Arcanum is an RPG which was released back in 2001 and published by Sierra. It is sadly not a very well known game, despite it’s similarity to the likes of Baldur’s Gate and other classic RPG titles. Unlike Baldur’s Gate (or any other DnD-esque RPG for that matter), Arcanum’s setting is not one of pure fantasy, but rather it is that of a classical arcane world undergoing an industrial revolution. This conflict between magick and technology is one of the core aspects of the game’s lore, and is heavily detailed in the game’s ridiculously long manual, which reads more like a dissertation on a fantasy world than a guide for a video game.

The game is played from a 3rd person isometric view, identical to that of Baldur’s Gate and the early Fallout games. Combat offers two options, turn-based or real time, and unless the player wishes to be feathered with arrows that are fired faster than an automatic rifle I would recommend the former option. Despite the flaws in the real time combat system, the turn-based variation holds up rather well, the player has a set number of action points each turn and may use these points on moving, attacking with various weapons, casting spells or using items. The story begins in the smouldering wreckage of an airship and the player is immediately offered the main story quest which can easily be turned down in favour of striking out on their own story. There are countless other quests throughout the game world, none of which are randomly generated and all of which are relatively important and surprisingly interesting. The game does allow for a fantastic freedom of morality as well(I began my most recent playthrough by freeing a cursed man who was trapped as a spirit and in agonising pain, only to use my skill as a necromancer to summon his spirit again and have a long, rather disturbing chat with him). The game can be quite unforgiving at times and unless you quicksave often you are going to end up making some bad choices and suffering the consequences.

The game’s logbook(shown above) is literally a collection of notes which is kept by the playing character, automatically keeping record of every interesting conversation you have, all of your quests, combat statistics and injuries. Since it is the only guide you have in discerning what your quests are, it does prove quite invaluable and adds a rather nice element of immersion which most other games would simply overlook. The character creation and experience system is based on the usual tried and tested method of attributes and skill points. However, the inclusion of technological crafting skills and the tenuous balance between magick and technology adds an interesting depth to the usual style of crpg character evolution.

Arcanum is a game which does not pique the player’s interest with an action-packed combat system or fantastic graphics(in fact to play the game at a reasonable resolution it is best to head over to Terra Arcanum and download a few of their recommended mods).The game draws the player in with an intriguing setting and continues to hold their attention by unfolding a superbly written series of primary and secondary quest lines presented in a beautifully diverse environment, courtesy of the fantastic isometric artwork presented throughout the game. Arcanum is an immersive role-playing game and if you can find the time to delve into it with an open mind, it will continue to surprise and enthrall you with rich atmosphere and surprisingly well-written characters.