Arx Fatalis - 21 Year Late Review

[@dranyth]

If anyone else is thinking of trying the game, definitely use the Arx Libertatis engine. It replaces the original engine and is built for modern operating systems. It almost certainly would have fixed all of the weird graphical issues that were happening in cutscenes and such, as well as the weird stutters. It also re-implements the original EAX as OpenAL EFX, so things like the room echoes would have worked which also helps the atmosphere.

[@reallylatereviews]

Dranyth don't laugh, I forgot. You were one of the good guys telling me to use arx libertatis (this was 10 months ago) and I remembered halfway through playing. I won't lie as much as I enjoyed my time with Arx, I simply didn't have the free time to go back and start over or risk installing it mid playthrough. I wanna say thank you for coming back and watching my video, ya know I appreciate it, so thank you! And I'm gonna pin your comment for people to see.

[@dranyth]

Oh, I almost forgot, one of the other major things Arx Libertatis does is it improves the rune recognition by quite a bit. So it makes spell casting work, usually more consistently.

[@TheStowAway594]

Thank you for the advice, I'm just about to start, and I was looking at what I need to do to get it working. Would you recommend the Steam or GOG version, or are they basically the same?

[@dranyth]

@TheStowAway594 I believe either should work with Arx Libertatis. When you install Libertatis it should just have you point it to the Arx install folder and it will copy the resource files it needs.

[@Luckmann]

@@reallylatereviews Get ready to kick yourself: Base game saves work with Arx Libertatis. You could have just installed AL and kept playing.

[@zenithquasar9623]

This game is a spiritual successor to the Ultima Underworld games. We need a more refined, newer game like this for sure!

[@reallylatereviews]

I've heard nothing but good things about the Ultima games and I can see the influence from underworld, especially the aesthetic. That's really nice that it continued on in a fashion. You're right as well, we need more stuff like this today! Lastly I want to say thank you for stopping by to watch my video, for taking the time to comment and share this bit of history because I really had no idea about the Ultima link. Thank you so much!

[@ChemicaaLz]

The good days of developers experimenting stuff, instead of using the same basic formula that works that we have today. Great video as always!

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayyy! ChemicaaLz! Thank you for coming back and watching, and leaving kind words! (I say it a lot but) I really do appreciate it! Thank you! And so true, I'm so tired of seeing these factory belt games. I don't mind a sequel, I don't mind something unoriginal. But we just get so many duds these days that all follow the same formula, and it's horrible. Hopefully though the future is brighter, I like to think we're headed that way!

[@DEADEYESTUDIO]

i agree, theres just something about these older games, stuff like the old deus ex, that have a unique charm. feels like a lot of newer games are too polished and kinda blend together in my mind.

[@Cheesurius]

I can't blame them for sticking with the proven formula, after all if you try something too out-of-the-box many will not understand it and may review-bomb you, and in the end you must sell your game to have food on your table I, too, love this kind of game and I love to see developers experimenting stuff, just for the love of making an unique game

[@roskelld]

What a great love letter to a period of unbound creativity. This was a great trip down memory lane, and brought so many happy (and frustrating) emotions rushing back.

[@reallylatereviews]

Holy smokes thank you for your kind words, that's really lovely and thanks for watching as well! I'm just glad that my frustrations and love for the game came through and are (it seems at least) shared a bit haha! Unbound creativity is right, they wanted to push every envelope. Fantastic.

[@yearight1205]

this is one of the best games I've played. I hope one day that they decide to remake it and add more content. It's one of those games that you could play for a long time.

[@reallylatereviews]

I think anything new like Arx or Dark Messiah, would be a bigger hit today than it was back then. And yeah they usually have long shelf lives which is always good for a game. These games with proper modding support, you've got a fantasy framework for years to come. Thank you for watching my video and taking the time to comment. I really do appreciate it, thank you!

[@karry299]

>this is one of the best games I've played. You're very easily pleased...must be nice...

[@yearight1205]

@@karry299 Not really, it's just a great game. How much time have you put into it? It's a game with a lot of replay value. You can build your character in completely different ways. Certain skills you take help you access areas you couldn't access with other builds. Certain aspects of the story are very interesting. The voice acting can be a lot of fun. It's like an underground Skyrim.

[@CanadaGeer]

Awesome video, as always! 😁 Your editing and humour are most excellent!

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayy Andrew thank you! It's really lovely to hear, I worried this one was a bit dry at the start haha! So this puts me at ease knowing it's still a good laugh. Thank you for coming back and taking the time out of your day to watch and leave kind words. I appreciate it, thank you!

[@PuschelWuschelLP]

I can't be the only one who really wants Arx 2. The end even gave us a glimp of the possibiliies. A year ago I felt nostalgic and tried it again, because I missed half of the story. As a child i couldn't figure out the Cryptpuzzle and got easily frightned by some areas. Thanks for this video it really brought back some memories and you gave the game the good credit it deserves. For people who want to try it, as he mentioned below his video, the "Arx libertalis" made it working perfectly on modern system. Give this game a shot, you won't forget this adventure ^^

[@Kijinn]

You're certainly not the only one...but I doubt that a publisher exists that can provide a sufficient budget *and* has an interest in supporting unpopular game genres...such as the immersive sim. Most indie developers are sadly just busy with remaking generic stuff, to my perception. I guess we can gain hope from how much easier it is gradually becoming to make games. That improves the odds a little.

[@reallylatereviews]

That is completely understandable because the crypt puzzle (as you probably know) requires you to open every single tomb in the level. It's infuriating rofl. Also yeah the game is a bit spooky in places! I'd take an Arx 2 but I won't lie, a Dark Messiah 2, with some of the deeper systems of Arx. That's what I want. Thank you for taking the time to watch my video and comment kind words! I try to do games justice even if I don't always like every aspect, it's very important to me. You can see when people have poured their hearts and time into a game, and Arx is one of those. Thank you again!

[@BM-94]

Y'all check out Monomyth (by Rat Tower). Also the creator of this review seems to prefer more action oriented games, like Dark Messiah. Arx is more focused on the exploration and immersion aspect.

[@Kijinn]

@@BM-94 The optimal immersive sim would grant players the atmospheric open world and casting system of Arx, but with the move-set and abilities of Dark Messiah. Movement and combat in Arx are very clunky. There's no need to feel like an old man in an immersive exploration game.

[@Matias-ee9zy]

I think not, that deserve a prequel or a remake

[@quarterpastbedtime]

Never watched you before but kudos to you mate. I thought you had a couple hundred thousand subs by the quality of the video. I really like the name and concept of you channel. Gem of a channel this.

[@reallylatereviews]

First of all let me say thank you for watching my long video, it's a big ask to watch a video this long from a new channel. And thank you for your really kind words as well. I really appreciate it! I'm gonna follow up though and say I'm happy with the number of subscribers I have, because I recognise who comes back and it's easy to reply to as many people as I can. Long winded reply to say thank you haha!

[@lucasfkam]

This channel is definitely a great find recently! Please keep bringing reviews of these RPGs and older PC games from the 90s and 2000s. They are definitely gems.

[@reallylatereviews]

Thank you! For taking the time out of your day to watch my video and leave kind words, I really appreciate it! And I'm gonna try! The RPG videos take absolutely months, so I am gonna take a little break before I tackle the next one but I have other games coming up!

[@pell9538]

Great video love the bits of comedy thrown in while still reviewing the game in depth. That's an instant sub from me :)

[@reallylatereviews]

Maaaaaan thank you! For watching, for subscribing but especially for taking the time out of your day to leave kind words. I really appreciate it, and it pushes me to keep making vids! I was worried this video was a bit dry haha, so it's nice to hear, thank you!

[@pell9538]

@@reallylatereviews np! Cant wait to see what comes next

[@solomonkain]

Strange that I discovered your channel this morning, have been playing arx for a week and you release this video!

[@reallylatereviews]

Holy moly that's kinda strange, I won't lie! How are you finding it? I am glad you found your way here and I hope the video was good haha! Thank you for watching and stopping by to comment as well! I appreciate it a lot, so thank you!

[@solomonkain]

Yeah kinda of a coincidence- yesterday I was looking for Dark Messiah reviews as I plan to play it after Arx - that is how I found you! Arx is an incredible game. I first played it in 2005 and was blown away then. Never finished it as I got too stuck on the Crypt puzzle. I returned to it just last week! Aim to finish it later today and then move onto Messiah! Keep up the great work, sir!@@reallylatereviews

[@Optaquon]

Another great video, seeing Arx again reminds me of the old Arx vs Morrowind forum arguments of the 2000s. As for underground civilization games, you might enjoy NWN: Hordes of the Underdark if you haven't already played it

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayy Optaquon! Thank you for coming back to watch my video and leaving kind words, I really appreciate that! Oh I can imagine those forum arguments haha! Although compared to Morrowind, the difference is I made it past the first enemy so I feel I lean towards favouring Arx. And I tell you I played NWN and Underdark to death haha, but it is a fantastic game. Such a great cast of characters. I'll also quickly say thank you again!

[@Laghagua]

Very entertaining review with an astonishing amount of details and much fun to listen to. Thank you so much for you increadible work!

[@reallylatereviews]

Thank you! For stopping by to watch and taking the time out of your day to leave such kind words. I really appreciate it, and it's lovely to hear because it pushes me to make more. Thank you again!

[@dored85]

My man, keep going. This is quality content. Bravo!

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayyy Dored! Thank you for not only coming back to watch but also your kind words! I really appreciate that and it pushes me to make more. So thank you!

[@semplar2007]

i was so surprised to see an insert from DBD in Arx Fatalis review, it feels surreal to have 2 favorite games from different realities in someone's video ʘ‿ʘ

[@sapare7838]

Watched my older brothers play this when I was growing up, but I don't think they ever finished it. Never played it myself but I do love Arkane(well, before they got skin suited). Dark Messiah was a childhood classic, Prey is great. Hopefully someday we can return to having more games like this and Thief.

[@reallylatereviews]

I think not finishing Arx is totally understandable. Hell I nearly didn't finish it. That end boss nearly sank the review 'Skin suited,' I love that rofl. Yeah it happened a lot back then but I think this has put modern developers off that route, choosing instead to be their own bosses - so I think we have more games like this on the horizon. Anything in the vein of Thief would be stellar, but I would settle for another Dark Messiah. There are swordplay games out there but nothing replicates DMM. I usually check if a name is familiar and I'm glad I did because we talked about DMM before haha! So I want to say thank you so much for returning to watch my video, and taking the time to comment. It's always nice to see someone come back! Thank you!

[@sapare7838]

Was having this play in background while I work(sometimes you just need audio to chill to) and your talk about the different swing styles based on movement at 6 min made me think of something. You ever play Jedi Knight?(Specifically Jedi Outcast. Jedi Academy is sadly much worse for the campaign, unless you a big fan of cringe writing.) It has a similar swing system and is a cool old game that deserves some attention, most of all considering how abused the Star Wars franchise is these days. I be upfront and say its not Dark Messiah, most enemies don't exactly engage in melee with you, but its also a damn good shooter ontop of having some fun swordplay. I do think its interesting to see the parallel of both games coming out in the same year with the same sword combat idea, I want to say it probably comes from Ultimate Underworld. Later Oblivion and Dark Messiah did it again in the same year(though one far superior without question...) And now the art seems dead, with only really Mount and Blade doing it I think. Everything is just Dark Souls Dodge rolls now. @@reallylatereviews

[@reallylatereviews]

I tell ya I love Jedi Knight Outcast and I wanted Jedi Academy to be Jedi Knight III so badly haha. Oh it was cringe. But Outcast, having this vast range of weaponry which you just don't get in Star Wars usually. Seamless switching between first and third person as well. A variety of force powers. That game was ahead of it's time and then some. I can't grumble as someone who's only just got into Elden Ring this year but I do feel that. The first person swordplay genre is so thin now and it's usually medieval realism rather than fantasy. I just don't enjoy vanilla medieval stuff, I like my swords and sorcery. Maybe more will come out in future, lately I can't help but feel games are shifting into more classic styles, so my fingers are crossed for another game with rich sword combat.

[@bedcreep]

Loved your style of delivery. So unique and entertaining!

[@reallylatereviews]

Thank you! Holy smokes that's lovely to hear! So let me say thank you for watching and taking the time out of your day to leave a nice comment. I appreciate it!

[@rezneps]

Really enjoyed this one but had to look up a walk-through for some sticky parts where I didn't know how to use an item or what to do next. So if it's your first time and your getting frustrated do yourself a favor and just look it up or give yourself a hint.

[@reallylatereviews]

Completely understandable and relatable haha! There's a level of esoteric design to the puzzles that means they just sometimes don't make sense in my opinion. And other times they're clear as day. Thank you! For watching my video and stopping by to comment, I appreciate it! Thanks!

[@vietgrove]

Man you absolutely nailed everything that is great about this game. the crypt section, I can remember playing through that like it was a real experience I had. I remember looking through the locked gateway at this figure, seen through the fog, it seemed to shift and recede a bit. Definitely a bit eerie, you didn't find out it was a statue until you got up close to it so the impression you got at first was that it was some kind of NPC. It really set the mood for the whole experience of delving down through the levels of the crypt. As you say, the changing architecture as you travelled down through the levels really works and makes it so much more immersive and believable. I played through it after midnight, in a darkened room, and I was errr SLIGHTLY "mood enhanced". There were a few times when the eerie atmosphere got right into me and I genuinely felt frightened, I mean actually quaking!! The bit at the end of the crypt, when you pick up the artifact you're supposed to recover, and all the candles blow out and emperor poxellis' (?) voice booms out accusing you of stealing his stash oh man I nearly had a heart attack. then I had to return to the crypt entrance pursued by a lich that I didn't have enough health to fight. And, it felt like the weight of centuries being lifted off your shoulders as you went up through the levels. That whole section is an absolute masterpiece of immersion & spooky atmosphere. Fucking 20 years later and I've never played through anything that even comes remotely close. It's a few years ago that I last played through it, I may be remembering wrong but I _think_ it's possible to prevent the child from being sacrificed by the cultists. I'm pretty sure I did it but I had to savescum about 20 times. I think you get prodigous thanks from the mother and you see the kid playing around in arx thereafter but I may be remembering it wrong. Killing the black beast in the dwarven level was - I don't know if it was "rewarding" or probably just a relief. I had to use a walkthrough. That was the only bit I didn't enjoy. There was some kind of fire spell, that when you launched it an an Ylside, burned it up inside its armour, but the spell drained a ton of mana so if the fuckers swarmed you, you were still fucked. Also, it was possible to break the game if you killed the wrong NPC at the wrong time. I remember either arkane or jowood's forum having all these posts where people had offed eg the barmaid and you needed the barmaid to give you a key to get through a door which you needed to do to progress the game and arkane/jowood's rep's response would be like "errr sorry you're fucked" ( they put it more politely than this TBF) I still have my CD ROM for this game, still with its paper manual so can add to the sum of knowledge in the world by telling you that the race-name for the snake women is the SISTERS OF EDURNEUM. What a great bit of character design, both visually and in the way they speak. Weird and "other", but kind of appealing too! Amazing to note that the humungous amount of content inthis came fits onto a single CD-ROM Great review! Subscribed.

[@reallylatereviews]

This was such a lovely comment to read holy smokes, thank you! For taking the time out of your day to watch my video and to tell your experiences and leave kind words. Thank you! Your description of the crypt is so good it takes me back there haha. I'd forgotten about the candles blowing out, I'm a big fan of that I wish I'd remembered! I am with you on the black beast. Although I figured out to throw the dwarven ribs under the compressor, I turned to a walkthrough anyway because it wasn't working. Then I learned it was the correct solution, but timing it was so awkward it was genuinely easier to push the button, leap down to the floor and use myself as bait. The barmaid, that's unreal. I think I missed this game breaking bug because I ate all the leeks I found. If I hadn't, I would have been able to make the chicken soup or something, and to do that I would have had to kill the barmaid to get to her cooking pot. I mean I do love Arx, but there were some parts of this game I think mood enhancement coulda helped me get through it smoother. And that's a lot of effort to save Shany. I respect you going through the trouble but I think if those cultists want her that badly fair to them. Sisters of Edurneum haha thank you! You're right, this is such a packed game and it's impressive when I think how much there is to do (given the CD-ROM) vs newer games. All I can say is thank you again for watching, commenting and subscribing. Thank you!

[@monkeybtm6]

Arkanes founder founded a new studio, WolfEye Studios. their first game was Weird West. which is sooo much like a Arkane game. so yeah i think they're doing well.

[@reallylatereviews]

That was them? I had no idea, I won't lie I looked into Arkane but didn't follow up to see who went where. I saw a friend play Weird West and it looks great, and now that you say it I can see the Arkane resemblance just from the inventory alone, that's a lot of tabs. Glad they're doing good. I also want to say thank you for watching my video, and stopping by to comment! I appreciate it! So thank you!

[@steveleadbeater8662]

Its a shame its such a buggy mess. Constant crashing, corrupted saves, bugged missions and a general lack of polish. It reminded me of Seven: Days Long gone. Theres a terrific game in there somewhere but I could never get a stable version.

[@allnamestakenlol]

Such a cool game. And a great review - ty! Not going to happen, but I would love for this game to get a remake.

[@reallylatereviews]

Aw I would love a remake, or even a spiritual successor to this and DMM. Let's hope it happens haha! Thank you as well for your kind words and watching my video! I really do appreciate it, thank you!

[@MadnlooneyJR]

Will just drop this here to get some boosts to the good old algorithm. I don’t think I’ve heard of this before so really looking forward to hearing what you have to say on it mate. Great to see another video 🙌

[@MadnlooneyJR]

Ahhhhhhhhh so I do know this game. The spell casting was mentioned before in other videos. What a great concept but you mentioned it released on the OG Xbox my word how the hell did that work on a controller 😂😂 Really great review as usual always love your sense of humour 😊 Cannot wait to see what you have in store next. Hope you’re doing well and don’t work too hard 😉

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayyy Looney! Thank you for the boost it's appreciated hehehe but I am more grateful to hear that you enjoyed the video, I worried this one was a little dry! Oh I thought the same thing, how this worked on Xbox is beyond me and I'm glad I don't have to find out haha! Hope you're doing well too my dude and I'll try rofl :D that "free open schedule" lasted about one week before new work came in, so now I'm back to getting editing done whenever I can haha!

[@MadnlooneyJR]

@@reallylatereviews Really was a great review, good to hear things are picking up again 🙂 Really am enjoying the editing so take all the time you need 😁😂 Had me creasing up so many times.

[@reallylatereviews]

@@MadnlooneyJR Maaaan thank you! I tell ya though I must press on because I wanna clear my hard drives haha!

[@Csumbi]

great video, i love Arx Fatalis, though i never managed to finish it, i got stuck on the Akba stones i believe, i could never find the last one. But i loved everything else about it. I love the classic immersive sim and dungeon crawling vibe. I would love a remake with similar graphics and updated and expanded mechanics, and more cities or kingdoms to explore.

[@reallylatereviews]

Oh the Akbaa stones I swear. I didn't want to spoil too much but I lucked out finding all those, and the stones in the crypt. I tried to generalise by saying the puzzles were bullshit but yeah. Those akba stones man But as you say, everything else is lovely and a remake with nice visuals and some tighter mechanics would be ideal. The other kingdoms idea, I love. They made the world sound so big so the places to explore could be wholly different. I also want to say thank you, for taking the time to comment and for watching my video! I appreciate it, so thank you!

[@steveleadbeater8662]

I wish I could point you to Underworld Ascendant but that turned out very badly.

[@Fast_Travel_Gamer]

I don't care what anyone else says but this era of RPG graphics will always be the best! It takes me back to the visuals of Morrowind and Gothic!

[@reallylatereviews]

I really dig the visuals as well. I am a big fan of Deus Ex, it's clean and crisp edges, wonderful textures and limited but eye pleasing detail. The same goes on with Arx. It still looks good. Thank you! For commenting and of course for watching, thank you again!

[@JohnDoodson]

I thought you will take a break. But here you are back again already! Didn't even take that long. Thanks mate. Gonna enjoy your video now. I already know, it's gonna be awesome :)

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayyy J Dood! First off thank you so much for coming back to watch, and also leaving kind words. It's lovely to hear, so thank you! So my break ended when my work stopped entirely, but now it's picked up again. So I wanted to get this out soon. To tell you the truth I've had this ready for nearly 2 weeks haha! But I rewatch these like 20 times to check for editing errors. I still miss some :P I hope ya enjoyed the video, and thank you again!

[@graham3490]

Omg I love your channel so much please never stop doing what you love

[@reallylatereviews]

Holy smokes thank you! This is so lovely to hear, I mean it. It helps me wanna keep making more haha. So thank you again for taking the time out of your day to leave such kind words! (And for watching too!)

[@sanemack2601]

My favourite thing about the magic runes in Arx, is that it's a language all of it's own. I somehow managed to learn most of their meanings years ago when i last played, and you can just instictively cast spells rather than by memory so to speak. As well as finding some hidden spells by using the logic of the language! (like the death aura spell i believe, an inverse of one of the healing or curing spells, so if you inverse the language, life turns to death, so that was a fun discovery) But trying to re-learn the language now would be something else lol

[@reallylatereviews]

Holy smokes that's something haha, I see what you mean as well if you can put them together you just know what you're doing! And I do love the system and the runic language element to it, lends itself easily to those hidden spells! That death aura got me through some tough spots I want to add as well, thank you for watching and stopping by to comment! Thank you!

[@WalkOnNick]

Great review! I really like what this game was going for.

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayyy! First of all thanks for coming back to watch my video and leaving kind words, I really appreciate that, thank you! And yeah so do I. A little janky in places but you can't match that heart and soul they poured into this. Great vision and you can see it.

[@magetsalive5162]

You were correct, playing as a mage or spellsword is the best way to do it in Arx. Also, if I recall right (I seem to remember hearing or reading it somewhere) stealth is kind of stunted by armor enchants. Because the glow isn't just there to clue in the player, it's an actual light source that makes you more visible.

[@reallylatereviews]

Oh wow well yeah there goes your stealth gameplay haha. I had no idea about that. I've also heard ranged is basically the fastest way to die, except when fighting the final boss where you can just kill him from the top of a pillar with a bow. Strange game. Spellsword is the most fun for me anyway so I can't grumble. What I can do is say thank you! For watching and stopping by to comment, thank you!

[@magetsalive5162]

@@reallylatereviews Have another fun thing: If you're trying to play like a munchkin with your Attribute stats (STR/MEN/DEX/CON), and your Constitution isn't very high, fighting Liches becomes even deadlier! Liches know how to cast Curse. When the player gets Curse cast on them, you (temporarily) lose Attribute stats. Not sure the exact math on it (wiki says it lowers attributes by "the spell's caster level") but if the Lich's Curse causes your CON to drop to 0, your HP also drops to 0, making for an instant death. Sure explained a few mysterious instakills I suffered against Liches when I learned that...

[@reallylatereviews]

@@magetsalive5162 For crying out loud rofl. I think sometimes mechanics just get put into games, even today, without considering or testing all the ramifications. Dumping constitution for a pure spellcaster in theory sounds reasonable but I guess you're screwed in practice.

[@sovrath5735]

Thanks, just found your channel and you reminded me that I have this game on my Steam list. Well, downloaded it again (as I never got far) and will push on. Thank you and subscribed.

[@reallylatereviews]

Holy smokes no thank you! For watching, subscribing and taking the time out of your day to leave a nice comment. I appreciate it! And ya know what, I hope you enjoy Arx! (Also I want to add, there is no shame in taking breaks/seeking guides with this game)

[@codylamp6814]

Glad I found this review and this channel, thanks for the quality and the humor , got a sub😊

[@reallylatereviews]

Thank you! For taking the time to leave kind words, for watching and for subscribing holy smokes! I hope I can make more videos you enjoy haha! Thank you, I really appreciate it!

[@Nacalal]

The key to saving Shany is to follow the guys from the stairs to the sacrificial chamber, as the last few are walking in, throw a fire spell at the bottom of the doorway and whip a magic missile into the guy next to the altar.

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayy Nacalal! I just wanna say you left another comment about the game's FPS but it vanished, I dunno what happened but it wasn't me. I got the notification but it was gone after :( I will say thank you for the advice about saving Shany! That sounds like a really clean way to deal with the cultists haha! But also the kid had it coming she was going down to the spooky crypts, playing with cultists and knives. I haven't made any of that up. Thank you! For watching and for commenting, I do appreciate it! Thank you!

[@Nacalal]

@@reallylatereviews Oh, the thing about the FPS is that leaving it uncapped can break some AI actions like their walking animation, and probably a few other things that I didn't notice.

[@reallylatereviews]

@@Nacalal Oh I didn't know this! This might have even happened to me and I didn't realise it haha!

[@Nacalal]

@@reallylatereviews OH, and I forgot to mention, when you have to take on the yilsid in the city of arx, there's two things to keep in mind. One is that you can cast paralyze on them when they pop their speed spell and it should hold them in place long enough for it to fade. Another is that there's a teleporter in the room next to yours in the throne room that you can activate, it'll let you sneak to the secret passage to the jail a lot easier.

[@reallylatereviews]

I missed this a few days ago dude I'm sorry, replies in youtube just get buried. The secret passage I swear I didn't even think to teleport in and use that haha, but the paralyze thing that sounds like the real play. I doubt I could cast that with my bonk build but rofl, it would have been fun if I could!

[@Carlisle-mn3fv]

He is ALIVE!!!

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayyy barely! I nearly got stuck in the caves! But I came back to say thank you for watching my video and leaving a comment. It got me out of the underground and I appreciate it, thank you!

[@AngriestPeanut]

The Dragons Dogma inserts make my soul smile

[@reallylatereviews]

I've been consumed by Dragon's Dogma now I mean I've had more comments about DD than anything else. I've learned more reading the responses to my own fuckin video than I did playing the game it's insane. And I love it, so I'm gonna try and put a little DD in everything. And ya know what makes my soul smile, seeing comments like yours so thank you! For taking the time to watch my long ass video, for commenting and making it through this long winded reply. Thank you!

[@eisader]

Thank you for this great review. The game, the humour, the presentation...the blacksmith of my trust told me, they are masterworks all, I cant go wrong :)

[@reallylatereviews]

Nah thank you! For taking the time out of your day to watch and to leave kind words. I really appreciate it, thank you! Ayy I mean he's the most reliable blacksmith! Iron and steel :D

[@pandyssianrat]

I can't play Arx without Libertatis lol. Anyways, very entertaining review! Also wanted to point out that, there are two Arkane teams. Arkane Lyon were responsible for DEATHLOOP and Dishonored 2/DotO and they still retain most of their staff, obviously no company has the same people working on every single game. Some leave to try out newer stuff or get better pay elsewhere. Arkane Austin (the team behind Prey'17) were the ones who had several people leave. Even then the core staff (the people working there since Dark Messiah/ Bioshock 2/ Dishonored) are still working there. Most of the people who left were recruited to make Prey, so makes sense why devs that specialised in physics based reactive gameplay might leave the team when forced to make a multiplayer shooter. Several things affect how a game is made, management issues, changes in direction due to corporate interference, lack of resources, lack of experience in a particular field, etc. and Arkane Austin had all of these problems on Redfall. I don't think a team that has a single dud can't make great games again. I hope they come back with a bang on their next project.

[@reallylatereviews]

I do heart a few comments but I'm hearting yours to hope people see it as there's a lot of information here I just straight up missed, especially about the Prey team being brought on and then leaving. I'm doing a little research into another game I'm reviewing and it's highlighted how devs move in and out of teams especially under the same publisher. While I did know about Arkane Austin and Lyon being two seperate teams, I didn't realise that the core team were still there at Austin, which in many ways makes me even sadder. I hope it's clear in the video I put more of that blame on Zenimax/Bethesda rather than Arkane. They did get eaten up, in my opinion. There's a reason I used that Dishonoured clip of the sneering man driving past in his car. Having Lyon work on their lacklustre Wolfenstein projects makes me feel like the waste of talent was already coming, and it just hit home for Redfall, and Deathloop which I have heard fell flat (not to journalists, to paying customers) I completely agree as well, if anyone can come back from a dud it's Arkane Studios (although it was a colossal, triple A priced, microtransaction dud.) Thank you as well fuckin hell I've typed a long reply I'm sorry rofl, but thank you for watching, for your kind words and taking the time out of your day to share your knowledge. I really appreciate it, thank you! Also yeah I forgot people told me to use Libertatis heheh!

[@pandyssianrat]

@@reallylatereviews Hehe no worries! Many people don't even know that Arkane has had 2 teams. I heard that when a person comes up to any of the devs from either team and talk to them about a game the other guys made, they thank them for playing and later send the message to the other team. They don't go out of their way to correct people so it makes sense that many don't know about this. Also by core staff, I meant the people who have been at Arkane Austin since it was made, and not the core staff of the entire company. The Lyon team still has their amazing art team (one of the best in the industry imo), level designers (people who worked on maps like the Clockwork Mansion, Lady Boyle's last party, etc.), systems designers (they've made some of the coolest powers ever) and other important people. Many of these people have also been at the studio since Dark Messiah. The team has also made the art director one of the creative directors of the studio which is unheard of in the AAA space. All in all, I just wanted to say that the Lyon team is fucking awesome! (also I LOVED "DEATHLOOP" so there's that as well lol) The Wolfenstein projects were not all that bad for the team, they enjoyed doing those. They only worked on the art direction and level design fronts of the game (so most of the game was still MachineGames) which were probably some of the best things about them.

[@reallylatereviews]

I tell you, the clockwork mansion is everything I love and hate about Dishonored 2. That's such a triumph of visual design yet it feels like they had no idea how to use the concept. It becomes a button pushing set piece, I was devastated after that amazing E3 trailer. I was hoping to have a moving environment that was used against the player, maybe expectations were a little too high. I do love a lot of what Lyon puts out so I share your opinion haha although I haven't played Deathloop I'm only going on word of mouth here, and it also sounds like they made the good bits of Wolfenstein haha! I take the piss in the video because it's funny but Redfall being what it was, it was depressing ya know? I looked at it and thought "these guys made Dark Messiah." They should be free to make what they're really good at. I really do think they're one of the best studios, both teams, so it's such a shame.

[@vul7ure_]

Another incredible review (still on the first seconds, but still... Your content is gold)! Thxx for the video🎉

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayy Vulture! Maaaaan thank you! I hope the video didn't disappoint haha! Thank you for coming back to watch my videos, I know I say it a lot but I really do appreciate it, so I'll say it again. Hope you're doing good and thank you!

[@vul7ure_]

@@reallylatereviews loved the video!! Laughed a lot :)

[@constantinethegreat5907]

Great review as always. I personally never got around to playing this game, it certainly unique in the way that i can't think of RPG that takes place exclusively underground alongside all such a setting entails for the rest of the game. I think a remake( directed by Warren Spector) would be very well received, given its pedigree.

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayyy thank you for coming back to watch my new video and leaving kind words! I really appreciate it! The underground setting is just superb, to the point where I'm not convinced I do it justice in the video. It's the strongest part of the game. Warren Spector, there's a name I haven't heard in ages. That would be a welcome remake to be sure!

[@ericupchurch2967]

You think Arkane Studios now being a part of Bethesda Softworks... they would make Arx Fatalis 2 in New Engine like Skyrim! ❄️❄️❄️

[@reallylatereviews]

Man now that they're part of Bethesda we'll be lucky if we ever see them again Haha nah I joke (somewhat) but I can't believe Bethesda brought these guys in and didn't use their sword combat system for their open world RPGs. Nuts. Hopefully they get to work on something like Arx in the future! I wanna say thank you as well! For watching my video and for stopping by to comment, I really do appreciate it, thank you!

[@0x20pirate]

Clicked on the vid because I loved this game since it's release, but the joke about Polsius being locked up in goblin prison due to discord memes complete with the visual gag accompaniment made my day. Great stuff right there

[@reallylatereviews]

Haha I mean the guy was in there for speaking out, he didn't deserve the mute. Also please let me say thank you for watching and leaving kind words, I appreciate it! So thank you!

[@Hravokh]

well. better late than never :D great video . happy i found your channel

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayy thank you! I'm happy ya did too haha! And exactly, late is best, nobody ever said "fashionably early" did they? :P Glad you like the video, and I'm grateful you took the time out of your day to watch and leave kind words, thank you!

[@gotd4m]

Really solid video. Will check out more of your stuff.

[@reallylatereviews]

Holy smokes thank you! It's really lovely to hear and I apologise for my other videos haha! Nah for real, I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to watch and leave kind words. Thank you!

[@bofad6074]

Another banger, I never got into arx. Im not HUUUGE on immersive sims (love deus ex and thief, I only like prey and dishonored tho) Keep up the late reviews!

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayy Bofa D! Thanks for coming back to watch and for your kind words, thank you! And you know what, I think I am the same. Deus Ex and Thief are so good it's insane! But I never got around to trying Prey. I was excited for the cancelled Prey 2, that looked so good. But usually immersive sims get a little too clicky for me haha! (I'm gonna say thank you again for watching and imma try and keep the videos coming :D )

[@bofad6074]

@@reallylatereviews omg same! I remember when that prey 2 trailer dropped it looked awesome then poof its gone. Prey 2017 is a def a game you need to check out, it does a lot of really really cool stuff. I just think Immersive sims work best when they arent ALL the game is build around. Deus ex its the story and the stealth (for most people), and theif its just the stealth but it is damn good stealth. Arx certainly seems like a lost gem tho!

[@reallylatereviews]

@@bofad6074 The trailer was SO good! But yeah I really feel I will visit Prey 2017 at sometime, it just felt like such a swing from bounty hunter to space virus or something. You're absolutely right as well, the best of these games use these elements as tools to let the player unlock the story. And they're usually great :D

[@TrynePlague]

I love this game. One of my all time favorite hiddem gems. I always remember being stuck at the beginning of the game, repeatedly getting killed by a single bat.. XD

[@reallylatereviews]

This sounds like my mirror of my Morrowind experience. I couldn't make it past the first mudcrab, I've genuinely never left the starting town haha! But I love Arx too, it's a real gem. Thank you! For taking the time to comment and for watching as well! I appreciate it, thank you!

[@Victor-bl1gh]

Really enjoyed this video, you have good humour. Subscribed!

[@reallylatereviews]

You won't believe this but I checked because I've been watching the number these past couple days. You are my 6969th subscriber. Nice rofl But on a serious note, thank you. For watching my video and stopping by to comment, and for subscribing too. I appreciate it, I really do. Thank you!

[@Victor-bl1gh]

@@reallylatereviews hahahaha that's a nice achievement i got today I guess. Greetings from the netherlands man keep doing what you're doing!

[@reallylatereviews]

@@Victor-bl1gh Ayyy thank you and hello from England! I'll do my best to keep making videos worth your time :D

[@lopa-u9f]

perhaps the best game review I've ever seen and I'm not even halfway through kudos

[@reallylatereviews]

Damn, thank you. I do try with these, I can't always get it right every time but I do try. So thank you, I appreciate it. As to your other comment, I remember seeing Anachronox in a magazine years ago aw, that brings back memories. I've never played it and I can't promise anything because I have other games in mind (working on one right now) but I'll take a closer look. The dialogue already sounds amazing. Thank you again!

[@lopa-u9f]

@@reallylatereviewsno promises wanted! of course, hehe, yep, just a suggestion for if/when you are interested - it is best to play games, watch movies, read books, live life, from desire, not from obligation and like the person below, I even more strongly suggest Gothic 1+2 (and to do them both in order) Andyeah, am looking forward to your other reviews, fell asleep to Dark Messiah one and recently got Dragon's Dogma and don't know if I have the time/enough interest to play it all through so am going to watch that review eventually when I have the time. Paused partway through this Arx Fatalis review because I didn't want to fall asleep, will resume it later, but yep stay being your self and expressing as you, don't cater to what people want of you or you feel they might expect peace

[@vazhatavberidze5040]

excellent review, loving your content so far. Please keep up the good work. Wouldnt mind an original Spellforce review btw!

[@reallylatereviews]

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about it haha! It won't be up next but maybe after. It would probably be a Spellforge Platinum review, as I have that and my original Spellforce CD is in storage somewhere rofl. Thank you so much for watching my videos, for subscribing and most of all for taking the time out of your day to leave kind words. I worried a bit about this one so I'm glad it's well received so far! Thank you!

[@vazhatavberidze5040]

Might want to take a look at the original NWN too and its two addons, as the OC is pretty dull. And if you ll ever delve into the obscure rpgs and hidden gems, there is always Prelude to Darkness, one of the best RPG s ever made that basically no one knows about.

[@reallylatereviews]

@@vazhatavberidze5040 I played the original NWN to death! You're absolutely right about the OC. Shadows of Undrentide was just such a feat of storytelling for the time I enjoyed that. It's a very big game to cover and I'm taking a break from RPGs after Pathfinder and this, they take a lot of time haha! But I checked out Prelude to Darkness and it looks interesting, the visuals strangely remind me of the original Sims. If nobody knows about it I might just take a look some day, thank you!

[@vazhatavberidze5040]

@@reallylatereviews Undrentide is good (Deekin!), but Hordes of the Underdark is where its all at for me. Anyways, looking forward to future episodes & best of luck!

[@reallylatereviews]

@@vazhatavberidze5040 DOOM DOOM DOOOM! Deekin was my favourite part of that whole expansion haha. I liked Undrentide it's just they really followed it up with a final banger in Underdark Thank you as well!

[@bizznick444joe7]

The statue with the bowl is interesting. You will find writing somewhere about a vampire. The statue has vampire fangs. The way to show hints is amazing.

[@DaesuOh]

Love your content man, keep it up!

[@reallylatereviews]

Holy smokes thank you! I just hope I can keep making videos worth watching! Thank you for taking the time to leave kind words, I really appreciate it, and thanks for watching as well!

[@someonebritish6326]

I love you and how you write your scripts!

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayyy Someonebritish! Thank you for your kind words and for coming back to watch holy smokes! This is just lovely to hear and it means a lot to me, because I always worry about my scripts, but now I will worry less about the next one. Thank you so much!

[@potassium7705]

About the Shany quest. The thing about the crypt is unrelated. A house across from Maria's has a note directing you to where the cultists will meet. There's also a scene where some cultists book it when they hear you come in.

[@reallylatereviews]

I genuinely may have mis-remembered this, because I remember wandering around level 4, trying to find the right spot and angle to approach the snake statue to trigger the cutscene. There was something awkward about it and I cannot recall that note for the life of me. Also to reply to your other comment, I'm still grateful for the info, I was not aware of this at the time about Miguel offering repair services! That's a big oversight on my part, thank you! And thank you for watching and commenting as well!

[@rainydayyoutube]

Leaving a comment here to support the channel.

[@reallylatereviews]

Holy smokes thank you. I really appreciate the thought, I do. So let me say thank you for watching and thank you for stopping by!

[@someguyonyoutube236]

I discovered and played though Arx Fatalis this year and had a great time. Wish there were more games like this in the world.

[@reallylatereviews]

Me too honestly. Solid game that would be just mind blowing today (if made with the same passion,) anything in the same vein would do well. Thanks as well! For watching my video and commenting, I appreciate it! Thank you!

[@Eskaroots]

For the shany quest you can find a book behind a locked room/house in a chest near her mother. Once you enter you hear cultist talking and leaving the room next door. When reading the book you learn that they will meet near the snake pillar on the 4th level telling you to be careful to not be followed. Even with that I failed the quest cause I rushed the cultist and that make the demon spawn. You really have to tail them and wait for them to get in the sacrifice room.

[@reallylatereviews]

So first off, thank you for watching and commenting, especially helpful info! I appreciate it, so thank you! Secondly, I really think I forgot all about that cultist book when I wrote the script. I just hand on heart forgot it because so much was going on in the game and I had to get it all on paper. Including finding the exact spot to trigger that snake pillar cutscene. But also rofl, I love that even prepared and informed, Shany dies that's great. I can absolutely believe you gotta be within 2 feet of those cultists. Damn Thank you again!

[@MedalWelder]

Great video man! Def got a new sub out of it so keep at it brother.

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayyy! Thank you, for taking the time to watch, leave kind words and thank you for subscribing too. I really appreciate that! I hope I can make more videos worth your time.

[@Miguel834a]

I have played hundreds of video games and all the games that are considered top games from old to the new ones and this game is still my top 1 game. If you get very into it and read every book in the game. You realize how everything click and it is so amazing. There is so much mysteries and so many things to wonder about that it can be endless. I hope this game is remaked one day with the right marketing. It would be a total success.

[@reallylatereviews]

It really is something special so I get completely. The lore and secrets to uncover are plentiful in Arx. It's a game I can't honestly say I'll revisit myself but it's one I think has to be played at least once, it's just a gem. And yeah, anything in the same vein as Arx would be successful today. Thank you! For watching and commenting! I appreciate it, thank you!

[@epyjacek]

An excellent review of a game clearly ahead of its time. I wish someone would try something like this game today, with a healthy budget and a group of experienced and gameplay focused developers.

[@reallylatereviews]

Thank you for your kind words holy smokes, and I couldn't agree more to the second bit! It'd be lovely to have a game like this come out today. Fleshed out and perfected, maybe trimmed in some places, and if it had mod support you've got an RPG framework that would last for years Lastly thanks again for watching and stopping to comment, I appreciate it! Thank you!

[@Liednard]

I just replayed the game last week, and your vid pops in my feed, great timing! Amazing game, still holds very well to this day with Arx Libertaris, that fixes every issue caused by the outdated engine (broken on high resolution screens), including literally every issue that occurs in your vid, and brings a lot of QoL, such as better level transition. I genuinely prefer this gem over Skyrim or any other recent action RPG where you unplug the brain and click the buttons. You're saying the combat is "not great" but I find it vastly superior to the spammy Action RGs of our age: You have to prepare your attacks swing and angle, require good timing in order to land the hit without taking one as well, and of course the active spellcasting, both difficult to achieve mid-battle but potent enough to be worth the risk. That's depth of gameplay you don't find in many other games... I hope Arx Fatalis gets the same treatment as the Baldur's Gate series got with the 3rd installment! Excellent video overall, Also I 100% share your passion for these crypts, such an amazing design! Here are just some corrections: - You can get items repaired to perfect condition by giving them to the blacksmith. Costs quite a bit of money, but it's manageable. - Several spells never get inscribed in your book even if you have the correct runes (Not only the portal one or harm). You're expected to guess them, because runes have meaning! For example, Fireball is 3 runes that read "CREATE - FIRE - PROJECTILE" and there's a hidden Ice Projectile spell, that obviously requires "CREATE - ICE - PROJECTILE" That can make spellcasting easier for some people, and is also how you discover the most powerful spells of the game. 100% recommend to anyone willing to put just a bit of effort in the game

[@Liednard]

If by chance anyone reads up to that point: There's no recent game exactly like Arx, but for anyone looking for similar sensations, I can recommend Exanima: - Indie game - Underground dungeon crawler (similar feel and atmosphere) - You also learn to "draw" with your mouse, but not for spellcasting: it's for melee combat, so there's a huge and very rewarding learning curve as you master swinging+stabbing properly from different directions and with different weapons. - Everything is physics-based, including health and damage (e.g. 1 good axe hit on unprotected head = dead) makes positioning and footwork crucial to survival, adding another layer of controls to master. > Start the game as a stumbling peasant barely capable of holding a stick, and a few dozen of hours later you feel like a knight confidently fighting group of ennemies, maintaining proper distance, reading telegraphed moves, making proper use of the shield, and swinging right in the weak spots. Glorious! And there's magic too, but it's best to discover it.

[@reallylatereviews]

Ya know I want to explain myself a bit here. I think the combat of games like Skyrim is bleh bland mega white bread. They got away with it in Oblivion because so much else was going on, and back then Arx and Dark Messiah were jewels of first person fantasy combat. But when Skyrim came out there really wasn't an excuse anymore. I always say I like Skyrim, but as a modding framework, the game itself disappointed me. In short I agree haha, Arx's swordplay is ahead of it's time, I say combat is not great because I've played Dark Messiah. It's an unfair statement to make and sometimes when I look back at these I do see my choice of words in a new light. I try to review these games and see them in their splendour as though they came out yesterday but I also do review them for people who may want to try these today and hit that 'oh wait it actually IS 20 years old' wall. Sorry for going on about this I just want to say this is great feedback for me and I appreciate it, it helps me analyse my scripts better. The blacksmith, oh my goodness I had no idea, I really dropped the ball on that one. And I should of talked more about those hidden spells, I trimmed some of the magic bit for time and mention the secret harm spell later. So that left a bit of an explanation gap. I had no idea about the ice projectile though, I would have loved to used that! I'll quickly add Examina looks interesting, never heard of that at all before today haha! The drawing melee is something I bet you have to experience to really feel what it's like, and the positional combat looks brutal. It's got that sluggishly realistic look. I wanna say thank you as well for your kind words and taking the time to watch my video, thank you! I really do appreciate it!

[@bondapovon]

I think about this game alot. For the same reasons you mention. Its clunky and buggy and frustrating but it has possobly the best atmosphere and setting I have ever seen in any game. If you like this type of thing but dont want to jank wrangle check out Lunacid, an all dungeon world apocalyptic dungeon crawler with killer vibes.

[@reallylatereviews]

Gosh I've heard about Lunacid before but I can't remember where. I took a look and I love that aesthetic so I will probably try it when it's closer to being complete! Thank you! The atmosphere is just so good, and I think Arkane did it better than anyone. I miss that sort of atmosphere in today's games, but a few of them still know how to create it! Lastly I want to say thank you for watching my video, for subscribing but most of all for taking the time to comment, I love reading them, so thank you!

[@bondapovon]

@@reallylatereviews Lunacid's 1.0 full release should be this Halloween, so you won't have to wait long.

[@reallylatereviews]

@@bondapovon Oh ayyy that is good news! Although I have to get through recording my halloween specials first haha!

[@johnxalice]

you can double click the spell symbol on the top right to end that spell also.

[@bizznick444joe7]

I never seen the tearing. Maybe you should try Arx Libertitis patch on it

[@cratecruncher4974]

Nice in-depth review of a game buried in my pile of too-cheap-to-pass-up-during-a-sale purchases many years ago. Even Arkane Studios founder is surprised how well this game continues to sell.

[@reallylatereviews]

Haha that is definitely the right pile for Arx. I think the low price is what helps keep it ever relevant honestly. I've seen other games with as much jank and charm - but I think they like to believe there isn't any jank so the price tag stays high. Always a mistake. Thanks as well for stopping by to watch and taking the time to leave a comment, I really appreciate it! Thank you!

[@Ghostie.]

God damnit! You did a star trek reference. I have no choice but to subscribe to you now.

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayyy thank you for subscribing, I appreciate it! I love Star Trek so I put it in every video haha! If I ever review a Star Trek game it'll just be a 4 hour video I swear. Also, thank you for watching and commenting! I hope I can keep making videos you enjoy. Thank you!

[@TheMotitaNEWS]

Amazing I had never heard of this game but it looks like something I would try even today.

[@reallylatereviews]

It's ahead of it's time and good fun! But it does have those moments where it really stretches your patience I think. And thank you! For stopping by to watch my video and taking the time to leave a comment! I appreciate it, thank you!

[@grymmjack]

Great review. Subbed.

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayy thank you! Not just for subscribing and watching, but for taking the time to leave kind words. I appreciate it a lot, so thank you!

[@bizznick444joe7]

This game is like the king of video game ASMR. Also the cooking system is so satisfying. You can cast a spell to light up the oven, then you literally place the food materials in order to get what you want.

[@reallylatereviews]

I'm gonna reply to your comments here my dude cause you're right, the amount of secrets is great and the little hints towards the vampire statue is, aw I love that! I found out in reverse order, I just thought "oh gothic stuff? blood" but the game is smart enough to tell the player what to do anyway. That is a great puzzle. The ASMR thing got me ffs haha, I think this and Dark Messiah really nail that ambient sound. I'm fortunate to have played games with great ambience but the mood these two create is just spectacular. I always love cooking in games and Arx has a great system, no interface or buttons, all done in the world. I must admit I forgot to use Arx Libertalis and you are right... but saving that girl was a lot of work I mean she went down there. She was gone. Lastly, thank you! For watching and taking the time to comment on my video. I really appreciate it, thank you!

[@bizznick444joe7]

@@reallylatereviews I do think it has something to do with following/sneaking behind the cultists don't remember memory is a bit fuzzy. I played it 2020ish and didn't use walkthrough or any help on the internet. I suppose it wouldn't have given the same impression if I did use outside help. Always suggest it without looking up walkthroughs or any hand holding. Also that kind of Egyptian burial level below the crypts was scary as hell and really cool because it was it's whole new thing. I still don't know what it's there for but completely worth it being there for the mystery. And yes the Crypt was the best dungeon in the game and even compared to other games.\ You should have also talked about the special stats doing different things, I personally loved them. It's also very DnD like in case anyone came from DnD.

[@bizznick444joe7]

@@reallylatereviewsI also need to ask you to review Gothic 1. Not the remake but the very first one. It has the same charm with Arx Fatalis but even more interactioni and player autonomy with NPC interaction.

[@benh1467]

This game is so much fun. I didn't play it with Arx Libertatis, either, but it was good fun. I remember getting stuck at a jumping section, and you just couldn't make the jump without being in that engine. So you could dash way forward if you quick saved and jumped, so I just did that to get across.

[@reallylatereviews]

Haha the old quick save move I respect that! I had a similar experience where I absolutely needed a levitate scroll to cross an area. So if I'd used all the scrolls up already, I wouldn't be able to finish the game rofl. It's a lot of fun all the same. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment, I appreciate it! I really do, so thank you!

[@reallylatereviews]

the opening gameplay chat is SO dry but it's unavoidable, I wanted to get the core melee stuff out of the way first there's only stock music for backing track this time, because while arx has a great soundtrack they're all short loops. very noticeable in a video with a boring man talking. why no arx libertalis? forgot.

[@bulasev]

I loved this game with a passion. I never finished it though... i have it on my steam account. I think it is time to finally conquer it. Thanks for this well thought in depth reminder of this gem.

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayyy thank you for watching! And for taking the time out of your day to leave kind words, I really appreciate it! I can't speak as to how well it runs on Steam, but I had some trouble getting resolutions to work properly on GoG. I think that was just me though! Thank you again!

[@bulasev]

@@reallylatereviewsit runs like a dream. Downloaded it... click... and run perfectly. I didn't have to do anything. I see good times ahead. 😉👍

[@OreVsWorld]

Cool stuff!

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayy thank you! For stopping by to watch and leaving a nice comment! I appreciate it, thank you!

[@periurban]

I played both this and Spellforce back in the day. Great games. For their day.

[@reallylatereviews]

Spellforce was neat, I may revisit it honestly because I never finished it. I tried Spellforce 3 and just could not get into it at all. It felt so different. I wanna say thank you! For watching and stopping to comment, I appreciate it, so thank you!

[@SurvivalGames1]

@@reallylatereviews Spellforce was also a game far ahead for its time...i think even World of Warcraft copied some things from Spellforce...what a shame what happend with the series after spellforce 2....got worse and worse...same with Port Royal Series

[@doug9358]

Always enjoy some Trek references! Great review and some cheeky humor.

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayy I mean, Star Trek is the best! Thank you so much for coming back to watch my video. You commented before on my DD video months ago and I never replied, and I want to apologise. It was around the time that video was getting more views than I could keep up with and I was spending 2 hours a day replying ROFL. It's not something I like to admit but I just couldn't keep it up especially with work at the time. But I am so grateful for you watching my videos, and taking the time to comment. It really means a lot to me, thank you!

[@doug9358]

@@reallylatereviews I definitely enjoy the content. Funny, informative, and you pick games I forgot I played. It took you 21 years to review this game, a few months to get back to a comment is a quick turn around time for you 🤣 Keep it up man!

[@Feilongy]

Amazing content - hope more is to come

[@reallylatereviews]

Holy smokes thank you for your kind words. I tell ya I'm gonna do my best to make stuff of the same quality. So cheap, hastily put together and relying on crude jokes. For real, thank you for watching and taking the time to leave a nice comment, thank you!

[@julios999]

one thing about the MC weird voice lines, it might be because of his nature (spoilers). This was an idea a fellow youtuber posted back when I played Arx Fatalis. I think you can figure out the rest

[@reallylatereviews]

I've been told this and although I do love that notion, it's far too subtle for me. I think I'm uncultured because there's no way I'd have caught onto that. Especially as the game is peppered with repeated voice files and other patches of deadpan delivery. Thank you for telling me about this though because it does shine a light on the artistic choice! And thank you for watching my video, I appreciate it!

[@julios999]

@@reallylatereviews i really think it comes with the voice tone. When you think about it, it all adds up well

[@julios999]

@@reallylatereviews no man. Thanks you for reviewing Arxs and DM. Those games shine on game design. Not perfect but ahead of their time

[@SeiryuTheBlueDragon]

My apologies for my late comment. but i love your content!

[@reallylatereviews]

Listen don't be saying sorry for that! Thank you for taking the time comment, and with kind words! And thank you for coming back to watch my video, I really appreciate it and I always love seeing people come back. Besides being late is on brand here ayy!

[@Sonkalino]

I played this game back in it's time. as a kid. The texture glitches were not present. It was a scary game for me, the ambience and the giant spiders added to that. And it was a bit compicated for my young self with limited english knowledge, never played anything similar until arx. Hell it took me weeks of mucking about to find that rock and get out from the starting cell. Never finished it, but I might give it another go with the Libertatis version.

[@reallylatereviews]

I figured the texture problems were due to my new system, it's one of those bugs that made me smile more than broke the game - but I had to bring it up because it's present in so much footage. You're absolutely right as well, the ambience is phenomenal and yeah, it's a little eerie even today I would say if you play it at the dead of night haha! If you do give it another go I hope you enjoy it, taking a little break helps with this immensely Thank you for watching my long video, and stopping to comment, I really do appreciate it! Thank you!

[@MrPlorack]

This was and still is good stuff - Back when role playing on PC meant more than levelling your character and upgrading guns and swords...

[@reallylatereviews]

For all it's jank, I do wish I saw more of Arx's systems in newer games. A few still are good RPGs but few in number. Thanks as well for stopping by to watch and to comment, I appreciate it! So thank you!

[@Lapulacuvoi]

i would always get hungry irl when i played this game because of the cooking mechanic lmao🤣🤣🤣

[@reallylatereviews]

Haha! Never play PlateUp, that just gets me every time, I have to drink coffee just to compensate :D Thank you as well for watching, for taking the time to comment, and for enjoying the cooking because I think that's the best part of any game. Thank you!

[@kefkaFollower]

"Yuan-ti ? Yuan-ti ? 2 sugars" in my kind of humor and means everything that it made it tin to the video.

[@reallylatereviews]

Ayyy I really can't pronounce anything complicated haha! And thank you for watching my video and stopping to leave a nice comment. I appreciate it! Thank you!

[@bizznick444joe7]

The amount of secrets in this game is amazing.

[@themixmaster]

There is game currently under development called Monomyth, it's spiritual successor of Arx Fatalis

[@amelveambitzya3592]

I will play this mainly because of the setting and eviroment, i recomend Lunacid, even if its not a late review, as it just launched, it's the same kind of game and i love it.

[@reallylatereviews]

Arx has such a lovely setting, it really does, and I've had a look at Lunacid! I like the aesthetic and it looks good mechanically too. I genuinely do want to try it but I'm swamped at the moment and my free time is going towards another review, but when I have time ya know! Thank you because this is a great recommendation, it looks very 'arx'. And thank you also for watching and commenting, I appreciate it!

[@natecw4164]

This era of graphics, man... I'm instantly 18 again, takes me right back to college. Missed this one, must have been too deep in Gothic. Thank goodness for Gamepass!

[@reallylatereviews]

Daaamn I didn't know this was on gamepass! Nice, I do recommend it. Gothic looks good though so I understand Thank you as well for watching! And commenting! I appreciate it, thank you!

[@EliTheGleason]

I got this game as a preorder bonus for the original Dishonored, I never actually played it much but I might now cuz this is wacky

[@reallylatereviews]

I didn't know they did that back then, that's neat! It's definitely worth a go, there's just a real charm to it. You may pull a bit of hair out but that's part of the experience. Thank you! For watching my video and for commenting too, I appreciate it! Thank you

[@EliTheGleason]

@@reallylatereviews hell yeah 😎 glad to help the algorithm

[@HanSumGee]

Wait a minute. lemonade is usually flat in FreedomLand. You Limeys are doing real alchemist if lemonade comes sparkling regularly across the pond

[@reallylatereviews]

Now listen. Did you really expect a people you nicknamed Limeys to not make a great citrus drink? Of course it's sparkling and we do diet, flat, pink, cloudy, bitter. It's our coca cola my dude. We've got as many lemonades as the US has peanut butters Real talk, thank you for watching my video and for leaving a comment all the way from Freedomland! I really do appreciate it, thank you!

[@camraid9]

I played this game a few years ago, and I wish there were more games like this. They are quite rare.

[@reallylatereviews]

Heartbreakingly rare. I miss this level of interactivity with the world in most modern games. Today they're far more detailed but usually just all window dressing. Thanks as well for watching! And for leaving a comment, I appreciate it! So thank you!

[@Iymarra]

Thanks for the video. I had this back then but bounced off it. Surprisingly, another first person game with world interaction was less obtuse - lands of lore 3, from good old westwood. That and wizardry 8 but that's a turn based dungeon crawler. Banger though.

[@reallylatereviews]

First off lemme say thanks Lymarra for coming back to watch and leaving a comment. Seeing people come back is a big part of why I keep making these so I really do appreciate it, thank you! I've never heard of Lands of Lore (3) but I would have thought it was a turn based crawler from the aesthetic, so big surprise it's more Doom'ish. I love how it looks visually and great music! Gosh I've heard things about Wizardry 8, it's genius and it's quirks alike. The difficulty curve sounds like it would make me pull my hair though!

[@Chronic.]

Back in 1995 a friend of my mom got me ultima underworld 1 & 2 off of a bbs, i was 15 at the time. Arx Fatalis was such a delight when i was 22, a modern 3d UU clone. now i´m 43 where is my UU Clone in UE5? Someone go out there and make it happen. Still waiting for System Shock 3 btw!

[@reallylatereviews]

Around the corner I hope haha, we certainly need more games like Arx. I tried to play System Shock 2 years ago but I struggled. I was younger and there were certain parts I couldn't wrap my ahead around. Complex but good looking game, I regret not being able to get into it. I'd love a System Shock 3 once they're done remastering the original 2! Thank you! For watching my video and stopping by to comment, I really appreciate it! Thank you!

[@thesummerofmark]

Great video. Brb remaking my 4 year old Arx video

[@orcwarrior.]

Great review. I suggest you to check Gothic - it's would make quite late review. But in overall feels like mood somewhat comperable to Arx Fatalis.

[@reallylatereviews]

Thank you! I've had a lot of shoutouts for Gothic and it's on my radar. I'm working on Grim Dawn right now and I think after that I am taking an RPG break at least for now, they're big projects ya know? But I will definitely look at it without promising I'll review it, cause I'm curious! Thank you for watching my video and for stopping to leave a nice comment, I really do appreciate it! Thank you!

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

The jazzy piano is genius. F-cking genius. EDIT: ok I actually for real think Benny Goodman's "Sing Sing Sing" could be an awesome battle theme.

[@reallylatereviews]

Thank you rofl. Arx has a good soundtrack but none of it makes for easy listening ya know? Holy smokes you're right as well, that would be perfect for a game like this or Dark Messiah, especially the latter with all the pitfalls. I'm gonna say thank you as well for watching, and for stopping to leave kind words. I appreciate it, thank you!

[@CYI3ERPUNK]

ah , back when Arkane still had their soul... Arx Fatalis is one of those games that whenever you see a new video essay on it , u just gotta give that video a thumbs up , such a classic , janky af and still beautiful/wonderful/atmospheric/unique , these games feel like an art that was lost and yearns to be found again by modern gamers

[@reallylatereviews]

That's such a lovely description of it really, it does feel like a lost art - both the technique and the work they created. They just don't make them like they used to. Well I mean, they're starting to again, fingers crossed. Hopefully Arkane gets it's soul back as well I think they can! And thank you! For watching my long video and taking the time to comment, I'm really glad you liked the video! So thank you!

[@CYI3ERPUNK]

@@reallylatereviews you are very welcome dude ; video essays like this are beautiful testaments/remembrances of our shared story here ; and even when they dont get millions of views , they can have a profound impact on so many ; its a funny thing really , most of us dont understand the power of the logos , but we are all affected by it one way or another , and the ripple from one stone can have far reaching implications

[@reallylatereviews]

@@CYI3ERPUNK Holy shit that's so true. It is a ripple and being able to talk about something that connects people is just magic. And ya know I'm happy without millions of views. I struggle to keep up with comments when a new video goes up so for me right now, I can keep on top of replying every few days and so yeah, I like it as it is haha! Thank you again as well!

[@nelsonhergert1274]

21 years, the time pass to quickly, I played this game in that moment. I can remember the instant dead when fight with a mummy lich

[@reallylatereviews]

Haha I think we all had that moment! That lich just slaps the first time. Time does run away as well, it's the worst, and it's very precious. So I really mean it when I say thank you for taking the time out of your day to watch and comment. I appreciate it, thank you!

[@MotiviqueStudio]

I loved this game. Wish this one had gotten a sequel.

[@reallylatereviews]

Spiritual successor in Dark Messiah at least! But yeah, after playing it there's a lot from Arx I wish had made it into DMM. Maybe one day someone will pick up the torch and make a new game like them, I truly hope so. Thank you as well for watching, and stopping by to comment! Thank you!

[@kalenics123]

For every Arx Fatalis fan there is a new game, currently in early access called Monomyth which looks really cool.

[@reallylatereviews]

I'm so hopeful for Monomyth. I know this goes against the Arx line but, gosh I hope it's like Dark Messiah in it's combat and like Arx in every other way. Thank you as well for watching, and commenting too! I appreciate it, thank you!

[@maxmuller6730]

thank you for the great content 👍

[@reallylatereviews]

Thank you! For watching, for taking the time out of your day to leave kind words. It's why I keep making these, knowing someone is getting a smile. So thank you!

[@wanderingbufoon]

54:01 say what you will but this has better combat details than most modern games. That swing that gets stopped because it hits a wall on its path? You're telling me that this is a 21 year old game? Even Skyrim didn't get a mod for this till last year.

[@reallylatereviews]

I love Skyrim to bits. As a modding framework. Bethesda had years to copy Dark Messiah/Arx's melee combat system and they didn't. I can not believe Bethesda games STILL have the same melee combat they've always had. It's shocking and I couldn't agree with you more. This and DMM were truly ahead of their time and we need more games with the same level of attention like this today. I also want to say thank you for watching and stopping by to comment, I really do appreciate it, so thank you!

[@wanderingbufoon]

no worries! I love your content. I think most AAA publishers really love to skim on simple things. Then again, even the modding community has its own interest like lewd. So it's not all surprising that animation frameworks were only starting till recently. What also didn't surprise me is that these really just started for the intent of doing lewd animations. Sigh.. you're right though. Each time we get a hardware advancement, we sent to take a whole big step back in terms of development. @@reallylatereviews

[@reallylatereviews]

@@wanderingbufoon You perfectly summed it up. Fantastic hardware capability, but sanitised vision focused on mass appeal and commercial viability. We really do get more innovative from booby modders, and the other modders as well. But ayy thank you for your kind words!

[@potassium7705]

somebody might have mentioned this already, but you can actually pay Miguel to fully repair any item as many times as you like.

[@cocobos]

Less than $1 sale now on Steam!

[@jebise1126]

fantastic atmosphere in this game