Life is too short to play games with out a save feature. It is not fun, which is the goal of a game, to repeat areas over and over then die at a hard spot, only to be transported back to a save point. Not everyone has hair trigger reflexes and unlimited time to try over and over. Save points are usually in games that are too short. It makes them seem longer.
I can't tell you why it is a great game, but it is. Well worth it. No, it is not Skyrim, but those games wear out their welcome soon enough and you finish them because you feel you should. I can't say why, but I wanted to finish this one. Skyrim , and their ilk, you fall in love right away with, then they loose their luster. Gothic's love grows and levels to a slow burn/
I know many will think, what is he talking about. But I feel that this game was more enjoyable than Skyrim and it's ilk. Even with the dated graphics and smaller scale, the missions seem more personal, the characters more real. I had loved Ultima Underworld 1 + 2 so many years ago, but they are hard to play today with the clunky interface. Mind you, Arx Fatalis does not have a perfect interface, but it is usable. I found the magic system clever, but frustrating. I had to repeat may runes dozens of times each time I wanted to cast a spell. The rune recognition algorithm was a little to critical for my tastes. A note, and I do not believe this is a spoiler, when you have to use a shovel, use the 'f' key or it will not work!. This was a very frustrating design consideration. For all my complaints, I still loved this game, and I highly recommend it!
I found it took a while to become interesting. The first half of the levels were slow and without atmosphere. The second ones made up for that. The graphics are dated, but it was a pleasant experience all the same.
Initially I did not like this game. It seemed to have very little substance. But after putting a little work into it I found out how wrong I was. It is currently my favourite game. The lack of story is not an issue for me. I have become the story. In this computer generated world, you have no more special status than all the NPG. And they (the AI) seem to be quite clever. You have to fight for every inch of recognition. Bravo TaleWorlds!
