Arcane Vale
- December 16, 2022
- Dynamic Zero
- 15h median play time
Get on SteamIn "Arcane Vale" , you continue your father's legacy, seeking a long-lost treasure in a vast open world filled with dangerous creatures and hidden secrets. Complete quests, gain favor with locals, and level up your skills and equipment to confront increasingly powerful foes. Explore, discover unique characters, craft stronger weapons, and delve into crypts to reveal lost secrets.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a great value for the price, providing a fun experience for time burning with plenty of quests and exploration.
- The pixel art and graphics are charming, and the game features a well-crafted fantasy world with a rich story and engaging gameplay.
- The developer is responsive to community feedback, actively fixing bugs and implementing quality of life improvements, making it a hidden gem in the indie game scene.
- The lack of quest markers and a useful map makes navigation difficult, often leaving players feeling lost and frustrated.
- Inventory management is a significant issue, with limited space and no quick stack options, leading to an overwhelming amount of unnecessary items.
- Combat can feel unresponsive and lacks depth, relying too heavily on RNG elements, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- story64 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as engaging and immersive, set in a beautifully crafted fantasy world with a variety of quests and biomes to explore. While the main narrative is compelling, players note a predominance of fetch quests compared to more intriguing challenges, and some express a desire for the story and crafting systems to be further developed. However, the lack of quest markers and a useful map can hinder navigation and quest completion, detracting from the overall experience.
“The game has a beautifully crafted fantasy world with a rich, immersive story that kept me engaged from start to finish.”
“Arcane Vale tells the story of one of those journeys where the voyage itself becomes even more important than its final destination.”
“I love the art style and the story has me invested and wanting to complete!”
“This game has way too many different items for a limited inventory; finding NPCs again after clearing a quest is near impossible without remembering their locations, and combat isn't fun.”
“It also doesn't have quest markers or a particularly useful map, despite having loads and loads of quests and NPCs.”
“I have to keep closing the game because it auto-moves me to talk to his father, and I keep getting stuck running against him in an endless loop. I also completed the chop trees quest without even getting the axe.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics are primarily characterized by a charming pixel-art style that appeals to fans of the genre, offering a cozy aesthetic with unique characters and well-realized environments. While not overly elaborate, the visuals are described as nice and enthralling, complemented by satisfying combat and engaging gameplay details. Overall, the art style contributes positively to the game's atmosphere and player experience.
“If you are a pixel-art fan, you can feel at home here.”
“Cozy art style, satisfying combat, and tons of content.”
“Don’t expect a very elaborated or fancy art style, but nonetheless the graphics are always nice and enthralling.”
“The characters, locations, and creatures all felt unique and well-realized, and the pixel graphics and visual effects were top-notch.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is engaging and enjoyable, featuring smooth mechanics and satisfying combat with a variety of weapons and abilities. Players appreciate the blend of action and story, along with additional elements like mining and crafting, although some find the boss mechanics challenging. Overall, the aesthetic and charming details enhance the experience, making it a worthwhile purchase for fans of top-down 2D ARPGs.
“The gameplay is smooth, although very occasionally buggy, and the combat is satisfying, with a variety of weapons and abilities to choose from.”
“The gameplay itself was also a lot of fun.”
“I am having some trouble with the bosses as the mechanics can be challenging at first, but with a few respawns, I'm able to overcome them!”
“But this game also has a lite-survival aspect with mining and crafting mechanics.”
“The gameplay lacks depth and feels repetitive after a short while.”
“The mechanics are clunky, making it difficult to fully enjoy the experience.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is criticized for its initial instability, described as a "broken buggy mess," though gameplay is generally smooth with occasional bugs. Despite these issues, players find the combat satisfying and enjoy the variety of weapons and abilities available.
“The start is a broken, buggy mess.”
“The gameplay is smooth, although very occasionally buggy.”
“Buggy!”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspects of the game, such as farming and crafting, to be largely unnecessary, as resources are abundant and easily found in the open world. While the game offers a variety of activities, many feel that these features were included more for breadth than for meaningful engagement, leading to a sense of redundancy in gameplay.
“Farming is unnecessary; you will find tons more than you need just wandering around.”
“It feels like a lot of the game mechanics were added just for the sake of saying the game has crafting, building, farming, fishing, combat, levels, etc. You won't use most of them unless you go out of your way.”
“While you can build and farm anywhere in the open world, it seems redundant since you can later buy a house with all the working tables and farming patches inside.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received positive feedback, with players appreciating its quality and how it enhances the overall aesthetic and charm of the gameplay. Despite some references to "elevator music," the overall sentiment is that the soundtrack significantly contributes to the game's appeal.
“The music is great, and I love the aesthetic, UI, and little charming details in the gameplay so far.”
“The music feels like elevator music - bland and uninspired.”
“The soundtrack is just elevator music - it lacks any real energy or creativity.”
“The background music is nothing more than elevator music - it fails to engage or enhance the gameplay.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its smooth performance and user-friendly interface, allowing players to enjoy an action-packed experience filled with engaging quests.
“The UI is easy to understand, and the game runs smoothly, while being action-packed and full of fun quests!”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, which adds to the overall enjoyment, complemented by a visually appealing art style.
“Good fun so far, a lot of humor and nice art style!”
