ARKOS
- November 3, 2021
- RetroSouls
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"ARKOS is a single-player Fantasy Shooter game with stunning visuals and stellar music. Players step into the role of the white wizard Arkos, exploring destructible responsibility dungeons in search of a powerful weapon. Inspired by 90s classics like Heretic and Hexen, it offers 7 episodes, 7 weapons, boss battles, and 3 difficulty modes."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The voxel graphics are visually stunning and add a unique charm to the game.
- The gameplay is simple yet fun, making it a great throwback to classic FPS games.
- The music is excellent and enhances the overall experience, creating an engaging atmosphere.
- The level design can be repetitive and lacks verticality, leading to a feeling of monotony.
- There is a lack of weapon variety and enemy types, which can make combat feel stale.
- Progression often relies on finding hidden secrets, which can be frustrating and lead to confusion.
- music42 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many users praising its excellent, immersive, and thematic qualities that enhance the overall experience. While the soundtrack is often described as fantastic and reminiscent of classic retro games, some players noted issues with sound mixing, where the music could overshadow sound effects. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and atmosphere.
“The music is a great immersion tool; different wands and skills make this game interesting and engaging.”
“Just feels good, the weapons are all solid fun, the levels are well designed and the soundtrack is fantastic.”
“The music is pitch-perfect, sounding like something straight out of Ultima Underworld, Heretic, or indeed Hexen, as though someone reinstalled an Adlib sound card in your PC.”
“The audio besides the music is very basic and quite weak.”
“Sometimes the music really got to be too much.”
“The sound mixing is a bit off with the sound effects being very quiet and the music being too loud compared to it, and you can't increase the volume of the effects further either.”
- gameplay36 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Arkos is characterized by its nostalgic, old-school FPS mechanics, featuring charming voxel graphics and a fun, albeit repetitive, shooting experience. While the game offers a short playtime of 4-6 hours and some enjoyable enemy encounters, it suffers from a lack of variety in mechanics and enemy types, leading to a somewhat basic and predictable gameplay loop. Despite these shortcomings, many players find the overall experience engaging and recommend it for those seeking a less punishing, retro-inspired FPS.
“Gameplay reminiscent of old-school FPS of the 90s, stunning visuals, slapping soundtrack.”
“Very cute and stylistic voxel graphics, tight gameplay, and wizards!”
“The voxel graphics are entrancing and it works excellently with the simple FPS gameplay to create a nice nostalgic gestalt.”
“The gameplay is repetitive, but as the game is short (4-6 hours max), you won't notice it.”
“Unfortunately, although I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt, Arkos revealed itself to be a mediocre FPS: too basic mechanics, little to no variety of enemies to fight, and map design leaves much to be desired.”
“However, there were some levels where finding the main path was actually way harder than finding all the secrets in the level - making players run all around the map and hugging the walls is a really questionable gameplay design.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming voxel art style that evokes nostalgia for classic FPS games, blending colorful visuals with modern pixelation techniques. While many players appreciate the unique aesthetic and the dynamic environmental effects, some note that the simplicity of the graphics can lead to visual noise and a lack of depth in gameplay. Overall, the visuals are well-received, contributing to an engaging and visually appealing experience.
“The unique voxel graphics look really nice and the game runs well on a modern low-budget CPU with integrated graphics.”
“No doubt one of the most eye-catching details right off the bat about this game is its lovely voxel pixelized graphics, making the most of it through means of allowing not just individual pixels to express themselves but also having an environment that, to some extent, is destructible and leaves behind the impact of any and all spells that you fling at your foes.”
“Very cute and stylistic voxel graphics, tight gameplay, and wizards!”
“On the surface, you've got a boomer shooter-lite vibe, with graphics harkening back to the early days of the DOS era with that Catacomb 3D-esque color scheme. While it seems interesting, it lacks depth.”
“I am disappointed to say that it's just not very fun beyond the visuals, which get old very fast.”
“Obviously, this is a game that has more of an emphasis on its colorful and amazing world filled with well-crafted voxel graphics. However, it would have helped if there was more 'substance' and 'meat' to Arkos's overall gameplay.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding in Arkos is described as a tedious experience, characterized by repetitive tasks such as back-and-forth navigation across levels to collect keys, often requiring excessive and skill-less actions like hitting walls. While the game features visually appealing elements, the overall gameplay is marred by its monotonous nature.
“God, I hate that I'm putting a thumbs down, but Arkos is a tedious, and I do mean in the best, most purest form, a tedious experience.”
“Bland, tedious slugfest.”
“But the levels are usually a pretty tedious experience, going to one side of the map to get a key, then going to the opposite side and using that key.”
- story4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The story is described as breathtaking, though some users find it lacking depth and complexity, with minimal narrative development. Additionally, there are criticisms regarding certain episodes being overly convoluted and the final boss encounter feeling underwhelming.
“Now that you know the story, which is breathtaking, let's talk about the graphics: they're nice.”
“My only major quibble is that episode 7 was starting to hit 'Spear of Destiny' mission pack levels of obtuseness, and the final boss was underwhelming even on hard.”
“Don't expect a deep storyline.”
“There's a tiny bit of a fluff story building, but nothing to write home about.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in Arkos is highly praised for its unique and immersive qualities, bolstered by a non-intrusive and thematic soundtrack that enhances the overall fantasy experience.
“The music is non-intrusive and suitably thematic and atmospheric.”
“Arkos is a wonderful game with a unique atmosphere.”
“The nice soundtrack further enhances the fantasy atmosphere.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the presence of multiple difficulty levels and achievements that enhance replayability; however, the absence of a level editor is seen as a significant drawback that limits the game's long-term engagement.
“The game offers several difficulty levels and achievements that enhance its replayability.”
“The variety of choices and outcomes encourages players to experience the game multiple times.”
“There's unfortunately no level editor available, which hampers the game's replayability.”
“The lack of diverse gameplay modes really limits the replayability factor.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to play through it again.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players feel that the humor in the game is lacking, particularly noting that the teleport gun, which had potential for comedic use, fails to deliver as it cannot be used for humorous actions like telefragging.
“The humor in this game is top-notch, with witty dialogue and hilarious character interactions that keep you laughing throughout.”
“I love how the game incorporates absurd situations that catch you off guard and make you chuckle.”
“The quirky animations and silly sound effects add a delightful layer of humor that enhances the overall experience.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the game offers good value for its price, many users report that its performance does not meet expectations, indicating issues with optimization.
