ARKOS

About

ARKOS is a single player shooter game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by RetroSouls and was released on November 3, 2021. It received positive reviews from players.

"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."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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83%

Audience ScoreBased on 122 reviews

music30 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

The voxel graphics are visually stunning and add a unique charm to the game.
The gameplay is simple yet enjoyable, with a fun retro style that appeals to fans of classic FPS games.
The soundtrack is excellent, enhancing the overall experience and fitting well with the game's aesthetic.

The level design lacks verticality and can feel repetitive, with many levels being too similar to each other.
The game is quite short, with many players finishing it in just a few hours, leading to a lack of content.
The weapon variety is limited, as all weapons share the same ammo pool, which can lead to less strategic gameplay.

music
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
37%
6%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its nostalgic, retro-inspired sound that evokes classic titles like Doom and Heretic. The soundtrack is described as both immersive and thematically appropriate, featuring a mix of catchy tunes that enhance the gameplay experience, although some players noted issues with sound mixing where music overshadowed sound effects. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, elevating the game's charm and engagement.
- “The soundtrack is incredible.”
- “To be honest, my favorite part of the game was the soundtrack which absolutely slaps; I will recommend this to anyone who wants a quick fun retro-style FPS.”
- “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 FX further either.”
graphics
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
40%
7%
The game features charming voxel graphics that are well-executed and visually appealing, providing a unique aesthetic reminiscent of retro FPS titles. While the graphics are praised for their colorful and dynamic elements, some players noted that the simplicity of the design can lead to repetitive level layouts and visual noise. Overall, the voxel art style contributes significantly to the game's character and charm, though some players feel that the gameplay could benefit from more depth.
- “The voxel graphics are beautiful and run great on an old laptop.”
- “The thick voxel art style is wonderful, and the game utilizes a lot of destructible elements for progression and hiding secrets in every level.”
- “The voxel graphics are entrancing and it works excellently with the simple FPS gameplay to create a nice nostalgic gestalt.”
- “Since graphics are there, I would advise to work more on gameplay to make it more interesting and perhaps change the completely flat map design to a more 3D Doom-like style.”
- “I am disappointed to say that it's just not very fun beyond the visuals, which get old very fast.”
- “In general, when I see a game that uses voxels (graphics made only with 3D cubes to be as simple as possible), I don't pay attention and pass these games without a second thought.”
gameplay
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
53%
12%
The gameplay of Arkos is characterized by its nostalgic, old-school FPS mechanics, offering a fun yet somewhat repetitive experience, especially as it lacks significant variety in enemy types and level design. While the vibrant voxel graphics and engaging combat provide charm, many players feel the game could benefit from deeper mechanics and more innovative challenges to enhance replayability. Overall, it delivers a satisfying experience for fans of retro shooters, despite its limitations.
- “Gameplay reminiscent of old-school FPS of the 90s, stunning visuals, slapping soundtrack.”
- “Regardless, I would still recommend this title to some degree, since it is a fairly good experience for those looking for an FPS game that isn't afraid of showing what honed its vision through the classics that came before it while adding in some new ingredients and spices to the mix that ultimately makes it its own unique title.”
- “Arkos' gameplay loop revolves around combat and exploration, having our young apprentice blast his way through enemy forces scattered in each dungeon floor, with a boss at the end of the last, every time.”
- “Unfortunately, the gameplay has not evolved much from its predecessors, so it gets a little samey by the end.”
- “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, it feels somewhat generic and unsurprising in its mechanics; ultimately it's a 'run of the mill' old-school shooter, with few elements that set it apart from the countless other ones on the market.”
story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The story in Arkos is generally considered minimal and lacking depth, with players taking on the role of a wizard apprentice on a quest for his master's powerful staff. While some find the overarching narrative breathtaking, many reviewers note that the lore is sparse, with only vague hints and minimal background information provided. Overall, the game is not praised for its storytelling, as it seems secondary to the gameplay experience.
- “Now that you know the story (which is breathtaking), let's talk about the graphics: they're nice.”
- “Players are put in the shoes of a wizard apprentice, Arkos, that sets on a quest to follow his master's steps, in order to acquire full mastery of multiple magical powers.”
- “Arkos is a Quake-style game where you play as a wizard on a quest to discover his master's long-lost powerful staff.”
- “In terms of story and lore, we're at almost nonexistent levels here, with only a handful of vague letters that introduce the next world and little else to find out.”
- “It's not uncommon to have minimal plot in a FPS, however some at least basic info on the background and setting, or additional text lore files, wouldn't have hurt to give some more variety.”
- “It's a good thing you don't play these games for the story because there isn't much of one here.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding in Arkos to be a tedious experience, characterized by repetitive tasks such as backtracking across levels to collect keys. The gameplay is described as a bland slugfest, often requiring excessive effort to interact with the environment, leading to a sense of skill-less grinding.
- “God, I hate that I'm putting a thumbs down, but Arkos is a tedious experience, and I do mean in the best, most purest form of tedious.”
- “Bland, tedious slugfest.”
- “But the levels are usually a pretty tedious experience, going from one side of the map to get a key, then going to the opposite side to use that key.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's replayability is hindered by its linear content and lack of a level editor, resulting in minimal variation between playthroughs. While there are several difficulty levels and achievements to pursue, these features alone do not significantly enhance the overall replay value.
- “The game offers several difficulties and achievements that enhance its replayability.”
- “The content is linear, without any difference from one run to another, therefore the replay value is low.”
- “There's unfortunately no level editor available, which hampers the game's replayability.”
- “The content is linear, without any difference from one run to another; therefore, replay value is low.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere in Arkos is highly praised for its unique and immersive quality, 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.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
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 any funny interactions or kills, such as 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.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the game offers good value for its price, many users report that its performance does not meet expectations, indicating issues with optimization.