Arx Fatalis - Blended RPG Eras @ RPS
 

Sin Vega published a new retrospective article for Arx Fatalis on Rock, Paper, Shotgun where he writes about how the game blended RPG Eras perfectly in 2002.

More information.

One of the very few good Ultima Underworld clones!

Loved it… great atmosphere. Very underrated game imo.

Agreed. I can recommend it wholeheartedly. Atmosphere was top notch.

Fantastic game.

Kinda makes me want to reinstall. Kinda. The rune drawing thing and the leap you had to take with your attributes were too irritating IMO.

Loved making swirly rune patterns in the air, another blast from the past.

I loved it. It was the closest so far to an Ultima Underworld sequel, though I have high hopes for Underworld Ascendant which is supposed to have their kickstarter campaign launch next week.

I haven't played yet, but doesn't Grimrock scratch the Ultima Underworld itch pretty well?

Grimrock would more closely resemble Dungeon Master or Eye of the Beholder than UU or Arx.

I liked Arx Fatalis but the major issue for me is that the city of Arx is almost devoid of people. The rest of the game too but empty tunnels are not as surprising as an empty city and ultimately because of this human emptiness the experience lacked realism and drive. There are streets, buildings, guards, a royal court, etc, but almost nobody to live in there and interact with. I guess I don't have to develop too much why this is a misopportunity to make a way better game and avoid the situation where you'r on your own to save an empty world :::
Ultimately with a bit of extra dev effort on NPCs it could have been a much better game and avoid this unrealistic ridiculous setting.
Still a great atmosphere and feeling of exploration. Some parts like the crypt of Arx or the vilain's lair are cool. Pure dungeon crawl with little to expect from the story.

Very different game from Arx … loved that game, enough to troubleshoot that one stupid jump forever.

Is the primary difference the free movement vs moving in a fixed grid?

The movement would be most noticeable primary difference, but there are several others.

While Arx had some puzzles, Grimrock had a substantial amount more as well as a lot more of the find-the-key situations

The magic system in Arx was based on drawing the runes in the air with the mouse, where in Grimrock it was just clicking on the runes or combination of runes.

Grimrock was a lot more linear, the main objective was to find the way to go down to the next dungeon level. Arx was a lot more open. I have only played a little of Grimrock 2, but it seems more open than the first.

Arx often had more than a single way to complete a task, you might be able to avoid combat by conversation for example.

Good info, thanks.

Agree, the rune drawing put me off the game. IIRC I quite the game after I got stuck in an enclosed (mandatory) area where I needed magic to escape:(

arx fatalis is a great game, really enjoyed it back in the day!

if you love dungeons, you owe it to yourself to play it!

Those looking to play this there is an unofficial patch out there that ups the graphics…I remember using it.
http://arx-libertatis.org/

That game engine update was mandatory for me. It made impossible rune casting possible. Highly recommended.

Arx Fatalis will always hold a special place in my heart. Arx, Morrowind, and Kotor were the first RPGs I ever played and came out at relatively the same time. These 3 games were responsible for getting me interested in the genre.

I am greatly annoyed that this sub-genre of "first-person simulated worlds" has not been built on since the days of Deus Ex, Thief, System Shock, Ultima Underworld, and Arx Fatalis. I remember thinking after playing Arx for the first time about just how far the concept could be taken as technology improved. Instead, the few successors in this sub-genre have focused entirely on presentation rather than interaction. Those little touches in these games that made you feel like you were *there* have largely been abandoned.

On the bright side, at least Arkane is still around and healthy! I really enjoy Dishonored and look forward to the sequel immensely, but I also hope for a "spiritual successor" from Arkane themselves one day.

Isn't skyrim a first person simulated world?

Uh oh… butthurt detected. ;)

Skyrim is a great game (in my opinion), but no, I wouldn't call it a simulated first-person world to the extent of something like Arx Fatalis. It's the abundance of little atmospheric touches, the small interactions with the game's objects and inventory for example, that is lacking.

I remember a puzzle early on in Arx: You had to get some sort of gear-based elevator to work again. My memory is a bit hazy, but I think you had to "fix" a piece of it by replacing a broken piece of wood. Then you needed a rope. Pretty simple, right? Nothing ground-breaking there. However, the actual interaction of putting the elevator back together is what made this otherwise mundane mini-puzzle come to life.

Opening up the inventory without pausing and dragging the objects into place was an attempt at making it seem like the player was really "feeling" the objects in the world. And that's just one tiny example from really early in the game, right after you escape your prison cell. By itself, it's just a small, simple touch. But when all these tiny interactions with the game world (mixing the ingredients for the laxative pie comes to mind) are added together, it makes a world of difference in adding immersion.

Arx Fatalis is a fun game but the fact you can't pick what you say actually defies the fact it's an RPG. How can you role-play if you can't choose what you say? In my opinion you can't.
This is a major step down compared to Ultima Underword 1 & 2 and it prevents Arx Fatalis from being their legitimate "spiritual successor".
A simple story, a little bit of dialogue and lore here and there: not much narrative really.

For me this game was all about the atmosphere and the immersion in that multi-layered dungeon.