Arx Fatalis Review by Al Giovetti

 

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By Al Giovetti
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Genre:Computer Role Playing Game (CRPG) for PC and X-Box
Release:November 1, 2002
Developer: Raphael Colantonio (Bonjorno)
Lead Artist: Oliver Enselme-Trichard
Programmer:Cyril Meynier
ESRB Rating: Mature
Producer:Arkane Studios
Publisher: JoWooD for PC and Dream Catcher for X-Box
Phone:
Website: www.arxfatalis-online.com
Requirements:Windows SP/ME/2000/98, Intel Pentium III 500 MHz or compatable, 64MB RAM, DirectX 8.0, 16MB vRAM, 4x CD-ROM, DirectX compatable sound card, 750 MB HDD space
Recommended:Intel Pentium III 900 MHz, 256MB RAM, 32MB vRAM

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Arx Fatalis

Summary * History * Company Line * Game Play * Plot * Graphics * Animation * Voice Actors * Music Score * Sound Effects * Utilities * Multi-player Features * Cheats, Hints, and Walkthrough * Journalists * References * Letters

History

Arx Fatalis was created by Arkane Studios located in Lyon, France. The company was created in October of 1999 by eleven funders and six experienced developers who came from the game industry. Arx Fatalis has won several awards since it was released and garnered enough praise to demand an X-Box version.

Arkane Studios (www.arkane-studios.com) is an independent game development studio created in 1999. The studio released its first game worldwide in 2002: Arx Fatalis PC, which was critically acclaimed and received several awards. The studio focuses on developing creative Action RPGs on PC and Consoles.

Inhouse team, Individual track records:

Raphael Colantonio (Project manager / Behavior programming) 10 years in the industry, worked for EA (Fifa Soccer Manager / Fifa 97 / Beasts & Bumpkins / DarkLight), Heliovision (the Smurfs Playstation), then cofunded Arkane Studios.

Cyril Meynier (Lead programmer) 5 years in the industry, worked for Heliovision (Smurfs playstation), then cofunded Arkane studios and proved its masterskill in programming with Arx Fatalis PCCD

Olivier Enselme Trichard (Lead artist) 9 years in the industry, worked for Infogrames (credited in many kids games for PC and CDI), Heliovision (the Smurfs Playstation), and cofunder of Arkane Studios

Christophe Carrier (Audio Director / Game designer) 7 years in the industry, worked for EA, Doki Denki, and cofunder of Arkane Studios

Marco Mele (Game designer / level programming) 6 years in the industry, worked for EA, Doki Denki, and cofunder of Arkane Studios

Julien Roby (Game designer / level programming) Started 5 years ago being a Tester at Kalisto on Dark Earth, Julien has made an extremely valuable job on Arx as a level designer and level programmer.

Sebastien Scieux (Engine programmer) 5 years in the industry, worked for EMG (Speed demon (PC / Playstation) and Nike (PC / Playstation)), then he joined Arkane Studios where his role is highly appreciated for its knowledge regarding hardware programming issues

Gilles Marion (Tech Programmer) 5 years in the industry, worked at Adeline Software (Toy Commander PC / dreamcast), at Doki Denki (Peter Pan PS2), and at F4toys (Xbox game) .

Summary

You wake up in a cell in the goblin area of an old dwarven mine that has been converted by the intelligent beings of Arx converted to live in to weather out the disappearance of their sun precipitated by a cataclysmic event similar to the one that extinguished the Dinosaurs and caused the Pleistoceine ice age on Earth.

When you arrive on Arx, you have no idea who you are and what you are doing here. You are virtually nude and without memories of your past life. Perhaps a goblin smacked you a bit to hard. Your first task is to escape and then find your way to a more friendly group of people: perhaps your home.

Company Line

Arx Fatalis is a first-person RPG which plunges the player into an amazingly complex fantasy world. Arx Fatalis combines an intelligent story with impressive medieval surroundings. The user-friendly interface allows the highest interactivity possible. Arx Fatalis creates a state of intense immersion that allows the player to feel that all his actions have a direct consequence in the Arx game world.

The goal of the game is to destroy the secret cult of Akbaa, the god of devastation and chaos, thereby preventing his return to the physical world. Should the player fail, the demon is bound to impose his reign of terror upon Arx. The player assumes the role of the potential hero, fights inside an underground fortress using wooden clubs, swords and magical items to defend himself against creatures including goblins, trolls, rat-men and other vicious opponents. However, brute force is not always the best way to succeed: The player has at his disposal the innovative new "onscreen gesture based magic system" to assist him in his progress through the game. Using the mouse, burning runes can be drawn in mid-air. A series of these gestures combine to create powerful magic spells that will protect the player or empower him to defeat his enemies and pursue his quest.

    Features:
  1. 9 different skills
  2. 50 different magical spells
  3. magical system based on runes
  4. different weapons and armor
  5. huge world with a lot of surprises
  6. different solutions for the different adventures
  7. many monsters and enemies

Game Play

    According to the game lead designer, Raphael Colantonio:
  1. You can make your weapon by dropping a piece of metal on an oven, activating the bellows, and then using the incandescent metal on an anvil.
  2. You can poison your weapon and enchant rings (the result will vary according to your level of magic, and according to the reagent you use).
  3. You can also make specific quest items (a key, for example).
  4. You can make ingots of various metals.
  5. You can fish and cook your food.

Plot

Graphics

Animation

Voice Actors

Music Score

Sound Effects

Utilities

Multi-player Features

Multi-player features were removed by the game designers prior to the release of the game.

Journalists

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    References

    Letters

    PC Game Center

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