it has a clear inspiration, a strong influence from a classic in the genre. Arx Fatalis is of course, inspired by the fantastic Ultima Underworld, a Ultima spin-off revered to this day for its amazing strides in technology and the first utilization of a true first person perspective. Before Doom had even been released, Ultima Underworld allowed full 360 degree movement and not only that, but provided the ability to look up, down, jump and even levitate. Indeed, before Wolfenstein 3D or Doom, Ultima Underworld had already revolutionized gaming by creating unparalleled freedom of movement in the first person perspective. Arx Fatalis directly borrows the setting of Ultima Underworld, however, unlike Ultima Underworld's Stygian Abyss which is a means of exile for prisoners, Arx Fatalis takes place in a world that was forced underground by the extinguished sun and the eternal winter that followed. As such, the denizens of Arx are typically far more friendly than those in Ultima Underworld, and you will find many more opportunities to interact with characters. There are a few unique gameplay elements Arx introduces in order to stand out, including a spellcasting system which requires the use of mouse movements, similar to that of Black & White's. While you can precast spells and save them for later on, most spellcasting will require the mouse movement system, which while unique, requires precision and is quite difficult in the midst of combat. Much like its spellcasting system, the world of Arx is quite unique and varied, and even very beautiful despite the age of the engine, NPCs are typically interesting and so is the story despite its typical plot of "you are the chosen one". Arx, unfortunately, does present quite a few bugs and problems from its localization, the voice acting is notably wonky, ranging from well done to unintentionally hilarious, comparable to the work done on Gothic. Arx Fatalis is a fantastic revival of Ultima Underworld, certainly one of the most underrated RPGs of its time, overshadowed by titles such as Morrowind and even the fantastic Gothic. However, that does not mean it should be overlooked now that it's on GoG, in fact, any individual that considers themselves a roleplaying gamer is obligated to check out Arx Fatalis.
Lionheart was one of the last RPGs (if not the last indeed) published by Interplay, the pre-release hype was contained enough and the game's alternate history prospect interesting and unique, it was, as many publications would name it during its development, a medieval Fallout. Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader takes place during an alternate version of 12th Century Europe, and the results are quite interesting. Magical creatures made common by superstition and myth appear in the flesh, strange sights and places await the player as he traverses a well designed portrayal of the game's setting. The graphics, while not spectacular, are beautiful in their artistry, one of the last good looking pseudo-2D RPGs to be released. Utilizing the SPECIAL system made popular in the Fallout series, Lionheart provides a breadth of character customization, and for the first half of the game there truly are many ways of crafting a viable character. A diplomat, an archer, a mage, and so on, all quite possible and playable. However, it is evident that once the player leaves the city of Barcelona, something goes sour, the game becomes pure hack & slash. While there's nothing wrong with that, it completely ruins the play balance as most characters that are not pure warriors will find themselves incredibly disadvantaged. I can only assume that the game was rushed out at the last moment by Interplay as things began to look ugly for the company and its assets, unfortunately, this meant that a potentially fantastic product in Lionheart was repressed, rather, we received a decent game that falters halfway through and loses much of its appeal. As it is, Lionheart is certainly worth a purchase at its cheap price despite the problems present, perhaps just for the impressive soundtrack alone. Its largest problem is not its wealth of problems, but rather how they eventually effect the player, it's devastating to play through an incredibly well designed RPG for a dozen hours only to have the later half be an uninspired chore, at the least the story continues at an interesting clip.
