New Arc Linewas myhighlight of Gamescom this year. It was only a hand-off demo, but everything I saw left me spellbound. Hot off the heels ofBaldur’s Gate 3, we have another turn-based CRPG that isn’t ashamed to embrace this older genre and relish in its tabletop roots.
Now I’ve had the chance to play New Arc Line myself, and while the magic has somewhat worn off, I still feel confident about its chances. Here we have all of the ingredients for a detailed RPG world that players could lose hours in - it just needs a bit of polish and cohesion.
New Arc Line Could Be My Next Obsession
New Arc Line throws you straight into the action. After making your character - whether that’s a human, elf, dwarf, or giant (humans and elves were the only races available in my demo) - you’re dropped into a mysterious opening that sees you at the centre of some kind of disaster. Dead bodies and injured souls surround you as you’re fed exposition about the game’s setting as you stumble through the rubble.
This doesn’t just act as an introduction to the lore, but the game’s RPG mechanics as well. As you make your way around, various stats come into play with both the environment and other characters. These skill checks are determined by dice rolls, with the requirements for each roll varying based on both your own character build but also external factors, like the mood of whomever you’re dealing with. Being thrown into a situation where you immediately see the results of the character you’ve created makes for a strong opening, and even more so as you’re eager to hear more about the world that’s being introduced to you by a disembodied voice.
When you make it to the end of this segment, you’re taken to what appears to be a courtroom, where you’re accused of being responsible for whatever disaster has taken place. You can respond however you like, but it’s clear that whoever is questioning you has already decided your guilt. After some back and forth, the story is told from the beginning, taking us back in time to the day we arrived in the new world.
This is where the bulk of my hands-on demo took place, in the port before you head into the city.You’re tasked with finding your luggage and your first companion, a giant called Mick - who inexplicably speaks in English slang with an American accent. Seriously, hearing him say “bloke” might be the most fantastical part of this whole affair.
One of my favourite things about New Arc Line is the setting’s lore, which centres around a conflict between technology and magic. That was incredibly present here, with my mage character dragged into this divide, and given plenty of unique opportunities to pick fights with technologists. I could even refuse to play at a fairground attraction as I dismissed it as anti-magic blasphemy.
However, my magic roots also affected combat, as I gained ‘corruption’ for using spells in battle. I was previously told by the devs that corruption builds if you use magic in technology-focused areas, and that this will have an effect on my character if I build up enough.
With that said, the narrative behind this conflict felt a little undercooked from what I saw. Admittedly, there weren’t many mages to be found, but the technologist faction I ran into was cartoonishly evil. Your main interaction with them this early on revolves around them forcing an eccentric theatre director to rewrite his Romeo & Juliet-inspired play to act as regime propaganda. This makes for an incredibly funny quest, as you get to decide which lines make it into the script, but it remains to be seen if this is enough to make for compelling villains later on.
Or perhaps that’s the point - the humour. I found myself thinking ofFablemore than I expected, with incredibly exaggerated NPCs that, while not feeling especially deep or real, did make me laugh. With that said, even Fable’s silliness allowed for compelling stories.
Whether you’re a magic user or a technologist isn’t the only decision you’ll make in the character creator. There’s a range of classes (I was limited to two in the demo - Voodoo Mage and Dieselpunk Engineer) but what caught my eye most were the traits. They work similarly to traits in the classic Fallout games, giving you a benefit and a weakness. They also detail your character’s backstory, which in my case, made me the last surviving member of a noble family. Given that this didn’t limit the kind of character I could make, I’m not sure if this will ever come up in the story, but even having it there to guide my roleplaying is a neat feature.
Outside of the narrative, combat is fairly basic, but that’s to be expected this early on. As a mage class, I had access to two spells, but could also punch enemies that got too close. Action points determine how much you may do on your turn, making positioning your character as important as what attacks you get them to do.
New Arc Line Still Needs To Find Itself, But The Parts Are All There
When I say that New Arc Line could do with some polish, I’m not referring to anything on a technical level. It’s more the flow of the gameplay loop. It feels like the parts are all there, but it could play a little better when thrown together.
More specifically, the opening hours I played were far more constrained than I’d hoped, taking me rigidly from point A to point B as it taught me how the game plays and how the world it takes place in ticks. This felt unnecessary when the initial opening introduced me to various skills and stats I could use to make my way around the world far more naturally. Still, there were a few fun side quests to discover, and some rewards for exploring different dialogue paths with the NPCs, so the more of this in the final game, the better. After all, this is the port of the new world - it should feel alive.
After a few hours with New Arc Line, I’m still wondering what it’s trying to be, but I can’t wait to find out. Based on what I played, I’ll certainly be checking this out when there’s more to play, as it looks like this will scratch that CRPG itch. I just hope it does its setting justice when I get to explore it in more detail.
New Arc Line
WHERE TO PLAY
The New World looms on the horizon, on its shore the shining city of progress, and the last beacon of hope in your search for a cure to your family’s fatal disease - New Arc. You arrive to this foreign land by steerage of a steamship, cramped with thousands of other immigrants, a stranger in a strange land, full of wonder. But you will soon discover that the city’s beauty runs only skin-deep and all you find is rot beneath the golden facade.Dark smoke from the factories chokes the skies, segregation, inequality, and corruption run rampant. You will have to rise from the very bottom, make tough decisions, and get your hands dirty if you are to succeed - and you must, no matter the cost!Craft technopunk gear or master the arcane arts, fight, steal or smooth-talk your way to the top and become the hero or villain you want to be. You will not have to face the trials of this world alone, however; find your companions and gather your party, make foes and allies, fall in love, get involved in a massive conspiracy, and change the course of history forever.Will you rise to the occasion?Become the Hero or the Villain you want to beCreate your own character as a Human, Elf, Dwarf or Giant, choose your gender, background and appearance. Keep in mind that inhabitants of this world might have their own prejudices and will treat you differently depending on your choices.Gather your PartyYou won’t be alone on these shores. Meet & recruit a diverse cast of characters, learn their stories, face their demons together and help them grow, or use them for your own gain and discard them as fits your schemes. Who knows, maybe you will even find your true love!Master Technology or MagicEvolve your character as you see fit using a detailed progression system with 6 character classes and 12 subclasses. Will you master the secrets of Magic to incinerate enemies as a Hellfire occultist, curse them with mystical Voodoo abilities, or assist your allies as a Celestial sage? Or will you rather cast aside the obsolete ways and become a Steampunk mechanic, Dieselpunk engineer or Teslapunk scientist, and turn your character into a walking steam-powered fortress?Fight for your RightCommand your party in turn-based tactical battles. Fight head-on and brute-force your way through encounters or observe and analyze each situation and come up with cunning strategies to conquer even seemingly overwhelming odds. There’s a plethora of skills, spells, crafting recipes and consumables at your disposal to turn the tide of battle in your favor.Manifest Your DestinyMake a name for yourself, influence countless lives for better or worse, and watch the consequences of your choices unfold. You may start out as only a poor immigrant, but soon your exploits will fill the front pages of newspapers and the events you set in motion will change the fate of the New World forever.
