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Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura (2001)

Troika Games

PC (Microsoft Windows)

4.15 from 291 ratings

1225 members have it in their collection · 14 playing now · 709 backlogged · 141 wish listed

How long? · with extras 37h (from 2 logged playthroughs)

Imagine a place of wonder,where magic and technology hold equal sway, and an adventurer might just as easily wield a flintlock pistol as a flaming sword. A place where great industrial cities house castle keeps and factories, home to Dwarves, Humans, Orcs and Elves alike. A place of ancient runes and steamworks, of magic and machines, of sorcery and science. … Read more
Imagine a place of wonder,where magic and technology hold equal sway, and an adventurer might just as easily wield a flintlock pistol as a flaming sword. A place where great industrial cities house castle keeps and factories, home to Dwarves, Humans, Orcs and Elves alike. A place of ancient runes and steamworks, of magic and machines, of sorcery and science. Arcanum is the first game to come from the development house Troika Games, LLC, started by former Fallout team members Tim Cain, Leonard Boyarsky, and Jason Anderson. This team takes the depth of gameplay and world-building in role-playing games to entirely new levels of realism and excitement. Arcanum creates a compelling new world where magic and technology coexist in an uneasy balance. As Arcanum opens, the mechanical age has only recently arrived in this ancient land where Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs and other races have learned to survive in the new sprawling industrialized cities. But this radical shift from magic to technology has created a potentially explosive situation. As the townspeople and other thinkers begin mass production of light bulbs, batteries, eyeglasses and guns, the Mages grow leery. This tightly wound setting is the starting point from which the character must set out on his quest. Read less

Details

Developers
Troika Games
Publishers
Activision, Sierra Entertainment
Genres
Role-playing (RPG)
Themes
Fantasy, Open world, Science fiction
Steam
View on Steam

Release dates

  • Aug 21, 2001 (Full Release) (North_America) PC (Microsoft Windows)
  • Aug 24, 2001 (Full Release) (Europe) PC (Microsoft Windows)
  • 2003 (Full Release) (Brazil) PC (Microsoft Windows)

Featured in lists

Every RPG I've played, ranked by shinespark · 140 games · 0

Rating distribution

5 stars
131
4 stars
96
3 stars
38
2 stars
21
1 star
3

Community All Reviews Statuses

thebigmack

Status thebigmack May 23, 2024

I've never started and stopped a game as many time as Arcanum. I've shamed the title with broken burnt copies, lost or corrupted save files and abandonment. Even though I have nothing but fondness for it.

I've sat on the gog version for too long and have dove head in, squeaking past the dated UI and enjoying it - this …

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I've never started and stopped a game as many time as Arcanum. I've shamed the title with broken burnt copies, lost or corrupted save files and abandonment. Even though I have nothing but fondness for it.

I've sat on the gog version for too long and have dove head in, squeaking past the dated UI and enjoying it - this time my intention is to the fullest.

Story time!

Ages ago, I explicitly remember the unhinged, mischievous glee I felt by discovering I could steal a shopkeepers goods and sell it back to him. Repeating the process until I was showered in ill gotten gold.

I'm doing it again. Shhh!

enter image description here

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SuperFieroStatus

Status SuperFieroStatus Mar 21, 2024

In my time bumming around game forums, I've heard more than once that Arcanum has some dumb mechanics that make it hard to play. Except I heard the same about Morrowind, and that was fine. And I heard the same about Icewind Dale, and that was fine. And I heard the same about Fallout, and that was fine. I'm thinking …

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In my time bumming around game forums, I've heard more than once that Arcanum has some dumb mechanics that make it hard to play. Except I heard the same about Morrowind, and that was fine. And I heard the same about Icewind Dale, and that was fine. And I heard the same about Fallout, and that was fine. I'm thinking of giving this a go this year sometime, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I won't get completely derailed by mechanics like I was supposed to have been on those other games.

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Arkalliant

Status Arkalliant Jul 25, 2019

I don't know what to do with this game. I managed to make it run properly in windows 10, maybe even better than the original release, but it just doesn't grab me like I thought it would. It's just too outdated by modern standards, or maybe I'm too pampered by modern gaming.

It's honestly shocking that this game came out …

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I don't know what to do with this game. I managed to make it run properly in windows 10, maybe even better than the original release, but it just doesn't grab me like I thought it would. It's just too outdated by modern standards, or maybe I'm too pampered by modern gaming.

It's honestly shocking that this game came out four years after the original Fallout, and yet it feels even older. Maybe I just picked a bad starting build but also the combat is boring and the quest estructure is tedious, so maybe 50/50.

If there's ever a remaster or a game-changing fan patch then I'll gladly return to it, but right now I don't feel like playing anymore. It will remain as one of those games I enjoy watching/reading about, rather than actually playing.

Ahhh I wasted waaayyy too much time trying to make this compatible with W10, so sad

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