Arcanium: Rise of Akhan
- September 21, 2022
- Supercombo, Inc.
- 8h median play time
Arcanium: Rise of Akhan is a good deck building roguelike, but the complexity and difficulty make it hard to recommend to all but the most hardcore.
Get on Steam"Arcanium: Rise of Akhan" is a turn-based tactical RPG set in a dark fantasy world. Assemble a party of heroes, each with unique abilities and gear, to defeat enemies and bosses in tactical combat. Explore a procedurally generated world filled with quests, loot, and permadeath, challenging you to make every decision count.
iPad
iPhone
PC
Phone
Steam Deck
Windows
Mobile Platform
Reviews
- Great variety in characters, bosses, and cards, allowing for diverse strategies and builds.
- Intuitive mechanics and satisfying combat, with a good balance of challenge and accessibility.
- Beautiful art style and engaging UI that enhances the overall experience.
- Some characters and builds feel overpowered or underpowered, leading to balance issues.
- Limited content currently available, with only one region and a few heroes, which may affect replayability.
- Bugs and glitches present, impacting gameplay experience, especially in battles and UI interactions.
- gameplay186 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of intuitive mechanics and strategic depth, offering a satisfying experience for both new and experienced players. While many appreciate the unique character synergies and engaging deck-building elements, some critiques highlight issues with balance, repetitiveness, and a steep learning curve due to the multitude of mechanics. Overall, the game presents a visually appealing and enjoyable gameplay loop, though it may require further refinement to enhance replayability and address minor bugs.
“From its addictive gameplay to its captivating audio and vibrant visuals, it stands tall among its peers.”
“A very pretty deckbuilder with solid gameplay.”
“The gameplay loop is refreshingly intricate and so well-designed that even an experienced deck-building veteran would be stalled while they learn the mechanics.”
“The card gameplay and deckbuilding is just so incredibly shallow.”
“The gameplay is very simple to understand, but difficult to master if you don't know what you're doing.”
“Just another deckbuilder with bloated & boring mechanics.”
- graphics62 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their vibrant and charming art style, with many reviewers highlighting the beautiful artwork and clean character designs. While some mention minor issues with animations and UI clarity, the overall aesthetic is considered appealing and well-executed, contributing positively to the gameplay experience. The visuals are often described as a standout feature, enhancing the game's engaging mechanics and replayability.
“From its addictive gameplay to its captivating audio and vibrant visuals, it stands tall among its peers.”
“The art style is very clean and cute, the character designs are fun and unique, the sound effects are all satisfying, and the music is well done.”
“The graphics are crisp and quite appealing.”
“The UI somehow got worse and animations/graphics/overall aesthetics took a nosedive.”
“I bought it, but its graphics settings were broken so I couldn't run it properly without my computer overheating. I will wait until this game gets more polished so I can actually play it.”
“Quickly, the aesthetics of the game are wonky for a 1.0 release.”
- story38 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it weak, generic, and lacking depth, which detracts from the overall experience and replayability. While some appreciate the potential for rich lore and character backstories, others feel that the narrative elements feel like an afterthought and are not well integrated into the gameplay. Overall, there is a consensus that enhancing the story could significantly improve the game's appeal and engagement.
“Because there will always be heroes willing to face the darkness and rid the world of evil, and this is where your story begins…”
“The story is the perfect balance of fantasy and critical decisions.”
“I initially thought this was just a card battling game, but what made me buy it was the fact that there is a story board that you have to traverse as well.”
“The writing/story feels like an afterthought, and it feels very much like an incomplete early access game.”
“Story is terrible and the game starts with an incomprehensible mess of a cinematic.”
“The lore is useless in most cases and adds nothing to the story whatsoever.”
- replayability35 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
Overall, the game exhibits high replayability due to its diverse character roster, unlockable elements, and strong synergy mechanics, with runs lasting between 30 minutes to several hours. While many players appreciate the variety and potential for new strategies, some express concerns about limited replayability after reaching higher difficulty levels or completing certain challenges. Future updates and additional content are anticipated to enhance the replay value further.
“Very strong synergy mechanics, replayability with increasing difficulty levels and unlocks, good art/music.”
“✔️ A lot of replayability thanks to the vast character roster and a lot of unlockable elements.”
“The multitude of mechanics allow for a lot of replayability as you try out new combinations of cards to find what synergies there are and works best.”
“Only downside is once you've beaten apex difficulty and arena (both aren't that hard) there isn't much replayability.”
“Right now the replayability is limited and you probably won't sink in more than 10 hours into this, but with the roadmap the way it looks at the moment, this number will definitely go way up in the future.”
“At current date, it doesn't have much to offer in terms of replay value, but the core mechanics are solid and the dev team is extremely active and receptive of feedback on Discord.”
- music20 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its high quality, with many reviewers noting that it enhances the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. While some describe it as generic, it is still considered enjoyable and well-executed, complementing the game's art style and mechanics effectively. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's aesthetic appeal and replayability.
“The soundtrack and general audio are of exceptionally high quality.”
“The audio is crisp and well-executed to provide the perfect combination of ambience and effect, and pretty much the entirety of the soundtrack is a consistent and beautifully orchestrated set piece.”
“The game is aesthetically pleasing, includes a good deal of lore and has a good soundtrack.”
“The music is a bit generic, although it doesn't tire the listener.”
“There's dramatic music.”
- stability13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- -15 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
The game is generally considered to be in a buggy state, with various glitches and issues persisting despite being in early access for some time. While many players acknowledge these problems, they also express that the core gameplay is enjoyable and worth the investment, suggesting optimism for future updates and improvements. Overall, experiences with stability vary, with some players reporting a relatively bug-free experience while others encounter significant issues.
“Overall, it has been a bug-free experience in my limited time playing.”
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes or glitches.”
“I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it allows me to focus on enjoying the experience.”
“However, the game is still a buggy mess.”
“Gave it a couple tries but it was broken and buggy and had very little content.”
“So it's more buggy than a STS mod too.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be significant, particularly for those aiming to achieve 100% completion or unlock all characters, which requires extensive playthroughs. While the option to select difficulty levels is appreciated, many feel that the initial stages are overly grindy due to weak starter cards and a cumbersome deck-building process. Overall, while the game is enjoyable, the grind can detract from the experience, making it feel tedious at times.
“Very grindy if you want to 100% achievements as lots of heroes and two modes you need to grind through to get all of them, but besides that, I would recommend this one.”
“The only big negative I have is that runs are a bit grindy as starter cards are pretty trash, and you need to spend a lot of time on 'easy' battles to build your deck before you get to the point where everything is too easy.”
“Pretty good game, though it could afford to be a bit less grindy.”
- character development7 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is praised for its clean and unique designs, vibrant colors, and engaging artwork, which contribute to an immersive experience. Players appreciate the fun and satisfying character abilities, enhancing the overall enjoyment and longevity of gameplay.
“The art style is very clean and cute, the character designs are fun and unique, the sound effects are all satisfying, the music is well done.”
“The character designs and artwork are great, the abilities and effects are fun and unique, and the game is engaging.”
“The vibrant colors and interesting character designs make it easy to stay in the world of Arcanium for hours on end.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
Overall, optimization feedback is mixed; while some users report smooth performance on devices like the Steam Deck with minimal graphical issues, others experience slowdowns and bugs on their computers. Improvements in loading times have been noted, but further optimization is needed for a consistently better experience across all platforms.
“With the game running at 1280x800 and set to a framerate of 60 fps, I saw little to no issues with the deck's performance, and there were no major or minor graphical concerns to report.”
“I am referring to core gameplay development; they have done great work with the performance side - loading times for new seeds are greatly reduced.”
“It quickly feels like a chore, so you botch it, and this hurts your performance.”
“While the game has some bugs and it runs slowly on my computer, the art is amazing, and when it's optimized better, it'll run better.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of Arcanium is praised for its beauty, complemented by a delightful soundtrack and immersive audio design. Players appreciate the variety of experiences available, enhancing the overall ambiance of the game.
“The tribulations aside for a moment, Arcanium is beautiful, with a delightful soundtrack and general atmospheric audio. There is plenty to do and experience here, and I would say it is well worth the price range.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users express dissatisfaction with the game's advertising practices, indicating a need for developers to address and improve their monetization strategies.
“The monetization model feels overly aggressive and detracts from the overall experience.”
“It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game fully without spending extra money.”
“The constant push for in-game purchases ruins the immersion and makes it feel more like a cash grab than a genuine gaming experience.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that while the game features some humorous elements, particularly in its quirky combinations and interactions, players feel that the humor could be enhanced by improving game mechanics, such as persistence between runs and balancing certain overpowered boss features. Overall, the humor is appreciated but overshadowed by gameplay frustrations.
