Arx Fatalis

Arx Fatalis is an RPG by Arkane Studios, set entirely in an underground world where humanity retreated after the sun mysteriously stopped shining on the planet's surface. The player moves through intricate caves, mines, temples, and underground cities of various races, including dwarves and goblins, solving puzzles, trading, gathering resources, and developing their character in a first-person view, with spellcasting done by drawing individual runes directly with the mouse or gamepad on screen.

The game places unusually strong emphasis on world simulation - the player can cook food from hunted ingredients, forge their own weapons and armor, distill potions from herbs, or tame an animal companion, and many puzzles and conflicts can be resolved in multiple ways thanks to an open approach to combat, stealth, and dialogue with characters. The Xbox version, released somewhat later following the success of the original PC game, adapted the controls for the gamepad, simplified rune drawing, and offered players without a computer access to this refreshingly original, systemically deep fantasy world, albeit with minor control compromises compared to mouse and keyboard. The dark, oppressive atmosphere of underground corridors, caves, and ancient ruins, heightened by sparse ambient music, was among the game's strongest points and is still considered one of its defining features.

Arx Fatalis was praised above all for its ambitious systemic approach to world simulation and for an atmosphere deliberately reminiscent of genre classics like Ultima Underworld, which the developers openly cited as an inspiration. Although it wasn't a commercial blockbuster, it earned a reputation as a cult favorite among fans of classic RPGs with an emphasis on freedom and systemic depth, and is still remembered today as an early inspiration for Arkane's later, acclaimed work, including the Dishonored and Prey series.

Why play it: For lovers of old-school RPGs with an emphasis on systemic depth and freedom of choice, and for Arkane fans who want to discover the early roots of Dishonored and Prey.