Arcania: The Complete Tale offers a beautiful and enjoyable romp through a detailed medieval fantasy world. Unfortunately, the adventure is sometimes marred by awkward gameplay, stiff combat controls, and an occasional game-breaking bug. However, despite these flaws, the game still merits a look from players seeking a satisfying action RPG.
The first thing worth mentioning about the game is its excellent graphics. The textures and detail on trees, rocks, and buildings are stellar throughout and there are some truly stunning lighting and shadow effects. I regularly stop to look around and take in my surroundings, admiring the sheer beauty of the world I am in. Although the core game is several years old, it nonetheless has some alluring environments thanks to great artistic direction. Similarly, the game features a terrific soundtrack that helps to create a believable fantasy world. Other visual aspects offer a bit less to enjoy. For example, the models of NPC characters have ungainly human proportions and there are only a handful of faces repeated dozens of times across the people you meet, including main quest characters.
Like other games in the Gothic and Risen series (Arcania was originally titled Gothic 4: Arcania), exploration takes place at a leisurely place. There is no option for running, so your avatar moves around at a jog. This may seem frustrating at first, but it actually creates a relaxing and satisfying gameplay experience. There are plenty of nooks and crannies to explore, and these are filled with herbs, treasure boxes, and menacing foes. Combat plays out well enough once you get used to it, though the mechanics are quite stiff and it can be difficult to evade or block in the way you need to. However, there are several difficulty levels to choose from to find a good challenge. The game areas are a blend of linear and open-world designs. You can complete side quests in any order you choose and move freely without loading screens, though the game ultimately guides you through a series of interconnected areas in a predetermined order.
Undeniably, the darkest side of this game is its many glitches. Within the first hour I encountered a game-breaking bug that resulted from skipping over dialogue. I once lost complete control of my character and was forced to watch him walk to a cliff's edge, stagger down the cliff face and die instantly on the river bed below. Sometimes, when attacking without locking onto a foe, my avatar swings his weapon in the exact opposite direction of the enemy. The game is full of these things, though to be fair I would say that I encounter a serious bug only once every 5 or 6 hours of playing time. Smaller issues like lighting effects popping in and out, large areas of rocks and trees disappearing for several seconds, and the music glitching out until you save and reload are also abound. As bad as this sounds, I find these problems detract very little from my overall enjoyment of the game. The aspects of Arcania that I enjoy easily outweigh the inconsistencies.
Overall, this is an engaging game with an immersive environment that offers plenty of opportunities for killing, looting, and exploration. There is even some decent dialogue and voice acting to round things out. Despite its many flaws, this a hidden gem that should not be missed by action RPG fans.
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This game isn't well know but it deserves to be. Yes there are lots of bugs in the game. Once you get passed them it's fun and very beautiful game. ArcaniA is not fast paced game. You'll have lots of choices in mission all at the same time. You talk to people and do their favors (missions) at your own pace. In conclusion if you like non traditional RPGs this is a game for you.
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