Topic: Arcanum Review

[Mooning Freddy]

I was playing this game for some time and felt it deserved to share it with you.

For some time I have been having a love-hate relationship with WRPGs. The reason I love them is because they are so addicting. The reason I hate them is... You guessed it. Because they're so addicting.
Probably since the release of the original Diablo various companies copied that upper-view fantasy action RPG formula. Some of them better, some worse, the basic premise is always the same: you're some kind of a hero who's supposed to save the world from an evil... Something. You go around towns, solve quests, descend to dungeons, kill monsters, level up, buy better equipment, and so forth.

"Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura" is no different (Did I say weird name? Oh yeah). But that still doesn't mean it's altogether unoriginal. Instead of a classic medieval world, the creators of the game decided to take a LotR-style world and place it in the Victorian Era. The main plot idea? Technology contradicts magic. Which means the world is torn apart between the conservative wizards and the new tech-junkies.
What you have there is an original, but weird gameplay. Since tech and magic don't go together, you would have to choose between a spellcasting and technical path. Advancing on one path weakens the other. It's weird and hard to understand at first, but the way the two are aligned really effects the game.
Ultimately, the game feels like a mixture of Diablo 2 and Fallout 2. There's plenty of entertainment and humor and the graphics and music are great (for a 2001 game).

The Good Parts:
-Original plot elements.
-H-U-G-E towns and cities, each with a variety of quests.
-Huge dungeons with monsters to kick your ass.
-Cool NPCs.
-Beautiful environments.
-Did I say addicting?

The Bad Parts:
-Minor bugs disturb the gameplay.
-Annoying leveling-up system only gives you one or two points to spend every level, and you have to choose between improving your stats OR learning new skills OR spells. It's difficult to know what's more important for progress.
-Complex RPG elements make it hard to know which equipment is better than which.
-Some gameplay elements seem useless like sleeping in inns or riding trains.
-Not using the Fallout-style map movement would cause you to wander endlessly in empty wilderness.


Bottom Line? Steampunk RPG.
Overall rating: 7.5 / 10

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[Phil Belmont]

I loved that game !

Getting out of the first village was so hard, but once it's done, The Incredible Adventure Starts !