Arcania: The Complete Tale

[Andy]

The reviews are in!

"Everything from the gameplay to the graphics feels marginal!"

"Utter rubbish!"

"A clichéd story!"

"Generic fantasy nonsense!"

"More glitches than the original!"

"It’s just not good!"

"Tripe!"

http://www.thegamescouts.com/2015/05/arcania-complete-tale-review.html


"Graphics are very simplistic and dated!"

"Can definitely be a slog to get through!"

"Feels extremely linear!"

"Voice acting is average at best!"

"Nothing stands out or is memorable!"

"A completely average experience!"

http://www.ztgd.com/arcania-the-complete-tale/review/

 

[Kassen]

Complaining about dated visuals. The game is at least 6 years old. I don't get it. Anyway, I liked the game.

 

[Andy]

It actually seems to be worse-looking than the original, which is quite a feat.

"A surprising thing about the PS4 port of Arcania is the amount of glitches it seems to have that didn’t exist in the previous version. Graphical hiccups, texture popping (which existed in the PS3 version, but are even more noticeable in the PS4 version), and sound glitches only further amplify the overall lack of quality that Arcania’s latest port has. It’s a shame, really. This title should have benefitted from a polished and more improved presentation, but it has only begun to wallow in its age, making every rampant problem I came across more evident."

 

[Andy]

It seems to be an exclusive, too, for some reason.

I tried playing this on the 360 and couldn't get past the first hour.

 

[Obscene Jester]

A completely average experience!

Sums up this generation so far pretty well.

 

[Andy]

Now I feel a little guilty about making fun of the game. Maybe it's enjoyable after all -- at least it was to this guy. I even understand some of his beefs with The Witcher (#1, #4). He makes it clear in the article that he enjoyed Witcher and had played the previous games. Arcania just struck a better chord with him, for whatever reason.

5 Reasons Why Arcania is Better than The Witcher 3

1.) I know what the hell is going on in the story.

The story and world within The Witcher 3, for better or for worse, is incredibly dense. To me, it’s intimidatingly dense. Arcania, on the other hand is a relatively straightforward good vs bad setup that I can buy into easily and comprehend without looking up a wiki. And there’s also one other thing about the Witcher 3’s story that put me off. Why the heck is everyone so serious and po-faced? Like. All. The. Time. Geralt has got a serious stick up his butt and in my 50 hour playtime I can’t remember ever seeing him smile. Like, not even once. Arcania, however, consistently made me smile. Ok, maybe it was mostly unintentional but sometimes those moments of unintentional humour are arguably better than the scripted deliberate attempts at humour from big budget games in my humble opinion.

2.) The UI is way easier to use.

I can’t remember how many times Geralt walked passed something I was trying to pick up. Infuriating. I get the feeling it was because the game was designed for a mouse and keyboard primarily but so was Arcania and I never once had an issue with picking stuff up in that game. Oh and don’t get me started on The Witcher 3’s inventory system. I found it harder to understand than Demon’s Souls and that game deliberately makes it hard for the player to understand.

3.) The music in Arcania is legitimately one of the most awesome scores I’ve heard in an RPG for ages I sing it while walking round the house. I sing it in the shower. I sing it in the toilet. That’s a testament to how awesome it is.

4.) The upgrades in Arcania are awesome – The Witcher 3 not so much.

Personally, I thought the upgrade trees in Arcania were fantastic. Every time you level up you get to distribute 3 skill points in numerous skill trees that are clear and concise. So I can upgrade my melee, health, magic regeneration, magic power and stamina by just leveling up once. Cool. I can even unlock new spells or even new damage modifiers. Awesome. I really looked forward to leveling up in Arcania. But The Witcher 3, not so much. There was a point in The Witcher 3 where I had skill points but I wasn’t allowed to use them for some god forsaken reason. That kinda sucks.

5.) It’s got Troy Baker in it.

Yeah, the most popular voice actor in the games industry and the guy who played Joel in The Last of Us plays the hero in Arcania. Enough said.

I know its human nature to side with the underdog and I know most people reading this will be laughing at what a ridiculous article this is. But I just wanted to get it off my chest. Arcania has been a sleeper hit for me and I’m glad that I embarked on its crazy, ridiculous, incredible and memorable journey.

http://www.brashgames.co.uk/2015/09/12/5-reasons-why-arcania-is-better-than-the-witcher-3/