An RPG with a refreshingly unique setting and engaging cast, but flat narrative, some faulty game design decisions and cut corners. Atmosphere - The world of Arcanum is fascinating and unique for its time. The marriage of high fantasy DnD with Industrial era steam tech and culture create a setting unlike any other populated with interesting places, peoples and ideas. Unfortunately, the ambient audio does little to enhance the wonder of this world, as its composed entirely of string violins and doesn't vary up enough between locations to give any place much of an identity. Story/Narrative - The central mystery of the game unfolds at an uneven pace due to the overall lack of guidance and direction. There are plenty of side quests to engage your attention, but none of them have the gravity to leave you thinking about them after they're done. Thankfully, your supporting NPCs do possess a good deal of personality, with their own personal stories and dilemmas helping to salve the wounds left by the lackluster main mission. Your character can also come with a customized background, but as far as I can tell, it's never referenced beyond the stats it provides you. Gameplay - The relationship between magic and technology, along with the numerous races available, allow players to play around with different and highly varied character concepts. Combat is challenging, but never ridiculously so. The live action combat just doesn't work, but thankfully you can switch to a far more functional turn based system. Certain skills, spells and techs are simply better than others, but how much you want to exploit the game is largely up to you. Recommend To: Baldur's Gate/Fallout fans looking for something different. Alternatively Suggest: Planescape Torment/Baldur's Gate (Better narrative and characters, but less engaging gameplay). Fallout 1&2 (Better atmosphere and writing and highly customizible).
Take on the role of a detective utilizing a primitive search database to uncover the full story behind a shocking murder. Your money will buy you about 2-3 hours of a narrative experience that will hold your attention throughout the duration of the mystery. The clues provided do a fantastic job of navigating you through the story, leading you to draw one conclusion one moment and watch it shattered the next during the next big revelation. The game is amazing at simulating the experience of pouring over case files in search of answers. The keywording that allows you to navigate between videos is well done, and I cannot recall a moment where I felt cheated due to a video not being properly searchable. If you ever found the detective elements of games like Witcher 3 or the Arkham series to be a bit too shallow for your liking and want something that digs more into fact finding, this is a fantastic romp for you. Denied a perfect score only due to it's brevity and lack of replayability due to its very nature.
