This gestural interface was simplified in the Xbox version to account for the limitations of the joypad. The player can find or buy different runes as gameplay progresses, combinations of which unlock new spells. Using the mouse and the Ctrl key, runes are drawn in mid-air with mouse gestures, which must be correctly drawn, in order to successfully cast a spell. One of the intuitive interfaces in Arx Fatalis is the spellcasting system. For example, the player can use force to kill enemies and break down doors, or they can use stealth and avoid enemies. There are also multiple ways to finish quests and the player can progress through the game in several different ways. Rather, the player is able to make choices through actions which lead to different consequences. There is no dialogue system in Arx Fatalis. The player can resolve the conflict between them all and experience several different endings to the conflict with different consequences somewhat affecting the story. Additional goals come up such as dealing with the rebels of Arx, the snake women and The King of Arx. The main plotline is non-linear with the player collecting the various items to forge a sword required to defeat Akbaa in a final showdown. Raw food can be cooked, like rounds of bread, chicken drumsticks, or pies. Simple crafting involves enchanting ammunition and weapons, or creating items, such as a fishing rod (fishing pole and rope), keyrings (key and ring), or pies (dough and rolling pin, optional apple and optional bottle of wine). There are several side quests that can be undertaken. The player awakens inside a prison cell and, after making his escape, eventually discovers his mission is to subvert and imprison the God of Destruction, Akbaa, who is trying to manifest itself in Arx.Īrx Fatalis has a somewhat open-ended gameplay style, allowing the player to allocate skill points for the character type such as spellcasting, weapons and armor, stealth, and so on.
have made their homes on various levels of the cave.
The action in Arx Fatalis takes place in one of these large caves, where inhabitants from all races such as Trolls, Goblins, Dwarves, Humans, etc.
On 14 January 2011, Arkane Studios released a 1.21 patch and the game's source code under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL), though the game assets remain proprietary.Īrx Fatalis (Latin for "fatal fortress") is set on a world whose sun has failed, forcing the above-ground creatures to take refuge in subterranean caverns. One game mechanic is the use of mouse gestures to cast spells. Arx Fatalis is a role-playing video game for the Xbox and Microsoft Windows, released on 12 November 2002 by Arkane Studios, a video game developer based in Lyon, France.Īrx Fatalis is played from a first-person perspective and is set on a world whose sun has failed, forcing the above-ground creatures to take refuge in subterranean caverns.