Games PC Arcanum

Arcanum

Written by Toma-kun January 04, 2009 Hits: 436 Favorites

Game Info:

Platform:

Developer:

Troika Games

Publisher:

Sierra Entertainment

Players:

Format:

2 CD-ROMs

Gallery:

PC » Arcanum (6)

Minimum Req.:

266MHz Pentium or AMD equiv.
64MB RAM
1.2GB HDD space
8MB DX7 video card
Windows 98/2000/XP

Reviewer's Machine:

Pentium 3 933MHz
128MB RAM
30GB HDD
32MB TNT2
Windows XP

Editor review

Best... subtitle... ever...

Anyone who has played the Fallouts will recognize this game, despite the markedly different setting and theme. The same isometric sprite view is used here, with a similar turn-based battle system. (Although now you can trade that in for a Diablo-esque real time click fest, which I found to be WAY to fast.) However, the game is a fresh start for the Fallout team. The game world is no longer just cities and random encounters, but a persistent land broken into zones, much like Everquest. The world is INCREDIBLY huge, and teleport spells will serve you well late in the game. You can travel quickly over the map, but you will be interrupted by creatures, a lot. Also, the character creation has been simplified, while character development has been increased. In the beginning, you simply choose a race, gender, name, and choose one of many prefabricated backgrounds. For example, I took "Bandit", which lowered my charisma and starting gold, but gave me a normally expensive pistol and ammunition cache.

"Wait, did he just say 'pistol' in a fantasy RPG?" Yes, Virginia, there is technology. Matter of fact, that is the best part of Arcanum. The game premise is this: A stereotypical fantasy world which could have lifted directly from the pages of Tolkien, is shocked by a revolution. An industrial revolution. The story line and setting of the game is that of the late 19th century, only machinery remains challenged by Magick. This means your character can focus on invention and technology use, or magickal forces, or neutral skills, or anywhere in between. Every creature, NPC, and character in the game is assigned a magickal aptitude value, depending on their training, which affects their opposite power adversely. For example, if a Dwarven warrior uses a flamethrower against an Elven sorceress, chances are fairly good her aura will cause his fuel tank to spontaneously explode, but the chances are equal that her Fire Bolt will fizzle, burning her hand in the process. It's all in the balance.

This interesting premise for a game world does double duty for the story: in general it is a tense, if slow and linear, tale about the tensions between the artificial and the natural, and it is the characters duty to find out which side he's on. Also, like Fallout, your character can choose evil, and this time actually have an evil ending. Every point in the game allows some choice or another, and every choice affects the details of the ending, including side-quests and paths to victory, Along the way, your custom character will meet various NPCs who will fight alongside you, provided you don't offend them with unconscionable (or conscionable) acts. And just like in Fallout, your abilities affect everything. If you're magically inclined, you may set off traps with your presence. If you have low intelligence, you'll speak like a caveman.

But the game isn't all that its pedigree and idea would suggest. The new interface is clunky, ESPECIALLY to those used to Fallout. The game starts off slow, and at times, boring, yet INCREDIBLY difficult. The early Dwarven Mine dungeons are both unimaginative and filled with monsters who will frustrate you more than you could believe. The game gets much better later on, and the plot begins to twist around with devilish cleverness near the end, but the beginning can be a chore. It probably won't stop you from finishing the game once, but it drastically lowers the replay value of game that should have it in spades.

Still, a cast of creative characters, a dramatic, beautiful, and intriguing game world, and incredibly deep gameplay make this a no-brainer for fans of in-depth CRPGS. And where else can you show that whiny gnome summoner who's boss as a shotgun toting half-orc?

Highs:	Original, decent graphics, deep gameplay
Lows:	Can be difficult, frequent slowdowns, may be too complex
Bottom Line:	If you liked Fallout, which you really should have, then you'll like this entry