New Arc Line

About

New Arc Line is a single player tactical role playing game. It was developed by Dreamate and was released on November 26, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

In "New Arc Line," players navigate a steampunk-inspired city filled with inequality and corruption, searching for a cure to a family disease. They must rise from the bottom, make tough decisions, and choose their path, whether it be through crafting gear, mastering magic, or using force or charm. However, the game is only available in English during Early Access, with more translations to be added later.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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82%

Audience ScoreBased on 468 reviews

story100 positive mentions

optimization22 negative mentions

The game features a compelling blend of steampunk aesthetics and magical elements, creating a unique and immersive world.
The story is engaging, with interesting characters and a narrative that explores themes of identity, class conflict, and moral dilemmas.
The turn-based combat system is strategic and enjoyable, with a variety of skills and spells that encourage tactical gameplay.

The game suffers from numerous bugs, crashes, and performance issues, particularly in later areas, which detracts from the overall experience.
Character creation options are limited, with only two races and two classes available, which may disappoint players looking for more diversity.
The inventory management system is clunky and lacks essential quality-of-life features, making it frustrating to navigate and manage items.

story
254 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
59%
2%
The story of the game is generally regarded as intriguing and well-conceived, with a compelling premise that explores the conflict between magic and technology. However, many players note issues with execution, including a confusing prologue, lack of character backstory, and insufficient voice acting, which detracts from the overall narrative experience. While the world-building and character interactions show promise, the game is still in early access and requires further development to fully realize its storytelling potential.
- “The story is fantastic so far and the gameplay is a lot of fun.”
- “At the core of New Arc Line is its story, which is deeply personal, but at the same time reflects broader social issues.”
- “The atmosphere is really nice, the characters are well written, and the story will get epic for sure.”
- “The combat needs a lot of work, the story as it is presented right now is very confusing, and the voiced dialogue doesn't seem complete as of right now.”
- “Moving through the story is clunky with very few guideposts, and I only discovered that side-quests exist by accident about two hours in and have no idea if I even actually finished that quest or if I just wandered off halfway through.”
- “The dialog choices seem like they have little to no consequence to the story other than how you progress to the next stage but little beyond that.”
gameplay
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
80%
3%
The gameplay is reminiscent of classic CRPGs, featuring turn-based combat and a unique magic versus technology alignment system that adds depth to player choices. However, many players find the prologue confusing and the introduction to mechanics lacking, with unclear tooltips and limited camera movement outside of combat. While the game shows promise with solid mechanics and an engaging world, it is still in early access and requires further refinement and content expansion to fully realize its potential.
- “Its world and story are compelling, and its gameplay systems provide a solid foundation for a memorable RPG experience.”
- “The alignment system between magic and technology adds depth to gameplay and story decisions.”
- “Combat is a mix of turn-based strategy and RPG mechanics, with unique class abilities keeping things interesting.”
- “Additionally, its very limited scope in terms of length meant that many gameplay systems did not come into play.”
- “My biggest complaint is you can't freely move the camera around unless you're in combat. I don't know why it isn't an option while roaming around; the mechanic exists, and it would be easy for them to enable it all the time or give a menu option for it.”
- “- Lackluster tooltips that don't explain game mechanics in a comprehensive way (it took me like 9 hours to finally figure out what and where the magic vs technology meter is).”
graphics
93 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
57%
3%
The graphics of "New Arc Line" are praised for their unique steampunk aesthetic and compelling world-building, with many reviewers noting the impressive art style and environments. However, there are significant concerns regarding performance issues, such as stuttering and low frame rates, as well as visual bugs that detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are generally well-received, some players feel that they need further refinement to match the game's ambitious design.
- “The art style and world-building are top-notch, seamlessly blending the industrial tones of steampunk with the mysticism of arcane magic.”
- “The world itself is stunning—even for someone like me, who typically doesn't focus much on visuals.”
- “Visually, I love it; the clash of steam/diesel punk and more magical aesthetics works brilliantly to reinforce the feel of a world where magic and technology are set against each other.”
- “It's extremely rough; the graphics need serious work.”
- “In the first city on default graphics settings, I was averaging about 50 fps, which is insanely low.”
- “When it comes to visuals, 'New Arc Line' is about as pretty as it is pretty ugly.”
optimization
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
62%
29%
The game's optimization is currently a significant issue, with frequent crashes, bugs, and performance stuttering reported by players, particularly as playtime increases. While some initial performance is acceptable, it deteriorates over time, especially with high graphics settings or extensive quicksaving. Many users express hope that these optimization problems will be addressed in future updates, as the game shows potential despite its early access status.
- “Lots of potential here and I look forward to optimization, bug fixes, and new classes in the future!”
- “I did run across several bugs and optimization problems; however, I feel confident that the devs will be able to address these issues in the near future.”
- “The optimization of the game is quite good, taking into account the fact that the game uses Unreal Engine 5.”
- “It crashed frequently, had numerous bugs, and suffered from poor performance.”
- “Unfortunately with its abysmally slow/unstable performance and severe lack of polish it is definitely nowhere near ready, which is made extra frustrating by the frequency of crashes and terrible load times.”
- “The worst part was the game started stuttering every 5-10 seconds roughly halfway through play, and didn't stop until right before the end of playable content.”
stability
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is currently plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, including crashes, sound issues, and problematic keybindings, which significantly hinder the overall experience. While some players have noted that the game has great potential and an engaging story, the instability and frequent freezes make it difficult to fully enjoy in its current state. Many expect these issues to be addressed before the full release, but as it stands, the game feels incomplete and frustratingly buggy.
- “Looks great but it is super buggy.”
- “The movement is still buggy so sometimes you get stuck behind a door or obstacle if you try to click too far; some of the keybindings are bugged (e.g., spacebar is supposed to help end your turn in combat, but sometimes it doesn't register).”
- “Played through the slums after the doctor quest line; no other quests would register, and in the current state of development, it is way too buggy to enjoy.”
music
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
48%
14%
The music in the game is praised for its emotional depth and ability to transition between melancholic and dynamic battle themes, contributing significantly to the ambiance. However, some players noted issues with sound mixing, making it difficult to hear dialogue over the music, and expressed a desire for more variety in the soundtrack. Overall, while the music enhances the experience, technical glitches and limited customization options detract from its potential.
- “The soundtrack stands out for its emotional composition, seamlessly transitioning from melancholic melodies to dynamic battle tracks.”
- “A soundtrack that dynamically reacts to in-game events and high-quality sound effects can make the world feel more alive.”
- “Big a+ to the music engineer for this game as well, sometimes you'll encounter live bands or settings with the absolute best ambiance.”
- “Unless I'm missing something, there is only one sound bar, and I am having an incredibly hard time hearing voices over the music and environmental sounds.”
- “The story might be good (didn't get that far), but not being able to change keybindings or turn off the music made it far too frustrating to keep going.”
- “The same inconsistency can be heard in 'New Arc Line's' energetic if repetitive soundtrack and mercurial sound design, which can go from this (*insert cool spell effect sound*) to this (*insert pitiful coal mining sound*).”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
22%
7%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its captivating blend of steampunk and fantasy, featuring detailed character models and immersive environments. Reviewers highlight the well-written characters and the potential for an epic story, despite some bugs and incompleteness. Overall, the setting and graphics contribute to a solid and engaging atmosphere that stands out, even in comparison to other titles in the genre.
- “The art direction captures the grimy elegance of the combination of steampunk and fantasy, with detailed character models and atmospheric environments.”
- “The atmosphere is really nice, the characters are well written, the story will get epic for sure.”
- “The steampunk atmosphere is perhaps even better than in Arcanum.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highly praised, with players noting that it elicits genuine laughter, comparable to titles like Yakuza. The writing and attention to detail contribute to its comedic charm, despite being in early access and having some bugs that can also be amusing. Overall, it is described as a complex and funny fantasy/steampunk RPG.
- “I don't usually bust out laughing while playing games unless it's Yakuza or Like a Dragon, but this game has had me rolling.”
- “The writing, the humor, the attention to detail in the game world... it all adds up to a potential grand slam, in my humble opinion.”
- “[h1] A complex, strange, and funny fantasy/steampunk CRPG [/h1]”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Players appreciate the game's strong replayability, highlighted by a visible good/evil alignment system that enhances the experience of playing as either a hero or a villain. Additionally, the game's value is noted for its length and overall cost, contributing to its replayable nature.
- “The game features a visible good/evil alignment system, similar to Fable, which truly brings the hero or villain replayability to life.”
- “Outstanding price tag, length, and replayability make this game a fantastic choice for players.”
- “The visible good/evil alignment system adds depth to the gameplay, enhancing the replayability as you can explore different paths.”
- “The game features a visible good/evil alignment system, similar to Fable, which really brings the hero or villain replayability to life.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its standout soundtrack, which features a compelling blend of melancholic melodies and dynamic battle tracks, effectively enhancing the overall emotional experience.
- “The soundtrack stands out for its emotional composition, seamlessly transitioning from melancholic melodies to dynamic battle tracks.”