Arx Fatalis
Score: 65% ESRB: Mature Publisher: DreamCatcher Interactive Developer: Arkane Studios Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Miscellaneous
Graphics & Sound: Arx Fatalis doesn't add anything amazing to the RPG genre in the way of visuals, and looks like a very watered down version of Morrowind. The drab locales (due in part to most of the game taking place underground) can cause severe depression if you're surrounded by them for too long. Everything is also angular to a disgusting degree, with not a smooth surface in sight. The low quality of the graphics make it difficult to see items on the ground, a problem that only gets worse when you're trying to find something like a brown bit of rope in an entirely brown dungeon. The voice acting, in a word, is appalling. The main character sounds like he's had a lobotomy, and the NPCs in the game don't exactly sound like the kind you'd find in a subterranean world. Yes, I know what those people sound like. The music isn't all too bad, but it definitely doesn't break any boundaries. It's as unmemorable as the sound effects, which only accomplish the simple task of utilizing the speakers so the player isn't engulfed in a boring silence for the entire game.
Gameplay: Arx Fatalis is sort of a failed version of Morrowind. At the beginning of the game you get to create the features of your character, including the looks (the options from which you have to choose are very limited) and the stats. After that you are thrown into the game as a prisoner in a cell, who has no memory of his past at all, yet he can wield weapons efficiently and use magic like it was second nature. Unfortunately, this clich is probably going to be used in video games until the end of time. The story involves a subterranean world that is home to those that used to live on the surface of a now devastated land. Chalk up another clich. Only members of the Travelers Guild can traverse the dangerous surface, but things don't seem to be any better underground either. Orcs and goblins have made an alliance against the humans and are terrorizing the hell out of them. OK, enough with the clichs. The basics of the gameplay are sound, but the ways in which they are implemented are poor. As you roam around the underground caverns, you will invariably meet people who can either harm or help you, or sometimes both. The quests you pursue are mostly part of the linear plot, meaning you will have to complete them in order to advance. There are very few side branches to the game, so you're stuck with what they give you, which isn't all that great. Nothing really clever has been done here, as most objectives involve finding an object or killing someone, and then you get to move on to another area where you do it all over again.
Difficulty: The difficulty in Arx Fatalis arises in the smaller things. For instance, like I said before, quest goals are difficult to complete because of how tedious they can be. Fighting enemies isn't all too harrowing, but aiming your blows can sometimes be a little hectic when you're faced with multiple foes. The magic casting system can also bog down your progress due to the steps you have to go through to cast a single spell. If all these things came together a little better, the difficulty would be perfect.
Game Mechanics: Arx Fatalis combines role-playing elements with the game mechanics of First Person Shooters, but in a not so elegant sort of way. The developers seem to have forgotten what works in FPS's and what doesn't. As you travel through the world of Arx Fatalis, you will be forced to navigate through confusing mazes with a poor mini-map for reference, as well as having to move around strange contraptions that like to freeze your character in place and force you to reset your Xbox. The second big issue with the mechanics is the magic casting. As you travel around, you will invariably find magical runes with which you can cast magical spells. It works like this; every rune has a unique button combination associated with it, and every magical spell is achieved by combining those button combinations. You can cast a spell and hold on to it to cast later if you want, but having to perform the combinations in the first place is tedious, and then storing and using them during combat is even worse. In the end, a failed Morrowind it is. Arx Fatalis does nothing new, and what it should have done well, it doesn't. An all too linear, and also boring, storyline coupled with clunky and frustrating controls makes for a pretty drab experience. Delve into this underground world at your own risk.
-Snow Chainz, GameVortex Communications AKA Andrew Horwitz
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