Arcfall
- May 16, 2017
- Neojac Entertainment inc.
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Arcfall is a massively multiplayer role-playing game in early access alpha stage, offering a player-driven economy and old-school RPG mechanics. Every action contributes to your character's growth, allowing you to craft weapons, own a house, form guilds, engage in PvP combat, and sail the seas. The game features a pure skill-based system, with the potential for reputation-based consequences."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a lot of potential and offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic MMORPGs like RuneScape.
- The crafting and skill progression systems are engaging, allowing players to develop their characters in various ways.
- The developers are responsive to community feedback and actively work on updates and improvements.
- The game has been plagued by server issues, bugs, and performance problems, making it difficult to play.
- There is a lack of content, with minimal quests and a small world map, leading to a repetitive gameplay experience.
- The user interface is unintuitive, and there is no tutorial or guidance for new players, making it hard to understand the game mechanics.
- story48 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 88 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of direction and minimal quest content, leaving players feeling lost and unengaged. While some appreciate the sandbox nature and the freedom to explore, many find the absence of a compelling narrative and clear quest objectives disappointing. Overall, the game is seen as needing significant improvements in storytelling and quest design to enhance player experience.
“My biggest personal story is buying a horse for 1 gold and riding into the cave full of skeletons to snipe the giant skeleton boss from a safe spot on top of a rock at level 8 with my bow and arrow.”
“If I can be a mage in a WoW-style MMO game, I am happy. I like the art style, but the game needs more of a tutorial and more quests and a backstory.”
“Since Arcfall is very much a sandbox-style game, with a limited number of quests at this stage, it is free for the player to decide how they wish to spend time in the game.”
“Very few quests when you start, so you're thrown into a game with little direction.”
“The world feels dead; there are no players, NPCs have no dialogue other than quests, and you can see abandoned buildings of other players.”
“Why release an MMO game when quests are not ready yet?”
- grinding38 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- -5 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that the game is extremely grindy, often to the point of tedium, with many players expressing frustration over the repetitive nature of resource gathering and crafting. While some enjoy the grind and find it addictive, particularly those who appreciate games like RuneScape, others criticize the lack of engaging content and quests, suggesting that the grinding feels pointless without sufficient rewards or variety. Overall, the game's heavy focus on grinding is a polarizing aspect, appealing to dedicated fans of the genre while alienating those who prefer more dynamic gameplay.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
“The grind is satisfying and offers a real sense of progression.”
“In its current state, this is an incredibly grindy, boring game.”
“The game is extremely grindy, which would be fine on full release, but I think it limits a lot of what an alpha player can experience, since I'm expecting wipes at some point (why invest in the full grind when you might not be able to keep it, right?).”
“Making something like a basic piece of armor requires lots of grinding for materials; it's just too tedious and unfortunately makes up a large part of the game.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game evoke a nostalgic, old-school aesthetic reminiscent of titles like RuneScape and World of Warcraft, with some players appreciating the art style while others criticize the lack of optimization and performance issues. Many users express a desire for more graphical options and improvements to enhance gameplay, noting that the visuals feel amateurish compared to more polished contemporary games. Overall, while the graphics have their charm, they are seen as needing significant refinement to compete effectively in the current gaming landscape.
“I really enjoy the art style as well.”
“Love the graphic and skill level system of this gem of a game.”
“The art style is stylized and could be considered cartoony by some, but I find it easy on the eyes.”
“If they were going to make a good 2D game like Ragnarok Online or something to that effect, I wouldn't really compare it to today's games, but they made one in a genre that is leagues ahead of the graphics and combat.”
“Waouh... 10 fps even setting lower graphics settings... can't set key bindings to my AZERTY keyboard...”
“They need to lower the minimum graphics and add more content if they want to compete with other similar and more polished games.”
- gameplay23 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of potential and concerns, with players noting issues like item loss during gameplay and a need for better balance and smoother mechanics. While the transition from top-down to 3D gameplay has been acknowledged, many feel that the visuals and overall polish are lacking compared to earlier screenshots. Despite these drawbacks, the game offers a substantial amount of content and a promising skill leveling system, suggesting room for improvement and growth.
“My review, however, is not about bugs but about visuals and general gameplay that, if the developers consider, may make this game better and more playable.”
“Great game, amazing gameplay, and skill leveling system with more content yet to come.”
“After getting your bearings, you can expect at least 40 hours worth of gameplay time minimum to get a taste of what the game has to offer.”
“In the item mall on founder bags and sacks, it says that items may get lost during gameplay. If I have a chance to lose the items during gameplay, I'm very hesitant to buy those.”
“It has potential, but seeing how screenshots from 2017 look better than my actual gameplay today is not making me happy.”
“The game needs some sort of coding to smooth this over so that latency does not interrupt the gameplay.”
- stability14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- -14 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting frequent freezes, bugs, and lag issues that hinder gameplay. While some acknowledge that it is currently in alpha testing and appreciate the weekly updates aimed at improving stability, many find it nearly unplayable due to persistent disconnections and other technical problems. Overall, players suggest waiting for further development before fully engaging with the game.
“No glitches yet that I've noticed.”
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes.”
“I've experienced consistent performance throughout my playtime.”
“The game is very buggy and has many issues with what it wants to be.”
“Cons are it's so buggy it's almost not even playable. I played for 15 hours and farmed like hell, but my character keeps disconnecting 10 seconds after I logged in. The developers seem to be unable to do anything about it, so I had to make a new character. I'm going to wait for a real release... if it ever comes.”
“So add this very clunky, buggy, and dysfunctional tutorial area in with more minor bugs, like not being able to skin an animal if it dies in a bush, a riderless horse glitched into a stationary full gallop in front of the land office, the complete lack of any information on what stuff does, weight-limited inventory where 3 corn seeds weigh 3 lbs, no hint of what to do in the character menus, and the lack of any immersive qualities at all, and I have to give this game a thumbs down... at this time.”
- optimization13 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, including low frame rates, lag, and stuttering, making it nearly unplayable for some. Many users express hope for future improvements, indicating that the game's potential is hindered by its current state. Overall, optimization is seen as the most pressing concern that needs to be addressed for a better gaming experience.
“Nice looking game with a lot of potential if the performance issues, bugs, and sound get fixed.”
“Need to improve performance and make sure all the offensive and crafting skills graduation is balanced and makes sense.”
“Pre-alpha for seven years, and the optimization is so horribly bad that it's basically unplayable.”
“They definitely need to work on optimizing the performance of the game; it's the biggest area of contention and overwhelmingly responsible for negative comments so far.”
“It still has a very long way to go, but it's not bad - didn't play it very long as playing with only 9fps on the American server was a bit too laggy for me.”
- music3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The music in the game is reminiscent of a 3D version of RuneScape, but lacks the depth and variety of content found in that title. Much of the soundtrack consists of free or public domain tracks, which may feel familiar to players as they are often heard in other contexts. Additionally, there are concerns about the use of stolen assets, including music from other games.
“The music appears to be free or public domain for the most part, which isn't necessarily bad, but it does mean you've probably heard many of the songs in this game somewhere already.”
“This 'project' is filled to the brim with stolen assets, like music from other games and such.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users suggest that while the game has potential for improved visuals and gameplay, these elements could enhance its overall replayability.
“The game lacks meaningful choices, making replayability feel pointless.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
“The lack of diverse endings really diminishes the replay value.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is generally perceived as lacking, with some users suggesting that those sensitive to technical issues or bugs may find it frustrating and should consider alternative options.
