Arx Fatalis

About

Arx Fatalis is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Arkane Studios and was released on April 3, 2007. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Arx Fatalis is a single-player fantasy RPG set in a dense underground world where you must stop the cult of Akbaa from unleashing chaos. Combining an intriguing story with inventive gesture-based magic, the game offers a unique and often humorous experience, though it requires significant grinding and is known for its numerous bugs.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,260 reviews

story125 positive mentions

stability43 negative mentions

Unique and innovative magic system that requires players to draw runes to cast spells, adding a tactile element to gameplay.
Rich atmosphere and immersive world-building, with a compelling dark fantasy setting that encourages exploration.
Engaging puzzles and quests that reward curiosity and creativity, allowing players to approach challenges in multiple ways.

Clunky controls and dated mechanics that can frustrate players, particularly with the spellcasting and inventory management.
Vague quest directions and a lack of hand-holding can lead to confusion and aimless wandering, often requiring the use of guides.
Combat can feel unbalanced, especially for non-magic builds, making certain encounters overly difficult and frustrating.

story
474 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
67%
7%
The story of "Arx Fatalis" is often described as intriguing yet flawed, featuring a unique underground fantasy setting where players navigate a linear narrative filled with cryptic quests and puzzles. While some players appreciate the rich world-building and the potential for player agency through side quests, many criticize the plot for being predictable and poorly articulated, with a lack of clear direction and quest tracking. Overall, the game offers an engaging atmosphere and interesting lore, but its convoluted quest design and simplistic storytelling can detract from the experience.
- “The world building, exploration, and the story are really good.”
- “The story is intriguing and engaging, making it hard to put down the game.”
- “The story and atmosphere have a dark, serious tone to it that I think is missing in a lot of modern first-person fantasy games.”
- “The plot is half-baked and not well-articulated.”
- “The story is mediocre, the combat is mediocre, the spell system is stupid.”
- “The story isn't anything groundbreaking, but it doesn't feel bad at all.”
gameplay
273 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
59%
8%
The gameplay of *Arx Fatalis* is characterized by its unique and innovative mechanics, particularly the spell-casting system that requires players to draw runes, which adds depth and creativity to interactions. While the game offers a rich, immersive world with engaging exploration and puzzle-solving elements, it suffers from dated controls, clunky combat, and a lack of clear guidance on mechanics, which can frustrate players. Despite these flaws, many reviewers appreciate the game's charm, atmosphere, and the rewarding experience that comes from mastering its complex systems, making it a nostalgic gem for fans of classic RPGs.
- “Its underground kingdoms, interactive systems, and signature rune-casting mechanic create an adventure that feels personal and distinctive, even decades after its release.”
- “The world was incredibly interesting, the gameplay is phenomenal, exploration is engaging, and the magic system has got to be one of the most ingenious implementations of magic I have ever seen in a game before.”
- “The gameplay is very interactive, from puzzle solving and combining objects together along with an enjoyable alchemy system and even crafting, as well as cooking, but the combat is especially clunky but not the worst I've played.”
- “The atmosphere is great and it really evokes the sense of misery and imprisonment of being underground, but the menus, mechanics, and gameplay absolutely destroyed my enjoyment for this game.”
- “The game seems nice but the controls haven't aged very well, especially not the spell mechanic.”
- “The gameplay is pretty standard for your usual first-person RPG game of the time, so I won't go into how it feels to swing a sword.”
atmosphere
170 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
29%
2%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and richly detailed environments, characterized by dark, oppressive settings that evoke a sense of tension and mystery. Players appreciate the superb sound design, which enhances the eerie ambiance, making exploration feel both engaging and unsettling. Overall, the game's unique underground world and atmospheric elements create a captivating experience that resonates with fans of immersive RPGs.
- “It is what I would consider a masterclass in contemporary atmospheric game design.”
- “The atmosphere is rich and the game is incredibly fun, with tons of things to do and different ways to progress in the story.”
- “The oppressive atmosphere, dark dungeons, and ever-present sense of danger keep you on edge, and it’s easy to lose yourself for hours in its winding tunnels.”
- “While the atmosphere is where Arx Fatalis shines, the game fails to offer a captivating experience to less experienced players, due to the frustrating difficulty.”
- “The game has its flaws, but it is worth every penny for the atmosphere alone.”
graphics
134 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
69%
11%
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as dated, reflecting its early 2000s origins, but many players find a nostalgic charm in the visuals that enhances the overall experience. While some reviews note technical limitations and occasional graphical glitches, the game's atmospheric design and detailed environments are praised for their ability to immerse players in its unique setting. Overall, despite the outdated graphics, the game's engaging story and sound design compensate for its visual shortcomings, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate classic RPG aesthetics.
- “It's incredibly atmospheric with great sound design, graphics, map details, etc., and is made with a lot of care to really pull you into the unique setting.”
- “The graphics and atmosphere are great.”
- “Overall, superb audio, atmospheric, interesting world, charming graphics if you dig that sort of late 90s early 00s thing.”
- “Graphics are showing their age.”
- “The graphics are obviously not the best.”
- “The steam version is for the most part glitch-free, but the graphics have not aged well.”
stability
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
98%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and performance issues that significantly detract from the experience. Many players recommend using the community patch, Arx Libertatis, to mitigate these problems, but even with it, the game remains prone to frustrating bugs that can hinder gameplay. While some find the charm and nostalgia worth the trouble, others caution that the game's jankiness may make it unplayable for those not accustomed to older titles.
- “Runs great on the Deck with the community engine, ARX Libertatis.”
- “The game maintains a solid frame rate, ensuring a smooth experience throughout.”
- “I haven't encountered any crashes or major bugs, which makes for a stable gameplay experience.”
- “Nearly unplayable buggy mess.”
- “It's 2021 and this game from 2002 is still a buggy, clunky mess.”
- “This game was remarkably fun for what it offered, it's just a shame it is so buggy that it is practically unbeatable if not unplayable past a certain point.”
humor
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
9%
The humor in the game is a mix of intentional and unintentional comedy, with players finding enjoyment in the clunky dialogue, hilariously bad voice acting, and quirky NPCs, including funny goblins and trolls. While some aspects may not resonate with everyone, the game's dark fantasy atmosphere contrasts humorously with its mundane elements, leading to a variety of amusing quests and interactions. Overall, the humor adds a refreshing layer to the gameplay, making it an entertaining experience despite its janky nature.
- “The voice acting is hilariously bad.”
- “It is enjoyable for what it is - an old, janky RPG with puzzles and funny secrets.”
- “There is plenty of humor in the game, such as goblin kings with digestive issues and horrible goblin mom jokes.”
- “Not funny!”
- “The humor falls flat and feels forced.”
- “I expected more laughs, but the jokes just didn't land.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
56%
11%
The music in the game is largely minimal, with most players noting a significant reliance on ambient sounds rather than a traditional soundtrack. While some appreciate the eerie and immersive quality of the ambient loops that enhance the atmosphere, others find the limited musical offerings repetitive and lacking in variety. Overall, the sound design effectively contributes to the game's dark and isolating environment, making the absence of a robust soundtrack a deliberate choice that suits the gameplay experience.
- “The soundtrack, though sparingly used, amplifies this mood with haunting melodies and ambient echoes that make the tunnels feel alive.”
- “The game has a similar vibe to Morrowind, but it’s a smaller-scale project. The entire environment is set underground in a cave system, and the atmosphere is crazy, very well-crafted. The feel of being isolated in a dark cave is extremely well-done here, with a nice soundtrack. Entering a crypt for the first time is one of the most memorable moments I’ve had in a game recently.”
- “Also, the music and sound design are really good and add a lot to the overall atmosphere.”
- “There is practically no music, just short ambient loops that get old fast.”
- “Music is nearly entirely non-existent, and what limited pieces exist are nothing to write home about.”
- “The ambience is quite original and nicely done; the game had the audacity to have barely any music at all, preferring to unsettle players with creepy noises.”
grinding
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
4%
92%
Reviews highlight that grinding in the game is often perceived as tedious and repetitive, with players expressing frustration over backtracking, confusing menus, and clunky inventory management. While some mechanics, like spell casting, are seen as innovative, they quickly become burdensome due to their repetitive nature. Overall, the grinding experience detracts from the enjoyment of the game, making it feel slow and unengaging despite its potential.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The inventory handling is just plain terrible, along with the clumsy and tedious crafting.”
- “It's slow, tedious, boring, and broken.”
- “Sword combat is very hack-and-slash and hit-and-run centric, which makes fighting very tedious and repetitive, especially in boss fights where you might be slashing for upwards of ten minutes.”
optimization
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
35%
18%
The game's optimization is generally poor in its vanilla state, leading to performance issues, particularly with menus and on modern systems. However, the community-driven Arx Libertatis mod significantly enhances the experience by improving performance, controls, and bug fixes, making it essential for a smoother gameplay experience. While the game shows potential, it requires these mods to be playable and enjoyable on current hardware.
- “It improves optimization, controls, resolution, and many other aspects without changing anything from the actual gameplay.”
- “While not completely necessary, the Arx Libertatis patch greatly improves the experience as it allows for the game to run smoothly on modern systems and squashes some bugs.”
- “I played the mod Arx Libertatis and it helped with lots of optimization and gameplay improvements.”
- “This game is old and has some performance issues, in particular when you open the menus.”
- “One can't possibly give a good review to a game that, even with its age, has not been optimized to run on current systems and is still released on Steam under the excuse that it has.”
- “The vanilla Steam version is kind of unoptimized and performs badly even on good machines; if you're going to play this, you should get the Arx Libertatis mod which fixes a ton of the buggy issues with vanilla.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
17%
25%
Overall, the game offers strong replayability due to its various builds, hidden areas, and the potential for modding, allowing players to experience it in different ways. While some reviews note its linearity and the illusion of choice, many players still find it engaging enough to revisit multiple times. The combination of dense content and built-in cheats further enhances its replay value, making it a compelling choice for long-term enjoyment.
- “Fantastic game with great replay value!”
- “Has good replay value because there are a few different builds you can try.”
- “There is a lot to do here, and likely tons of replayability, not to mention mods.”
- “The game is very linear, so it doesn't have that kind of replayability.”
- “Game has the illusion of choice and a sort of replayability when it comes to the way it is played.”
- “You need some mods and stuff to make it more playable.”
character development
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The character development in *Arx Fatalis* is described as robust, allowing for customization of skills and abilities, but it ultimately funnels players into a limited number of viable career paths. While some players find the system motivating and rewarding through exploration, others criticize it for being weak and not significantly impacting the overall gameplay experience. The game's focus on level design and exploration often overshadows the character development aspect.
- “Arx Fatalis features a robust character development system, allowing players to customize their character's skills and abilities.”
- “Character development felt motivating as long as the illusion was intact that all you found mattered in the long run. The game felt very rewarding; I found this ice area just by curiosity quite early in the game, shooting icicles with a bow for them to fall down.”
- “While character development quickly funnels you into one of three viable careers, it's all compensated by stellar level design, varied questing, and the act of actually exploring the game - its rules, interactions, little gameplay and level secrets, guessing hidden spells, and interacting with wacky people.”
- “Also, character development felt motivating as long as the illusion was intact that all you found mattered in the long run; well, it didn't, but that's the benefit of not playing with a guide. The game felt very rewarding. I found this ice area just by curiosity quite early in the game, shooting icicles with a bow for them to fall down.”
- “It doesn't focus on character development; the plot is pretty generic, but the world is interesting and full of potential.”
- “Character development is weak.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game elicits strong emotional responses through its immersive environment, challenging quests, and atmospheric design, despite some awkward dialogue and interface issues. Players appreciate the depth of feeling it invokes, particularly in the context of its lore and character interactions, even if certain elements can feel unsettling or confusing. Overall, it stands out as an emotionally engaging experience that effectively conveys the essence of being a magic user.
- “This game made me feel a lot during its runtime.”
- “Tight spaces, fairly excellent lighting and sound design, terrifying enemies, extreme amounts of environmental interactivity, and quests that require the player to research lore, remember important details, and hoard potentially useful and plot-important items all combine to make Arx Fatalis one of the most immersive, emotionally engaging games I've ever played.”
- “I love this game for the way it actually made me feel like a magic user rather than just some dude with a magic cookbook.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is viewed positively, as players appreciate the ability to enjoy the game fully without being burdened by microtransactions, contrasting it with the prevalent cash grab tactics in the industry. The inclusion of built-in cheats adds to the enjoyment, allowing players to explore the game further without additional costs.
- “In these times where games are either soulless cash grabs, incredibly long epic tales with gameplay to back it up, or just fun smaller experiences with high replayability, it is frustrating to see monetization tactics overshadow the gaming experience.”
- “I'm looking through the spring sale and seeing reviews for AAA games that are filled with complaints about microtransactions and pay-to-win mechanics.”
- “The monetization strategies in this game feel exploitative and detract from the overall enjoyment.”