It's Ultima Underworld, and it's not. Confused? So is Chris Anderson
Ah... Ultima Underworld... what a game that was. It was technologically astounding at the time of its release, and incredibly it had depth of gameplay to match its technological ambitions. Its level design was breathtaking, the NPCs were intelligent and full of character and it was so atmospheric it had grown men quaking in their boots. It was a classic, and many predicted there would never be another game like it. They were wrong; there was another game that came out later that was just as good in every way. It was called, er, Ultima Underworld 2. So, the same people predicted there would never be another one like that one either. They were right, or were they? Let's take a look at the latest contender for the Ultima Underworld crown: Arx Fatalis.
In the beginning... Yes, the beginning, always a good place to start we think, and Arx Fatalis starts as it means to go on, in a dank, dark underground environment with as little light as possible. There you are stuck in a prison cell with no obvious way out while guards march up and down outside your door (sound familiar? It should...) and so your first puzzle commences, as you search every nook and cranny of your cell for a means to escape. While it may be clichéd and trite, you won't be thinking about that at this point. You'll be thinking about the graphics and how amazing they are. You'll forget you're in a dungeon that looks just like all the other dungeons you've seen in games of this type and instead you'll be staring at the guy in the cell next to you and marvelling at how incredibly detailed he is. You'll be looking at the torch in his cell and remarking on how uncannily lifelike it seems and your thoughts will race speedily ahead in anticipation of the graphic delights this beautiful game has in store for you.
Yes, that's right, even the walls are hugely detailed close up. Arx Fatalis then, is pretty high in the graphical detail department (No shit? - Ed), but it's also pretty high on keeping the action to a fairly pedestrian speed.
No alarms and no surprises Arx Fatalis features some incredibly casual gameplay. There are no hit-and-run assaults, everything takes place at a leisurely pace from the moment you leave your cell right up to the point where you enter the city of Arx itself and find out your destiny (or the game's idea of what your destiny should be). Rest assured though, it's not long after you enter the city that things start to heat up. There's huge depth in terms of exploration and masses to discover while wandering the lush landscape, with a multitude of NPCs to converse with (although some of them are somewhat reluctant to say anything of use) and some great plot twists to discover. In the early stages there seems to be little plot development, but with a little perseverance you'll soon uncover all kinds of sinister goings-on if you have the patience to wait that long. And believe me, you're going to want to, as Arx is filled with exciting combat and tricky puzzles to keep you engrossed throughout.
The plot revolves around a demon called Akbaa who intends to return to Arx and make short work of it. Your intentions, as ever, are to prevent all this nonsense and save Arx from the Fatalis of the title.
Great combinations Items you attain during your travels can be combined to create unique new ones, much like in Diablo II. Working out how to successfully link the runes you learn on your travels in order to make useful spells is one of Arx's most compelling features. Spellcasting itself involves tracing these runes on screen with your mouse, much like in Black & White, which makes spell-combat particularly tense, especially when confronted with some of the more powerful nasties you stumble across later on.
Sadly though, Arx Fatalis is no Ultima Underworld. The somewhat limited character development and NPC interaction and simplistic melee combat (see enemy, click mouse) let it down somewhat. Where it scores highly is in its fantastic graphics, believable and realistic environments, brilliant spellcasting system and eerily atmospheric presentation. If, you're after a solid dungeon crawl that oozes atmosphere, Arx Fatalis is more than worthy of your time.
Chris Anderson
// Overview
Verdict
Beautiful and atmospheric
Uppers
Inventive spell system Excellent graphics Highly detailed NPCs
Downers
Linear gameplay for the most part Camera often seems to have a mind of its own Clichéd dialogue
Arx Fatalis' inventive spell system, is impressive to watch, and the novelty value is excellent. Finally role-playing purists can cast complex incantation spells that require more than just a simple click to release their inherent magic. It's a brilliant idea which moves away from the dull single-click spellcasting so often adopted by RPGs. Why can't spell-combat be made more exciting in this way in more RPGs? It may take some getting used to, but it certainly immerses you into the game far more than most RPG spell systems. Developers, take note.
Draw runes on-screen with your mouse to cast spells.
// Murder in the dark
I'll kill it... if I can only find it...
Many of the areas in Arx Fatalis are pretty dark, what with it being mainly dungeon-based and all. This is a good thing, we love it. What we don't love is fumbling round in the dark trying to find what we're supposed to hit because our torch has gone out and we can't see the damn thing. It's particularly frustrating here, because you end up missing out on some stunning looking creatures in their full glory.
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Inventive spell system
