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Arcadian Atlas

Arcadian Atlas is a solid, concise SRPG crafted with a lot of heart.
56%Game Brain Score
story, music
stability, grinding
51% User Score Based on 254 reviews
Critic Score 61%Based on 14 reviews

Platforms

Mac OSMac OSNintendo SwitchNintendo SwitchPCPCPlaystation 4Playstation 4Playstation 5Playstation 5WindowsWindowsXbox OneXbox OneXbox Series X|SXbox Series X|SLinuxLinuxPlayStationPlayStationXboxXbox

About

In "Arcadian Atlas" , navigate a civil war between a queen and a charismatic princess while controlling a rogue magician and the second heir to the throne. Customize troop classes and engage in tactical battles to determine the kingdom's fate. Recruit allies and upgrade them to Cavaliers, Inquisitors, or Ronins for strategic advantage.

Arcadian Atlas screenshot
Arcadian Atlas screenshot
Arcadian Atlas screenshot
Arcadian Atlas screenshot
Arcadian Atlas screenshot
Arcadian Atlas screenshot
Arcadian Atlas screenshot
Arcadian Atlas screenshot
Arcadian Atlas screenshot
Arcadian Atlas screenshot
Arcadian Atlas screenshot
+7

51%
Audience ScoreBased on 268 reviews
story70 positive mentions
stability12 negative mentions

  • The pixel art and character animations are beautifully crafted, providing a charming visual experience.
  • The story features engaging political intrigue and emotional depth, with well-developed characters that resonate with players.
  • The gameplay offers a satisfying tactical experience with a variety of classes and skill trees, allowing for diverse party customization.
  • The game suffers from numerous quality of life issues, including slow controls, cumbersome menus, and a lack of camera rotation, which hinder the overall experience.
  • Combat can feel unbalanced, with ranged units often overshadowing melee characters, leading to repetitive and easy battles.
  • The soundtrack, while unique, may not fit the game's medieval fantasy setting, detracting from immersion.
  • story
    321 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Arcadian Atlas" has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its emotional depth and engaging political intrigue reminiscent of classics like "Final Fantasy Tactics," while others criticize it for being clichéd and lacking in depth. Many found the narrative to have promising twists and character connections, but noted that it often felt rushed or underdeveloped, particularly in later chapters. Overall, while the story has its moments and appeals to fans of tactical RPGs, it may not fully satisfy those seeking a more profound narrative experience.

    • “The ending brought me to tears, and I always have respect when a story can tug on my heartstrings that well.”
    • “Despite it being a fairly short game (Steam says 21 hours for me but my save file says 17), I really felt connected to the main protagonists and their story, as well as the goings-on in the political sphere.”
    • “I found the story to be mature, holding nothing back during the war and hitting nuances I don’t see that often regarding choices, emotions, duty, and more.”
    • “The political intrigue is kind of interesting but it never gets past the 'wicked stepmother' plot mixed with 'star-crossed lovers on opposite sides of a conflict' cliche.”
    • “The story's got all the worst parts of Final Fantasy Tactics without the best parts of it.”
    • “The story is only serviceable and ultimately a shaggy dog story.”
  • music
    170 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has garnered mixed reviews, with many praising its unique jazz-inspired soundtrack that adds a fresh vibe, while others feel it clashes with the fantasy setting and lacks variation, particularly in battle sequences. Some players find the soundtrack engaging and immersive, while others describe it as an immersion breaker, likening it to elevator music that doesn't fit the game's tone. Overall, the music is seen as a standout feature for some, but a significant drawback for others, highlighting a divide in player preferences.

    • “The soundtrack is incredible!”
    • “The music is awesome, the story has been good, the characters interesting and the battles have fun.”
    • “The pixel art is expressive and fantastic, and the music is an interesting choice (smooth jazz, pretty unique for this kind of game).”
    • “The biggest con of the game is, by far, the soundtrack.”
    • “What immersion exists in this game is busted by the music style choice.”
    • “The music is out of place for this genre of game - moreover it is straight-up elevator music.”
  • gameplay
    112 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Arcadian Atlas is generally described as fun and engaging, with a light tactical feel reminiscent of classic tactical RPGs. However, it suffers from a lack of depth and polish, with many mechanics feeling generic and poorly explained, leading to a somewhat simplistic experience. While the art and music are praised, the overall execution leaves players wanting more in terms of complexity and quality of life improvements.

    • “The gameplay is fun, and the devs are very open to feedback from the community and already making fixes to some balancing issues players have found.”
    • “Great art style and music, a compelling story and world, and some satisfying tactical gameplay - I'm looking forward to digging in further!”
    • “It doesn't have the same polish as a big-team or big-budget title, but the visual design is great, attack animations are satisfying, and the gameplay has a good balance of strategy and difficulty (with difficulty sliders if you want them).”
    • “Forget the lack of character build options - the basic mechanics of the game are just laughably bad.”
    • “The gameplay is otherwise serviceable but ultimately not sufficiently intricate enough to hold much interest.”
    • “The controls are barely explained so you can almost be wandering the first save menu as you can't click on icons, and if you turtle with your troops it can be difficult to select them, and the gameplay gets boring fast.”
  • graphics
    56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming retro pixel art style that pays homage to classic tactical RPGs, with expressive sprites and appealing animations. However, the character portraits have received mixed reviews, as some players find them distracting and not well-integrated with the overall aesthetic. While the visuals are generally praised, there are concerns about polish and occasional jitteriness, particularly in gameplay.

    • “I love the art style, and it’s my favorite genre by far.”
    • “The art style is wonderful, and the portraits of characters breathe life into the game that I often feel is missing from tactics RPGs.”
    • “The graphics and music are top notch and are driving this so far.”
    • “So I backed this product on Kickstarter a very, very long time ago, and only a few minutes of play showed me how poorly polished the gameplay and visuals are.”
    • “Graphics are jittery, even for a turn-based strategy game.”
    • “I'm not sold on the character portraits; they are almost distracting from the rest of the game's aesthetic.”
  • stability
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The stability of the game is highly inconsistent, with many users reporting frequent freezes and slow performance, making it frustrating to play. While some players have experienced smooth gameplay without glitches or crashes, the overall sentiment leans towards a buggy experience that detracts from enjoyment.

    • “The game looks great, runs smoothly, and the music is an absolute vibe.”
    • “The game looks great, runs smoothly, and the music is an absolute vibe.”
    • “It freezes up and sometimes it starts working again after a minute, sometimes it doesn't.”
    • “Very slow and freezes often.”
    • “Not only buggy, but like the opposite of ease of life.”
  • grinding
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features a design choice that eliminates grinding, with battles being strictly tied to the story or quests, which some players appreciate while others find it limits experimentation with character classes. While the absence of random encounters is seen as a positive by some, it also leads to a lack of opportunities for players to test and optimize their characters, resulting in a tedious experience with the XP system and menu navigation. Overall, the removal of grinding is a mixed bag, with players expressing both relief and frustration over the game's structure.

    • “There are no random encounters; the battles are story or quest related, which are thus limited in number. No grinding, which is not a flaw for me personally, and I've encountered this kind of gameplay decision in a tactical RPG before.”
    • “Having to game the XP system to optimize is just tediously unfun.”
    • “Now the game currently has a lot of very odd things missing or just bizarre decisions. The XP system feels like a demo placeholder, the menus are tedious to navigate both in and out of combat, and so on. Despite all of these flaws that would normally be fatal to me, the game still manages to be enjoyable, and the dev team has said they would patch the missing quality of life improvements, so hopefully they improve upon that (though I have low expectations regarding menuing, unfortunately).”
    • “UI handling and upgrading/replacing/buying/checking your gear is also a bit tedious, especially because that's the only thing you can do pretty much to upgrade your units outside of skills.”
  • replayability
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as limited, with many players suggesting it is best enjoyed in a single playthrough. While some appreciate the depth of class promotions, the lack of random encounters and meaningful new game plus options detracts from the overall replay value. Consequently, it may not offer enough incentive for players to return after completing the main story.

    • “I can already see the replay value due to the depth of classes to promote to.”
    • “In the $20-30+ (Canadian) price range, a lot of tactics RPGs lean heavily towards combat and designing a replayable experience in the form of New Game Plus runs with minor variations.”
    • “Another thing people complained about is how the font is not very readable, or how the replayability is dead since there are no random encounters, which just makes me wonder.”
    • “I recommend this game for a single playthrough; however, for me at least, there is not much replayability.”
    • “The game is worth a playthrough but has no replay value.”
    • “Another thing people complained about is how the replayability is dead since there are no random encounters, which just makes me wonder.”
  • humor
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is described as a mixed bag, balancing serious themes with comedic elements that can sometimes feel inappropriate, particularly in the context of darker subjects like genocide. While some players appreciate the lighthearted moments that alleviate tension, others find the humor appealing mainly to a younger audience.

    • “Where the writing delves into a nice balance between seriousness with humor at times to lessen the gravity of affairs here.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviewers praise the character development in Arcadian Atlas, highlighting its impressive character designs and the unique charm of characters like Poncho the raccoon. The game evokes a nostalgic feel reminiscent of Final Fantasy Tactics, contributing to a rich and engaging character experience.

    • “Arcadian Atlas has some amazing character designs and character development.”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is widely criticized, with many users citing significant performance issues that lead to wasted time and hinder the overall experience. Until these problems are addressed, even dedicated fans may find it difficult to recommend the game.

    • “This is one of the biggest flaws of the game, in my opinion: whether by design, by accident, or by poor optimization, lots of time is wasted.”
    • “Until its significant performance issues are ironed out though, it’s hard to recommend for even the biggest fans of the genre.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features a dark and deeply emotional narrative that resonates strongly with players, making it a compelling experience that should not be overlooked.

    • “The story is dark, human, and emotional, and is not to be missed.”

Buy Arcadian Atlas

5h Median play time
10h Average play time
4-20h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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