Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

"Refreshing, Fabulous RPG!"

This game is rough around the edges, but it more than makes up for it in its unique world, compelling story and deep gameplay. I installed the current patch and experienced no bugs, save for a fairly consistent crashing of the game. No currupt files, but I would suggest having multiple saves and saving often. I don't suggest playing in full-screen (via the patch) as it's a little buggy. I also suggest you avoid real-time combat. It doesn't really play right and is waaaay too easy in real-time, turn-based is more realistic and challenging.

Creating and developing your character is DEEP. It is so complex at first, you will feel overwhelmed. I strongly suggest you read the manual through before starting! One of the hardest decisions to make is deciding whether you will concentrate on the magic disciplines or the technological disciplines. You can't go middle of the road here, other than to choose neither. Magic and Technology cancel each other out and this fact creates a very unique & interesting world, story and role-playing experience.

Some reviewers have warned against specializing in Technology because you will have to pass up on lots of magic items and technological resources/supplies are limited. It was a hard decision, but I chose to focus on Technology. It's what separates this game from other medieval fantasy RPGs and I wanted a different experience. I was not disappointed. You will have to pass on lots of magic items, but you've seen most of them all before in all the other RPGs you've played. Technological resources & supplies are not limited, I played through the game completely without any unusual trouble. It was a real blast finding new schematics and combining components to create weapons/items that were totally unique.

If the Tech & Magic disciplines seem too much to handle, you can always be a fighter or thief type character. The game handles both of these types very well also and they are simpler to play. Character development is absolutely integral to the game and every level up you will be choosing where to put those 1-2 character points. It's a labor of love and you'll still be learning the ins and outs as you near the end of the game, which for me was over 150 hours worth of playing. The quests were numerous and quite varied, from the ordinary to the heroic, and I did not complete all of them in those 150 hours. I loved every minute of it, it's one of the best RPGs I've ever played. A sequel is well-warranted and any serious RPGer should check this game out sometime.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/20/02, Updated 04/20/02