Arx Fatalis - Review @ Gamersinfo.net
 

Gamesinfo.net takes a look at Arkane Studios' 2001 action/adventure/rpg Arx Fatalis, citing it as a "good thing that slipped through the cracks" at time of release:
Summary:
The review also notes that the game is available for a $5.99 download for Windows and Vista at Good Old Games. Please feel free to click on our GOG banner if interested as all games purchased in that manner help support the Watch.
More information.

Too bad the developers gave up on this game.

Arx Fatalis was great, and a very underrated game all around. It had a unique story and spell system, and a very immersive atmosphere. I really need to replay it soon.

Arx Fatalis was pretty stupid. The story wasn't that unique (you have amnesia and are the chosen one, to defeat an evil sect which tries to raise an evil demon, or something like that - it even has a mine of the dwarfs which are long dead) and the spell system was a pretty standard rune system, which was worse structured than in the Ultima Underworld games - not very balanced, too.
Atmosphere was good, but that's about it.

I thought the atmosphere easily carried it. I really enjoyed it.

I loved Arx Fatalis. It's one of my all-time favorite action RPG's, up there with Gothic 2 and The Witcher.

Boy was it hard in places, though.

It was simply the wrong game for me. I'm pretty biased against dungeon crawlers and linear games and Arx was both. I also disliked the magic system (I've worked with OCR and the game not recognising my U-shaped runes was pretty annoying):p

I think I would have liked it a lot more if they hadn't touted it a spiritual successor to Ultima Underworld - it just didn't quite reach there. And I likewise couldn't arrange myself with the magic system. Still I have some rather fond memories of it, especially the crypt really has a place in my heart - great dungeon experience. PJ - I don't remember it being out of the ordinary regarding difficulty, except for the final boss fight, which I had to do at least 15 times before I succeeded. What were the sections you found hard?

It's been a while since I played it, so I don't even remember exactly which parts. I do still have recurring nightmares of running from some horrible thing chasing me in claustrophobic corridors with lava, and getting turned into shishkebab by something that looks a cross between that nail-faced dude from Hellraiser and the main character from Overlord.

But then it could be that that's just my childhood traumas raising their heads and has nothing to do with Arx whatsoever…

I thought it was OK - but definitely not up to Ultima Underword, or even the preceding generation of great crawlers - like Lands of Lore, Eye of the Beholder, or Anvil of Dawn.

But I guess it's the only 3D dungeon crawler apart from UU? Pretty amazing that there aren't others, and NO I'm not counting that Might and Magic thing the Arx team did.

I liked this game a lot. It might be in my top 25 of all time RPGs. The opening game atmosphere was superior. The rune system was fun once you got the hang of it. The snake ladies were hot. And it didn't have that claustrophobic feeling I normally feel with underground games. The only thing I didn't like was there really wasn't any background music. But those sounds (screams and what not) in the dungeon areas were probably the most intense I've ever experience in a computer game.

Lands of Lore was 3D. At least it was from the 2nd one onwards, I never played the first.

I loved Arx though. But I always lost interest as soon as I got the fireball spell. You're basically a god with that thing. Ironic, isn't it XD.

The first one was a step-by-step engine ala Dungeon Master.

I wouldn't really consider Lands of Lore 2 a dungeon crawler, as such, but I guess it's close enough. But since I included Lands of Lore in the genre myself, which was also a sort of mixture between dungeons and overland maps - I've only myself to blame ;)

LoL2 was quite underrated, by the way, and it was MUCH better than the third game - which was a travesty.

LoL1 was basically what Eye of the Beholder 3 should have been, as you'd expect from the team behind it. Had a refreshing feel and setting though. Really really enjoyed LoL2 as well - it had it's silly moments, but some of the environments and feeling of old lore was amazing.

I didn't get beyond the first forest in LoL3.

I didn't really get into Arx.

Agree on all points ;)

Not sure why anyone would want to compare Arx to classic party based dungeon crawlers, it's a completely different type of game.

I loved the ambient sound effects in the game, they fit the setting/atmosphere perfectly, and I was glad they didn't dilute it with BGM.

It's pretty easy to criticise Arx - it's practically a catalogue of what not to do in an RPG - linear, no real dialogue, limited magic system - so I can understand those that didn't enjoy it.

But I practically wet myself doing the crypt missions and I loved the detail of the functional goblin society, making bread and the like. Plus, some cool quests. Is it Dungeon Hero that is supposed to have a "real" goblin dungeon culture? They should look at Arx as a starting point.

It was a cool game, i mean, for having to pretty much stick to a walk-thru for the entire thing…

I really love it as well - played a bit of the beginning after grabbing it again from GoG.

There was one jump where I swear my success was based on resolution and getting 1 pixel to be big enough for me to make the landing …

I like the beginning (felt a bit like UW) but towards the end it started to bore a bit. Did manage to finish though.

Wasnt there a new "underworld" style dungeon crawl in development? I remember it quite clearly. It was announced atleast a year ago but I cant remember the name. It did look interesting. I read about it from here or codex.

Oh yeah that it was. Release this fall? Cant wait.

Are you saying you consider Arx COMPLETELY different to Dungeon Master or Eye of the Beholder?

Apart from being single-character and using 3D technology, I'd say the gameplay will appeal to exactly the same tastes - or at least one would expect it to.

I certainly consider Ultima Underworld an evolution of Dungeon Master. They certainly appeal to me for almost identical reasons.

The problem, at least for me, was that the goblins were the only culture with any details. The snake women, the trolls, the dragons, even the human societies were all totally shallow. The ratmen were the worst, with everyone just standing in different, empty rooms, doing nothing at all.

That killed it for me.

It's "very different" - how bout that? They share dungeon crawling and camera view, although those games (excluding UU) were really only 2.5D. Other than that, Arx Fatalis felt nothing like EotB, LoL, or Anvil.

As far as appealing to "exactly" the same taste, that depends on the individual gamer. I never cared for EotB or the LoL series, but I loved every second of AF.

I can't really argue with your tastes - and I said "one would expect it to", because they share so many elements.

Dungeon crawling in itself would seem to be a pretty significant shared factor in, you know, dungeon crawlers.

I didn't care for Arx, really, but that doesn't mean it isn't very similar in style to UU and those that went before - like Dungeon Master.

I hated Dungeon Siege - for instance - but loved Diablo and Diablo 2. I'd still say they're VERY similar - though Dungeon Siege is party-based and 3D.

But, we just disagree, obviously - no harm.

Apparently the game is delayed (no releasedate). Also from the official forums:
Propably better just forget this game alltogether. I dont think "Hack'n'Slash dungeon crawler with light rpg elements" will make a good uw style game. Sounds like they are aiming more towards somthing like that latest might and magic game.

Oh I agree *completely* about the UU comparison, even though I've only played a little of UU 1. Even if the devs hadn't mentioned UU 100 times during interviews, the influence would still have been very obvious.

I would love to see a remake of UU, although I know it will never happen. Not a "reimagining", but the exact same game ported to a modern graphics engine.

I'm with you on that one :)

While they're at it - let's throw in a modern engine System Shock as well :)

w00t to the SysShock remake :)

I came to Arx from the other side, just re-engaging with RPG's and not having played UU or any of the others, and really enjoyed it. It still is a game I love even after learning more of the 'backstory'.