Irritatingly, despite this wealth of environmental character, Arx Fatalis falls down when it comes to actual characters. Enemies and NPCs alike hang around in roughly the same places, conversations limited to either irrelevant one-liners (usually an unsubtle invitation for you to effect your egress) or cut-scenes. There are no dialogue choices, and the main character Am Sheagar - an ancient Sumerian phrase meaning 'to hit one's keyboard at random' - is indescribably dull. For its part, the plot is as lifeless as a god of death. Quite literally.

Arx's world simulation elements go some way to repairing these holes. Magic - see 'World of Rune' - is certainly the most impressive, but by no means the only example of Arx's scope. Wander into a kitchen, grab some flour from a sack and mix it with water to get dough, which you can pop in the fire to bake, eating the result to regain health or selling it to a local merchant to fund your adventure.​