When you become powerful enough you can lob off limbs and heads in an eruption of blood with one mighty swing. There are only a couple dozen weapons, including axes, swords and even a bow. This may seem like a small amount, but you can enchant, or even poison your weapons to diversify their properties.
If you want to take out an enemy without getting your hands dirty, you can always use magic. The magic system is certainly one of the most unique aspects of Arx Fatalis. Scattered around the mines are various runes. Two or more runes may end up creating a new spell that you can cast. You can't simply click a button to cast the spell; you have to draw out the symbol on each of the runes to cast it.
It takes at least a few seconds to cast it, so unleashing a fireball in the midst of being pummeled may not be the wisest decision. Fortunately, you can pre-cast up to three spells for later usage. It may sound like a tedious process, but many of the spells are so powerful that this proves to be a genius handicap.
The second largest portion of the gameplay, right behind combat, is solving puzzles. Almost all of them are challenging, and I found myself checking a walkthrough more than a few times. A few of the puzzles were delightfully entertaining and thought out, but many of the puzzles seemed a bit unfair. Sometimes you have to find someone in order to make progress, but no one tells you where this person is!
You just have to wander around and hope for the best. Maybe I'm a little slow, but when I eventually solved some of the puzzles I felt sucker-punched in the stomach. Some were that tough. One of the most satisfying elements of Arx Fatalis is the interaction you have with items. It's during all of this nasty business that your character finds himself waking up, naked apart from a furry loincloth, in a goblin prison cell.
From then on, well, you know the drill by now. You have to break out of your cell and make your way through the underground world, developing your character's stats and skills while uncovering the mysteries of the land of Arx. But what makes Arx Fatalis look like it's going to be a fulfilling experience for RPG gamers is the fact the developers have obviously paid a lot of attention to other titles, including those outside the traditional RPG realm, and created a jigsaw of a game made up of what they see as the best elements of each one.
It's surprising that this hasn't been picked up by role-playing titles before, as it has a hands-on. You have to compose all of your spells in real-time, summoning the various elements that will make your spell, instead of simply clicking on an icon with no risk. This system changes the gameplay quite a bit.
As your skill in the art of magic increases, you'll be able to cast the basic spells quicker. Just in case faffing around drawing spells while trying to fend off approaching hordes is too much for you, the developers have built in the ability to hotkey a few spells for those with less nimble fingers.
But it's immensely more satisfying drawing them by hand. You'll also notice a few Thief elements in the mix, including a light gauge to let you know how visible you are to the enemy, and particularly good sound effects which make it seem like something awful is about to happen to you about 99 per cent of the time. There are also more obvious Ultima homages in the way you can use plants to make potions and fire to cook raw food or even whip up the occasional pie.
Underlying all these elements is highly story-driven quest-based gameplay, in the best role-playing traditions. While Arx Fatalis probably won't be the next Morrowind. Ultima Underworld It was technologically astounding at the time of its release, and incredibly it had depth of gameplay to match its technological ambitions. Its level design was breathtaking, the NPCs were intelligent and full of character and it was so atmospheric it had grown men quaking in their boots.
It was a classic, and many predicted there would never be another game like it. They were wrong; there was another game that came out later that was just as good in every way. It was called, er, Ultima Underworld 2. So, the same people predicted there would never be another one like that one either.
Popular user-defined tags for this product:. Is this game relevant to you? Sign In or Open in Steam. Download Demo. Languages :. English and 5 more. Publisher: Arkane Studios. Share Embed. Read Critic Reviews. Add to Cart. Bundle info. Add to Account. View Community Hub. The sun has disappeared from overhead to shroud the world in eternal darkness, forcing communities to begin inhabiting underground mines. But as food and drink becomes scarce, the wars become even more violent as each race — from trolls, goblins, and rat-men, to humans — struggle for survival.
Now, evil has arisen in this sunless world in the form of the God of Destruction, Akbaa. You must use bravery and cunning to uncover the long hidden secret of Arx.
Support for high resolutions and wide monitors is enhanced with configurable HUD and player book scaling. The text and audio language can now be changed in the menu. Further, item physics have been fixed and item dragging has been refined. On top of that, this release adds a console to execute arbitrary script commands.
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