Arx Fatalis Review - VGLN.com Xbox Reviews

The wait is finally over. Arx Fatalis, the first first-person RPG since Morrowind on the XBOX, has been released. With salivating mouths, Morrowind fan boys have awaited the next major release for the genre. But, one must ask one’s self, is it anything special?

Arx Fatalis takes place on a world with an uninhabitable surface. The sun has disappeared, and the surface of the planet is covered in ice. However, seeing the impending doom of their world, the tribes of the planet, humans, trolls, goblins, ratmen, snakewomen, and dwarves, united to build a complicated infrastructure underground. After construction, each race was given a level of the infrastructure as their own. Once the underground world was divided up, the tribes went back to their usual bickering and fighting. You start out the game in a goblin jail cell as a nameless, memory-less man who accepts the name “Am Shagar” from a cellmate, which means “the man with no name” in a foreign tongue. It is your task to break out of the cell and find your true identity. So begins the adventure of Arx Fatalis.

Now, with the storyline out of the way, let us examine Arx Fatalis from a technical point of view and in contrast to XBOX’s other first-person RPG, Morrowind. First off on the checklist is gameplay. Unlike its RPG predecessor, Arx Fatalis does not leave its players aimlessly walking around, searching for people, places or quests. Morrowind was very open-ended and seemed limitless in its quests and environments. Arx Fatalis, on the other hand, is a little more confined. This is one of the consequences of the game taking place underground. The storyline and quests of Arx Fatalis are a little more directed, and one’s actions are more consequential towards the outcome of the game. Like any good RPG, Arx Fatalis allows the player to customize both the look and skill of their character. Skill points are assigned, either by the player or randomly, to determine what type of character the player will be controlling, whether he be more of a soldier or more of a magic-wielder. This is not simply a hack-and-slash game, unless the player so chooses it to be just that. A number of alternative measures can be used as well, including using stealth over brute force and killing everyone in the room rather than fulfilling favors to continue your journey. Though these alternatives are available, “mass genocide” can be very tempting to many. However, players beware. Arx Fatalis is unlike Morrowind in its views of “mass genocide.” In Morrowind, one could commit murder in secret, and his relationships with other people would not be affected. In Arx Fatalis, killing an individual is like sending a signal to every individual of that particular race/clan of your hostility. They will attack you on sight. This can make the game a lot more difficult, especially for lower level characters. Wrapping up gameplay is the combat system. When compared to Morrowind, well, there is no comparison. Anyone who ever played Morrowind knows how clumsy and annoying the system was to all. Arx Fatalis has greatly approved upon this atrocity to RPG gaming. When I run up to an enemy and swing my great sword, I get contact. Plain and simple. Kudos to Arx Fatalis in this regard.

Though the combat system in Arx Fatalis is impressive, the graphics are, how does one say, lacking. As stated earlier, the entire game takes place underground. This doesn’t leave much to the imagination in terms of lush environments. The game, in its entirety, is very dark and plain. Exploring this world is like exploring a really, really big stone basement. A few hours in this dark world will make the sight of the sun a burning inferno to a gamer. One would think that with not having to worry about aspects of an outdoor environment such as vegetation and night and day, more attention could de diverted to character and basic level design. Unfortunately, this is not the case with Arx Fatalis. There is nothing extraordinary about the character design, and the environment can be blocky and “glitchy.” For example, I strike down a goblin. As I search his body for important items, I see his club miraculously floating in midair, probably due to the club getting stuck in the wall as it fell from his hands. It is the culminations of the little things that make gamers disapprove in the graphics department.

As far as sound goes, it really isn’t that much better. The game lacks a sufficient soundtrack for such a long, and sometimes, tedious game. After a few straight hours of playing, one could have a desire to kill every chicken alive just to stop them from clucking, and a simple water drop could become an excuse to throw a sink out a window. One thing saved the sound department for this game, goblins. It is hilarious to sit in the dark and watch these creatures bicker back and forth in their grammatically challenged language. Equally enjoyable is making them scream, “Don’t kill me,” as you chase them down a corridor to their inevitable death!

The worst aspect of this game is, by far, the presentation. The “cinematics” aren’t really cinematics at all. As the story is being told, the game does nothing more than flash still pictures on the screen and move across them. Even when Am Shagar is talking to another character in a programmed conversation, the text is often inaccurate, not coinciding with what the speaker is actually saying. I’m not even going to expand on this any further. I think my point is being understood. The presentation is sickening.

Finally, I can finally praise this once again in its replay value. However, this is mostly due to the nature of the first-person RPG genre. This game can be played repeatedly due to the fact that each time a player does through it, they can be someone else. The first time through, it is probably easier to go hack and slash. The next few times can be played as a magic-wielder, a thief, and/or a mass murderer. Your character is yours and yours only. What that character does is up to you. Who will you be?

In conclusion, the only advantages I have found in playing Arx Fatalis over Morrowind are combat and direction. If you are looking for lush environments, exciting soundtracks, or beautiful cinematics, you’re barking up the one tree. Hopefully, a company will one day see the good aspects of both Arx Fatalis and Morrowind, and combine them to create a well-rounded RPG for the XBOX. Bur for now, we can only dream…

--- Jeremy Gard

	Gameplay: [8.0] One would think that with not having to worry about aspects of an outdoor environment such as vegetation and night and day, more attention could de diverted to character and basic level design.
	Graphics: [5.5] Lack of a lush outdoor environment would lead one to believe that this would be a major factor in this game. These hopes are unfounded unfortunately. There is nothing special about character design or the environment. Dark corridors can cause the sun to practically blind one after hours of gameplay.
	Sound: [6.0] The game is lacking any kind of sufficient soundtrack. The common sounds (water and chickens) become very irritating. The only save for this category is the humor of the goblins.
	Presentation: [3.5] Sickening. The worst cinematics I have seen in recent gaming. I was very disappointed.
	Replay Value: [8.5] Due mostly to the nature of the RPG genre, the replay value is high. Each time a gamer plays, he/she can play as someone new.
	Global Score: [6.5] The long awaited ancestor to Morrowind might have still been rushed. Many flaws keep this from being a really good game. Still, it might be worth a rent to check it out and get your own opinion.

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