New Arc Line was my highlight at Gamescom this year. It was just a hands-off demo, but everything I saw blew me away. Hot on the heels of Baldur's Gate 3, we have another turn-based CRPG that isn't shy about embracing this ancient genre and enjoying its tabletop roots.
Now I've had the chance to play New Arc Line myself, and even though the magic has worn off, I still trust my luck. Here we have all the ingredients for a detailed RPG world where players can lose hours – all it takes is polish and cohesion.
The new Arc line might be my next favorite
New Arc Line throws you right into the action. After you make your character – be it human, elf, dwarf, or giant (humans and elves are the only races available in my demo) – you fall into a mysterious opening that finds you in the middle of all kinds of danger. . Dead bodies and wounded souls surround you as you stumble into the rubble as you are given clues about the game's location.
It's not just an introduction to the lore, but also the RPG mechanics of the game. As you travel, there are various statistics along with the environment and other characteristics. These skill checks are determined by dice rolls, with the requirements for each roll varying based on your own characteristics, but also external factors, such as attitude. 'everyone who comes in contact with you. Being thrown into a situation where you can immediately see the effects of your character creates a powerful opening, and makes you want to hear more about the world that is being introduced to you through non-existent voices. body.
When you reach the end of this section, you are taken to what appears to be a courtroom, where you are accused of being responsible for whatever accident happened. You can answer as you like, but of course whoever is asking you has already decided your guilt. After going back, the story is told from the beginning, reminding us of the day we arrived in the new world.
This is where most of my hands-on demos were done, in the harbor before you enter the city. You are responsible for finding your items and your first friend, a giant named Mick – who speaks inexplicable English with an American accent. In fact, hearing him say “bloke” might be the funnest part of the whole affair.
One of my favorite things about the New Arc Line is the lore of the setting, which focuses on the clash between technology and magic. It was really impressive here, with my mage character being dragged into this division, and given a lot of unique opportunities to pick a tech battle. I could even refuse to play at a club because I dismissed it as anti-gravity blasphemy.
However, my magical roots also affected the battle, as I was 'corrupted' for using magic in battle. I was told by the devs earlier that corruption builds if you use spells in tech focused areas, and that it will affect my character if I build enough.
If so, the narrative behind this clash felt undernourished from what I saw. Admittedly, there aren't many mages to be seen, but the technologist faction I've encountered is a poor cartoon. Your first interaction with them revolves around them forcing a strange theater director to rewrite a Romeo and Juliet-inspired play for government propaganda. It makes for a pretty funny quest, because you get to decide which lines go into the script, but it remains to be seen if it's enough to make the villains compelling later.
Or maybe that's the idea – the humor. I found myself thinking about Fable a lot more than I expected, with some really over-the-top NPCs that, while not feeling very deep or real, made me laugh. With that said, even Fable's silliness allowed for a compelling story.
Whether you're a magic user or a technologist isn't the decision you make with the character designer. There are a variety of classes (I was limited to two in the demo – Voodoo Mage and Dieselpunk Engineer) but what really caught my eye were the characters. They work like characters in a regular Fallout game, giving you advantages and weaknesses. They also detailed the story of your character, which made me the last member of a noble family. Given that it doesn't limit the type of character I can play, I'm not sure if it will make it into the story, but even having it there to guide the roleplay is a neat feature.
Outside of the narrative, the combat is pretty basic, but that's to be expected. As a mage class, I got two spells, but I could punch enemies that got too close. Action points determine how much you can do with your turn, making positioning your character just as important as your attacks.
The New Arc Line still needs to find itself, but the pieces are all there
When I say that the New Arc Line can be polished, I am not talking about anything on a technical level. This is more the flow of the gameplay loop. All the parts seem to be there, but it could be better when put together.
Personally, the opening hours I played were much tighter than I thought, getting me from point A to point B as it taught me how to play the game and how the world works. the ticks. It felt unnecessary when the first unlock introduced me to the various abilities and stats I could use to navigate the world more naturally. However, there were a few fun side quests to be found, and some rewards for exploring different dialogue paths with NPCs, so the more in the endgame the better. In fact, this is the port of the new world – it should feel alive.
After a few hours with the New Arc Line, I'm still wondering what to expect, but I can't wait to find out. Based on what I've played, I'll definitely be checking this out when there's more to play, as it looks like it'll scratch that CRPG itch. I hope it will do it justice when I can examine it in more detail.
