Reviewed: September 20, 2001
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Sierra
Developer
Troika
Released: August 21, 2001
Genre: RPG
Players: 4
ESRB: Mature
8
6
8
9
7.9
System Requirements
Anyone who enjoys a good RPG game has probably heard of Fallout, one the best RPG games ever made. Several years ago three members of the team who created Fallout broke off and formed Troika Games and after three long years of painstaking work they have delivered one of the most in-depth and intricately crafted RPG games ever seen on a PC.
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura is a bold step forward in the continuing evolution of the RPG genre. As the title would indicate, this game is a unique blend of technology and magic set in an pseudo-Victorian world reminiscent of games like City of Lost Children or The Longest Journey.
RPG's rely on several factors to make them a success. You need rich characters (both PC and NPC) and the ability to develop and customize these characters as they advance in skill and abilities. You also need an engaging story and a suitable atmosphere in which to carry out your quests. Arcanum is definitely unique. The fictional 19th century settings looks like they were lifted from the pages of some history book from a parallel universe.
Technology such as steam locomotives and zeppelin cruise ships exist in the same world as arcane magic. Two armored knights might square off, one with a flaming sword and the other with a flintlock pistol. These two "sciences" are often at odds creating much of the conflict that this game deals with. While characters can become skilled in either magic or technology, it is very rare that any one character will become proficient in both.
In this world humans share the planet with Elves, Gnomes, Dwarves, and Halflings and the game infers that humans tend to breed with "just about anything", thus we have "half-breed" versions of all these other races. Choosing a race for your character is only the first step in one of the lengthiest and most complex character generators I have ever seen.
You can easily spend over an hour the first time you create a character just by researching all the possibilities. You have the basic options such as Male/Female then you pick your race. All of these initial decisions affect future choices, and everything you do when creating your character affects the upcoming adventure. Choosing any race other than Human will alter your basic attributes and the way you are treated by other NPC's.
Each character is given the option of one of dozens of interesting background stories. These backgrounds are often quite humorous such as "Beat with an Ugly Stick" that reduces your Charisma while increasing your strength, or my favorite, the "Super Model" with a big bonus on Charisma but and equally devastating loss of intelligence. There are also several portraits available for any combination of character you might choose making this one of the most open-ended character generators in RPG history.
The sheer magnitude of your character design hits home when it comes time to assign character points. You start off with five points and these must be allocated amongst 8 basic stats and 16 primary skills. You really have to figure out "how" you want to play the game then design your character around those skills. With over 80 spells and 56 technological degrees divided among 8 disciplines there is simply no way to create a "jack-of-all-trades" character.
I must also applaud the 190-page manual. In these days of shrinking manuals, or even no manual at all, it is a refreshing change to see a well-documented game. It makes learning Arcanum much easier and will have you enjoying the game faster and with less frustration than fumbling around with an online PDF or HTML manual. Not only is the manual full of diagrams, charts, and screenshots, it is also cleverly written and reads almost like a novel. There is even a strategy section near the back that I found quite useful.
Once you have your character ready you can set forth on your adventure. The game plays much like any other isometric RPG game, although the interface is rather primitive almost to the point of becoming detrimental to the gameplay. The first big annoyance is that the game plays at a fixed resolution, so no matter how good a video card or what size monitor you have, you are stuck. The standard view is locked at a fixed zoom and with the menus and other information taking up over 30% of the screen you are often too close to see enough of your surroundings. Your first instinct will be to move the camera around to check out the off-screen areas, but the range of your camera is linked to your character's current position forcing you to wait for your character to walk to a new location before you can pan the view a few pixels.
One great thing about Arcanum is the dynamic story that changes based on the character you are playing and your actions within the game. You have an alignment meter that continually adjusts itself based on your deeds whether they be good or evil. NPC's and any of the other 300+ inhabitants you can interact with will all act and react differently based on your race, reputation, and of course, Charisma. You are guaranteed a completely different and unique gaming experience each time you play this game, giving it one of the highest replay factors in recent gaming history.
Combat is a key part of Arcanum and the options let you choose the mode best suited to your style of play. Pick from real-time, turn-based, or fast turn-based. I found that "real-time" is too fast and you are unable to effectively participate in the combat, whereas "turn-based" is too slow and can drag the game out much longer than necessary. But "fast turn-based" seemed just right giving you enough time to make control and combat decisions for you and your NPC's while maintaining a nice pace.
The mix of magic and technology is implemented quite well with neither side having any clear advantage in power. However, magical spells significantly outnumber tech skills, so spellcasters will ultimately have a more diverse selection of abilities. Magic users generally must find many of their artifacts whereas "techies" can build most of the items that are specific to their skills.
The graphics in Arcanum are mediocre at best. I'm not sure as to the reasoning behind the decision to lock-in the resolution at what many will consider low to medium quality. The game is definitely system friendly and will run on a modest 300mhz computer and only requires an 8mb video card (3D acceleration not required). Don't plan on using this game to show of your latest GeForce card.
The character generation and interface screens are decent quality, but the game graphics are rather grainy and are comprised of washed out, dull colors and not a lot of detail. Even with the limited view you can often see repeated textures, trees, and rock formations. This lack of detail is rather disappointing. The cities make of for the sparse outdoor areas and feature excellent detail and unique architecture.
Kudos to the stylistic opening movie that looks like old b/w 8mm newsreel footage complete with projector artifacts and film grain. The seamless transition from b/w to color was very nice. The still images during the rather lengthy load times are also very detailed and artistic.
The music is a unique and haunting blend of classical with some Victorian themes and instrument selections. It fits the theme of the game perfectly and blends into the background where it never becomes annoying or repetitive.
The voice acting is some of the best in recent gaming history. All of the characters speak their lines (except or you) and there are volumes of topics and conversations to be had with the vast population of this world. The speech is also subtitled and for those of you who can read faster than you can listen, you will be happy to know that your response menu is always available and you can interrupt the dialog at anytime to advance the conversation. This is an excellent feature and one that other designers should implement in their future games.
Arcanum is a game of epic proportions. The central plot is supplemented with literally hundreds of sub-quests that you can choose to undertake or completely ignore. While it is quite possible to finish the main plot of Arcanum in 30-40 hours, if you choose to thoroughly explore all the optional sub-quests you are in for more than 100 hours of entertainment.
Since the game never unfolds the same way twice based on your character selection and your actions, and with your vast possibilities of unique characters, the replay value of this title is unparalleled in RPG history. The size of Arcanum is reflected in the 1.2gb installation requirement. In today's world of 20-30gb drives this probably isn't even an issue for most people, but it was surprising enough to mention here.
And when you are tired of playing and replaying the prepackaged scenarios feel free to dive into the powerful scenario editor, which literally gives this game unlimited potential. Unlike other editors that feature powerful design tools, this one is amazingly simple to use and well documented. Keep in mind that it took Troika three years to craft the story told in the main game. Don't plan on creating any epic adventures overnight. It takes considerable time to create a unique world let alone populate it with characters, scenarios, and dialog. While I doubt we will see too many user-created add-ons, I wouldn't be surprised to see some official expansion packs coming out in the near future.
Multiplayer is present in the form of a 4-player Internet or LAN game. You cannot play the main game in multiplayer mode and the few attempts I made at online play were terribly laggy. It's plain to see that this game was designed as a solo experience and those who know this going in will be more than pleased with the amount of quality gameplay. If you are looking for an online RPG then look elsewhere.
Arcanum is comprised of several average components that combine to make an excellent RPG with only a few minor flaws. The lackluster graphics are disappointing at first, but you are soon drawn into the world and the compelling story and hardly notice the visual deficiencies. There are a few NPC issues, mainly with pathfinding and the occasion damage from "friendly fire". The "wandering monster" randomizer could be adjusted. It seemed that I was doing a lot of irrelevant fighting going from point A to point B, and many of the encounters later in the game were terribly mismatched (in my favor) for my party's current skill level.
The stylish atmosphere and unique mix of technology and magic makes for one of the most interesting games in the genre. The vast possibilities of the character generator alone, not to mention the dynamically changing story gives this game unlimited potential and infinite replayability. If you like RPG's then you are going to love Arcanum.