New Arc Line does not go for High Fantasy and provides something different to players and manages to evoke the feeling of classic games like the aforementioned Arcanum, almost to the point where you can argue that this is a spiritual sequel, something many have wanted for years. The world of New Arc Line is a world that is in conflict between Technology and Magic, and this is not just something that shows up in the writing either. Rather you have multiple approaches to a situation but they do not mix well, with the technological approach is abou form and function with less risk, while magic is all about going for the high risk and high reward rout, and using one over the other, makes the path you do not choose far more unstable.
There are some gameplay issues right now, but this is an Early Access game where these issues are still being worked on, so I will not give them too many complaints. One of the the issues is that the sidequests do not feel as compelling as they could be, and the character writing does not feel the best at this stage, But another is that there is not a lot of variety in the classes at this time, and there are a lot of balance issues in the combat which I am hoping will get addressed soon.
It is also the case that some of the skill-checks seem to have issues, but that is something that is not uncommon in Early Access RPGs so I cannot hold it too much against the devs. New Arc Line really does feel like it tries new things though, and its original gameplay system may seem counter intuitive with how it handles stats and abilities, but ends up creating a lot of unique possibilities. The turn-based combat may be unbalanced right now, but there are some unique combination elements that make it stands out when compared to other games and I am very hopeful that as development continues things will become more polished.
What I am hopeful is not only that the classes will be expanded on, but that the race options will be as well. In addition, the story writing is a little bit awkward in spots, coming off a bit heavy handed in its messaging but it does not fully too bad and I would like to see it touched up. I would also like to see the game’s unique take on skills and stats be expanded on, because taking a different approach may seem risky, but I like where it is going here.
The visuals are very good for a game that feels lower budget, and the character models are handled surprisingly well. The voice acting was also a high point and is extremely well done, with both characters and narrated being portrayed perfectly and drawing you into the game. I do feel the music could be a bit better, but it is okay for what it is.
Overall, I think New Arc Line is off to a fantastic start, and while there are many issues and the game clearly feels unfinished at this point, there is still a ways to go in terms of its development. Hopefully crafting is properly implemented and the side quests are fleshed out, and bugs squashed, because New Arc Line could become a modern classic if handled right. It just needs time to get there.
