Game News Arx Fatalis now a Good Old Game

[DarkUnderlord]

Tags: Arx Fatalis

For those who missed it, <a href="http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/arx_fatalis">Arx Fatalis is now available at GoG</a>:
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<blockquote>The world of Arx is wrought with turmoil, brought to the brink of destruction by a violent war. The sun has disappeared from overhead to shroud the world in eternal darkness forcing communities to begin inhabiting the underground mines. But as food and drink becomes scarce, the wars become even more violent as each race struggles for survival.
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You are plugged into this world of terror and must use bravery and cunning to uncover the long hidden secret of Arx. As your epic quest unfolds you will explore ancient temples, bustling cities and abandoned mines, unearth legendary artefacts and face terrifying foes...
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Arx Fatalis features: Lots of quest and sub-quest to complete; innovative gesture-casting system with 50 powerful spells based upon 20 runes; wield over 20 crushingly powerful weapons; no two games are over the same: storyline and events change according to your actions; hundreds of characters to befriend or murder and massive underground world to discover and explore.</blockquote>
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Out now for just $9.99 USD.
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Spotted @ <a href="http://www.rpgwatch.com">RPGWatch</a>

 

[Barrow_Bug]

I'm sorry but this game was incredibly horrid. I mean, just, yeah. Horrid.

 

[Gragt]

You're horrid.

 

[Disconnected]

I'm with Barrow_Bug. The interface was a fucking abomination.

What they say:

innovative gesture-casting system with 50 powerful spells

What they mean:
Ahahahahahahahaha this is like the best practical joke evah!!! We so funneh!

 

[thesheeep]

Don't forget about this.

 

[Mister Arkham]

It's a real shame that Arx Fatalis wasn't better than it is.The game had a huge amount of potential, but it all kind of slipped away in the implementation...

 

[ghostdog]

I really enjoyed this game, it had good atmosphere and it's the only game I've played since ultima underworld that manages to create a nice underground world.

 

[denizsi]

If anyone is interested, note that the quicksave is still bugged even with the latest patch. So, don't quicksave.

 

[Cogar]

I wanted to like it and enjoyed it for a while. I got as far the lowest level and created the meteor sword or whatever it's called. Then one day I looked at the launch icon and decided I could not click on it again and put myself through more of the same brown dungeons, arcane "adventure puzzles," and that inventory screen that pops up at every opportunity. Maybe someday.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

Seconded, it had potential, and is better than a lot of next-gen RPGs. But it just...ugh. Couldn't be bothered to finish it either.
And yeah the magic casting - it was literally like studying Japanese writing with the strokes and shit, except that unlike Japanese it doesn't have the payoff of helping you get laid in Roppongi.

 

[Gragt]

Well, rha vitae and you can pwnz0r everything.

 

[bhlaab]

Is the player character supposed to be a caveman because i went through all of the heads and they all looked like cavemen

 

[Gragt]

The joy of choosing one ugly face in a gallery of ugly faces.

 

[Disconnected]

Is the player character supposed to be a caveman because i went through all of the heads and they all looked like cavemen

Nah, all the pre-real time bump mapping characters that didn't look like piss ugly stick figures, looked like mutant Neanderthals. Originally, the whole point of using 3D was to avoid having to hire people who could draw.

Joking aside, it really is too bad about AF. The setting is really well realised, but the kind of "Whoa! This looks like such a fucking cool idea ...on paper" that spawned the gesture mess, constantly gets in the way of the gameplay. Much like NWN2, only it's even worse.

It'd be cool if someone would do a remake, minus the rubbish.

 

[Livonya]

Not the greatest game ever, but I enjoyed it. And it is certainly worth $10.

Considering how many games of this nature are released, I think it was pretty good, especially for a discount price.

I recently bought The Bard's Tale for $10.

It was no where near as good as Arx Fatalis, but it was still worth $10.

Arx Fatlis is certainly worth $10, and I would recommend it at that price.

- Livonya

 

[Humanophage]

The setting was great, rather unorthodox and dark, and remarkably interesting to explore. The arcane system was a bit on the funny side, but it's not hard to largely avoid using it in situations that demand fast reaction. To say that the interface ruined the game is a vast exaggeration.

 

[Fenril]

Arx fatalis? Good...old?

Its an underdeveloped piece of shit in my humble opinion.

It shows promise early on if you havent been properly informed about it, very early on.
Anyone is better off playing the original ultima underworlds 1 or 2, graphic differences included.

Fortunately it is both mercifully and pathetically short. So I dont have that many wasted hours to cry about after bothering to finish it.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

You know I actually was thinking I'd use this as an excuse to get Arx Fatalis but it sounds like I'll give it a miss.

 

[Cogar]

You know I actually was thinking I'd use this as an excuse to get Arx Fatalis but it sounds like I'll give it a miss.

It has one redeeming quality that no one mentioned directly. Although the magic system is not the easiest to use, it is more "real" than the "button click spell casting" in other games (the one exception perhaps being Black and White, which I have heard about but have not played). Some people complain about having to scribe the runes on the screen, and it is not for those who are not "coordinated with a mouse." Still, it does provide a very good "live" magic experience and logic that no other game has captured. For example, you create spells by linking runes together and can even chain runes together in such a way that you create new spells. (In other words, there are undocumented spells that you can logically determine by mixing properties of the runes.) Perhaps for that alone it is worth a peek—not so much as a game, but as an entertaining system to explore while pursuing a “been there done that” storyline.

 

[dagorkan]

Not a bad RPG actually. Wouldn't play it again though.

 

[Gragt]

Arx got flaws but it also got strenghts. All the action is underground but each level has its own distinct style. Quests can sometimes be completed in different ways, not always involving combat, some optionnal quests can have consequences later (like the queen murder's investigation) and there are many hidden things to do, the game rewards exploration. The magic system can be frustrating but you can still store three spells in memory and use scrolls and I did not find the gesture system as unforgiving as, for exemple, Black and White's, Cogar is right in his description.

My main problem with the game is the balance. Early on a fighter type is very powerful but will hit a serious wall later while a mage, crippled by a slow beginning, will likely have an easy time. While there aren't many of these, the jumping puzzles are still a pain. As reported the story isn't that good but it isn't that bad either.

10 $ seem like a good deal to me and you should check it out. I doubt you'll be blown away but I found it very entertaining.

 

[Lemunde]

You know this game's been out on Steam for well over a year. It's listed as $9.99 there too.