Arx Fatalis (2002)

Arx Fatalis (2002), designed and directed by Raphaël Colantonia, developed and published by Arkane Studios

It has always been a bit puzzling to me, why so few games have tried to follow the path set by the Ultima Underworld games back in the early 1990's. Sure, immersive sim games do pop up now and then, but very few of them try to actually follow a similar path of creating a larger game environment, where you can move relatively freely, finding your way around the way your characters' abilities allow. Arx Fatalis is one of the very few games to do so.

Like in many other games, you begin the game with no memory of who you are and why you've been dragged into a goblin prison. The prisoner in the cell next to you urges you to find a way to escape, as he has been wounded and his cell seems to be rock solid. Obviously, you find a way out and manage to kill the guard as well. After you release the other prisoner, he gives you the name Am Shagar, which means without a name in a foreign tongue. With this name, you make your escape and finally arrive at a human fortress, which has been attacked.

The still-breathing commander pleads with you to find your way to the Kingdom of Arx. This task is made harder by the fact that the joining tunnels have collapsed. This requires a further explanation. Arx is underground. Decades ago, the sun of the world died, leaving the surface in the grasp of an eternal winter. This drove the people, humans, goblins, dwarfs, and trolls alike to seek shelter from the old mines, digging even deeper.

After some tunnels, you finally find the city of Arx and inform the king of all that has happened. You get some money and a new quest and you also regain your memory. You aren't some common rube, but a Guardian sent to Arx to take care of an evil god, Akbaa who is trying to munch the soul of the world for power. The game isn't even halfway through, and you can find your way to the lair of the evil and destroy a meteor where the evil one is residing. And nothing much happens.

See, Akbaa has become too strong to be destroyed by merely breaking the rock that binds his spirit. You need to up your game and find some ancient relics to get rid of ol' Akby. And that's exactly what you do before you get to complete your mission.

As far story goes, the basics are just that, basic. While the world itself is quite interesting, the main story isn't any more special than the story in Ultima Underworld 1, just a bit more convoluted. Then again, the story could have been quite different, as originally Arx Fatalis was imagined as Ultima Underworld 3, but Arkane couldn't get the rights.  

As far as gameplay goes, Arx Fatalis is a pretty smooth experience. And if you install the fan-made Arx Libertatis patch, you get an even smoother experience with better resolution support. The higher resolutions do make the game look very, very nice and sharp.

Perhaps the most interesting gameplay mechanic is how the magic works. Instead of just reading scrolls, you actually have to draw the magic runes in the air. Before casting, you need to collect several runes. To cast a spell, you can then check your book for the spells as well as instructions on how to draw the runes. For speed casting, you can pre-cast a couple of spells for speedier use. The strength of the spells is determined by your magic skills. 

Of course, if you do want to play as more of a pure mage, it's advisable to learn the runes quite well, as the game doesn't pause while casting. While the system is interesting, it's not the speediest system around.

Arx Fatalis is something of a hidden gem. It doesn't get quite the attention it deserves and while it's not as groundbreaking a game as the Ultima Underworld titles were, it is a solid entry to the immersive sim genre. 

For those wanting to experience the grim world of Arx themselves, head to GOG or Steam to get your copy of the game. Finalize the installation with Arx Libertis and be on your merry way. Its normal price tag is around 5 bucks or so, so it's not even that expensive of a game to try.