Arcania: The Complete Tale

 PlayStation 4
User Score
4.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 54 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 54
  3. Negative: 24 out of 54
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  1. Inure
    Jun 4, 2015
    7
    This game is good, it's not great. Arcania: The Complete Tale could have been so much better than its predecessor, but it's simply not as good, and looks out of place on the PS4.
    Lots of games from this genre will blow this game out of water. However, people new to this genre that have not experienced The Witcher, Dragon Age, and Elder Scrolls series should still feel a sense of    This game is good, it's not great. Arcania: The Complete Tale could have been so much better than its predecessor, but it's simply not as good, and looks out of place on the PS4.
    Lots of games from this genre will blow this game out of water. However, people new to this genre that have not experienced The Witcher, Dragon Age, and Elder Scrolls series should still feel a sense of immersion.
    Combat and game mechanics are great.
    29.99 price point makes this game a must try at the very least.    … Expand
  2. cimerians
    Jun 23, 2015
    7
    This is an older PC game touched up and fixed for PS4. Its like playing an old school computer RPG with ugly animations and laughable voice work. The world though is wonderful to look at and walk around in and it has this charm I can't help but like. Combat is clunky but somehow addicting or should I say amusing. It's a guilty pleasure. I'm giving this a 7 mainly because of all the effortThis is an older PC game touched up and fixed for PS4. Its like playing an old school computer RPG with ugly animations and laughable voice work. The world though is wonderful to look at and walk around in and it has this charm I can't help but like. Combat is clunky but somehow addicting or should I say amusing. It's a guilty pleasure. I'm giving this a 7 mainly because of all the effort Nordic Games has made to put some love into and otherwise mediocre experience. For 20 bucks or less there's a lot of worse things out there.… Expand
  3. mwil236
    Jan 1, 2017
    3
    It's hard to believe that a game with the word "complete" in its title could be so obviously unfinished. The game could fool you; it almost seems like it should be a good game. It has all of the classic elements of a good RPG: lots of gear, lots of quests, magic, melee, character upgrades and an open world. What it has none of, though, is variation in the quests, any sense ofIt's hard to believe that a game with the word "complete" in its title could be so obviously unfinished. The game could fool you; it almost seems like it should be a good game. It has all of the classic elements of a good RPG: lots of gear, lots of quests, magic, melee, character upgrades and an open world. What it has none of, though, is variation in the quests, any sense of improvement and no semblance of reality. Your inventory is completely unlimited so pick up everything that isn't nailed down. Every level up you'll choose from a few extremely lame and derivative "skill trees" which basically mean bonus health or mana or bonus melee, ranged or magic damage. The enemies get harder every level though, and it just seems ridiculous that every one takes about 5 melee hits or 3 arrows and none of them can ever kill you. Movement is jerky and unpredictable, especially while dodging. If you back an enemy into a corner they might just glitch away behind you. Ultimately the game will keep your attention for a few hours but quickly lose its appeal as its extremely monotonous nature takes over: go kill a few bugs, go talk to this guy, get some useless item back. Luckily I only purchased it on the PS store for like $2… Expand
  4. YessirKilla
    Jul 3, 2015
    8
    Okay, it's not that great. However, it has a lasting appeal and has decent controls, which usually keeps me into the game. The game can get repetitive, but its gameplay and fighting sequences move pretty smoothly.
  5. xl33tgamerx
    Sep 13, 2015
    5
    Okay, not great. Controls are very responsive but the game lacks realism in a horrible way that makes you feel as though you were watching pieces on a board instead of being "in the game", which is what we really expect from all next-gen games on the 8th generation consoles.
  6. Matttappen
    Jan 29, 2017
    7
    This game is actually really fun if you can look past a few of the downsides. I'm really enjoying it. Don't hesitate to buy if your on the fence. Especially if you can get it on sale on the ps store. I believe I got it for $5 so I can't complain.
  7. LowKeyGamer1
    Aug 7, 2017
    8
    I was shocked at how low the score was. I liked the combat....I mean its way better than ffxv. The dungeons were fun and I liked the caves as well. Killing goblins with a bow and arrow was so satisfying. I enjoyed this game and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good rpg game.
  8. Nel
    Dec 8, 2016
    4
    Poor game, really buggy. The fighting mechanics works, but the interference and several quests will make you wander for hours just trying to figure out where to go. The graphics are really poor, and the story is one of the worst rpg stories. It's just a waste of time honestly. Easy platinum if that is your thing.
  9. CamyVero
    Apr 17, 2023
    6
    Como no solo de triples A vive el hombre, a veces hay que jugarse un buen truño para aprender a valorar de verdad esta bella afición que son los videojuegos. Todos los años se publican ingentes cantidades de juegos. Seguramente, os pasará como a mi, que tendréis bibliotecas más grandes de lo que podréis jugar en lo que os queda de vida. Son juegos que a veces te regalan, otras veces juegosComo no solo de triples A vive el hombre, a veces hay que jugarse un buen truño para aprender a valorar de verdad esta bella afición que son los videojuegos. Todos los años se publican ingentes cantidades de juegos. Seguramente, os pasará como a mi, que tendréis bibliotecas más grandes de lo que podréis jugar en lo que os queda de vida. Son juegos que a veces te regalan, otras veces juegos que compras en un bundle porque había otro que te interesaba, o juegos que has visto en alguna oferta y que como no pasaba de los 2€, te dijiste…. Que hostias, si con esto tampoco me pago un café. Te los compras y luego se quedan ahí apilados en el estante digital hasta que un día lo rescatas. Pues bien, vamos con uno de esos casos.

    Encontré este Arcania en mi biblioteca. Un RPG de acción secuela de la legendaria saga Gothic. Lo compré hace tiempo a precio de derribo sin fijarme mucho en él. Pues bien, ha llegado el día en que me he decidido por terminarlo. Si buscamos info sobre el juego por la red podremos ver enseguida que tiene fama de truño. Además de los gordos. Ha habido pocos jugadores o medios que le hayan dado una nota decente. Las primeras horas de partida, la verdad que no animan mucho. De hecho pensé en dejarlo un par de veces. Pero una vez ya hecho al juego vas cambiando de opinión. Te ríes con las, a veces, hilarantes líneas de guión de las conversaciones de besugo que tienes con los NPC’s y la linealidad de la aventura pasa un poco a segundo plano. Al final tenemos un RPG de acción decentillo, con un combate sencillo e insustancial pero con un toque adictivo, una historia que ya la hemos escuchado en más de una ocasión y un desarrollo de personaje tan lineal como la propia aventura. El aspecto gráfico ya estaba desfasado cuando salió para PC en 2008, pero oye, sigue teniendo ese aquel que te hace seguir adelante, por vastos bosques, oscuras cuevas e intrincadas mazmorras, consiguiendo botín y derrotando todo tipo de enemigos. Al final, la verdad es que te lo has merendado entero en unas 20 o 25 horas, sin la expansión, ojo, eso para más adelante. Y tampoco me ha quedado la sensación de que el juego fuera una soberana mierda. Se deja jugar, no tiene bugs importantes y disfrutas de él de principio a fin.

    Después de esta chapa os lo recomiendo? A ver, hay cosas mucho mejores en el género que podéis pillaros, pero si tenéis curiosidad tampoco tengáis la sensación de que tiráis el poco dinero que cuesta, es lo que es y tampoco pretende más. Es entretenido y jugable. Aprobado precisamente por eso, aunque justo técnicamente es jugable.    … Expand
  10. Lucky_Strikez
    Aug 26, 2021
    7
    I had this in my PSN library.. I don't remember buying it and I already had the PC version but it was a pleasant surprise, the game looks good, and it's fun. I like the environment and the gameplay. If you like the Gothic and Risen games then you will most likely like this one too. It's Gothic 4 basically but I still prefer the earlier Gothic games but this one is good. I rank it up thereI had this in my PSN library.. I don't remember buying it and I already had the PC version but it was a pleasant surprise, the game looks good, and it's fun. I like the environment and the gameplay. If you like the Gothic and Risen games then you will most likely like this one too. It's Gothic 4 basically but I still prefer the earlier Gothic games but this one is good. I rank it up there with Eternal Ring as far as "old games that are still worth playing." I'm glad to have both on PSN… Expand
  11. pirokar1
    Oct 27, 2017
    0
    Cóż wydaje mi się, że twórcy chcieli zrobić wszystko by ArcaniA z wyjątkiem fabuły nie miała nic wspólnego z pozostałymi Gothicami. I niestety im się to udało... Może kiedyś na siłe przejdę tą grę ale póki co bardzo mnie do tego zniechęca. Zalety produkcji to bardzo ładna grafika oraz całkiem fajna opcja przewrotu w walce. Niestety na tym się kończą.
    Produkcja ta jednak posiada bardzo    Cóż wydaje mi się, że twórcy chcieli zrobić wszystko by ArcaniA z wyjątkiem fabuły nie miała nic wspólnego z pozostałymi Gothicami. I niestety im się to udało... Może kiedyś na siłe przejdę tą grę ale póki co bardzo mnie do tego zniechęca. Zalety produkcji to bardzo ładna grafika oraz całkiem fajna opcja przewrotu w walce. Niestety na tym się kończą.
    Produkcja ta jednak posiada bardzo istotne wady:
    - brak nauczycieli/punktów nauki (jest dostępne jedynie nieco dziwaczne drzewko umiejętności)
    - nie jestem pewien czy w grze można rozwijać takie zdolności jak alchemia, kowalstwo, a nawet siła. zręczność, witalność itd.
    - niby "otwarty świat" przypominający ten z Wiedźmina 1/2 (możemy chodzić jedynie ścieżkami wyznaczonymi przez twórców, jeśli uznamy, że chcemy przejść jakimś lasem lub małym wzniesieniem nasza postać się zbuguje i prawdopodobnie zginie z nieznanego powodu)
    - wiele glitchy graficznych (najmniejszy problem, ale dość denerwujący, przykładowo kałuża zmieniająca barwy na białą lub pomarańczową za każdym poruszeniem myszy)
    Moim zdaniem "Gothic 4" ArcaniA nie jest godna polecenia.    … Expand
  12. Gorn111
    Oct 27, 2017
    0
    Kein guter nachfolger zu den alten Gothic teilen.
    Ist auch nicht anders zu erwarten von anderen entwiklern
    Wem mann ein Hardcore gothic fan ist sollte man sich das spiel echt nicht geben !
  13. Professorfett
    Apr 21, 2020
    1
    The story is the most cliche story ever. This borrows heavily from Star Wars. You are a farm boy whos city and family are killed and burned you follow an old adventure who has trained you to be a fighter to go stop an evil king from taking over. This is a fantasy version that copies that chosen one **** trope but it is so ****ing lazy about its story that it makes the easiest story toThe story is the most cliche story ever. This borrows heavily from Star Wars. You are a farm boy whos city and family are killed and burned you follow an old adventure who has trained you to be a fighter to go stop an evil king from taking over. This is a fantasy version that copies that chosen one **** trope but it is so ****ing lazy about its story that it makes the easiest story to write boring as hell. The story was so bad I stopped paying attention about halfway through this game which is saying alot because this is a long 12-15 hour story that I played to the end. Your character whose name is so irrelevant I shall call him Sir Generic **** Is this whiny, dickhole who looks like a reject from some boy band so he is taking his frustrations out on the first person who tell him no. They give you a semi choice in the dick dialog on what you are going to do. I found that if you act like an **** the game goes by quicker and this games story is so linear that even all my dick decisions I had no consequences at all. The games ends with the beginning of Fall of Seraph and I hate to say it but there was no way I was starting the DLC to this **** game.

    Like I said in the opening the voice acting is horrible. Nordic Games should have just left it out. I'd rather read than to listen to some dude read off a sheet of paper. They try to emote during this game and it comes off far more laughable than I think it was meant to. I've seen high school kids act a helluva lot better than this **** This sound design is so bad I had moments where the sound effects would just be gone. So I'd be swinging my sword and hitting the enemy but no sound would be present. The graphics are so bad I could fool people by saying it was a PS2 game I got working on my PS4. This is a shame too, because if I hand this game any credit it would be some of the environments would look awesome if they actually put some time into this game to make it look like it belongs on this generation. Saying that, this game has a horrible issue with caves. I was in the same ****ing cave just with tunnels mixed around for about 5 hours of this 12-15 hour game. THE SAME CAVE. There was no difference in these caves that they force you to go in. This is so ****ing lazy that it actually makes me angry.

    Moving away from the graphics and story let us move on to the gameplay. So I started to play this after The Witcher 3. The Witcher 3 had amazing gameplay with swordplay that was both challenging and fun, that looked like bloody art. This fighting is more like when you give kids a cardboard tubes and have them swing at eachother. Your character can use a sword, a bow or magic scrolls. What they can't do is get behind a blocking enemy fight if enemies surround them, or even walk up a hill. The games combat is worse than games that came out in the PS2 era, I can think of at least five RPG, or action RPGs that were during that time that play better than this "remastered" game. The AI is not only stupid but it is buggy as **** The AI has this ability to teleport near you if they get caught on the environment. I think it is because instead of making the AI walk around the rock let us make it disappear and reappear right in front of you. I also must mention that the AI has one way it can do any significant damage to you but every single enemy must wind up its attack for 15 seconds to give you plenty of time to dodge. This game has so many problems I am just going to start listing them. The quest map won't always show you where to go nor if it is aboveground or underground, for a "open world" game they have way too many invisible walls, there is no run speed so you must lightly jog everywhere in the game, the fast travel only works when you find two point that can only work between those two points, it might give you cancer, and last the game has the gall to charge 30 dollars for this mess of a game; 5 dollars is pushing it. The one good thing about this game is that there are no inventory limits which is good because the entire game I found one trader by accident because Nordic Games couldn't be bothered to put it on the mini map.

    Overall this game is a mess of all messes. I can't think of any reason for anyone to ever play this game. I've been a big proprietor of these Remastered games coming to the PS4 and Xbox One, but if they were garbage games like this leave them in the past. What's next Morphx or how about Heavy Fire Shattered Spear? I give this a .5/5, I give it that 1/2 point because it was a functioning game, the term game is really pushing it here. What scares me the most if I'm not mistaken Nordic games has the IP for Darksiders. Nordic please don't **** this up unlike the ArcaniA series those games were actually well beloved. I leave with a question more of a prediction. Will Nordic Games **** up the Darksiders franchise?    … Expand
  14. IamNader
    May 17, 2023
    7
    This game is the embodiment of mediocrity, but at times, especially in the earlier parts, it does have some charm to it, and the gameplay while being monotonous, is somewhat entertaining, Just forget about it having any connection to the GOTHIC series, it should never be a GOTHIC game - 7/10

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
42

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 5
  3. Negative: 3 out of 5
  1. Eurogamer Italy
    Aug 12, 2015
    40
    What was the need to republish Arcania? The game was horrible in 2010, is horrible now, although in high definition.
    Read full review
  2. DarkStation
    Jul 12, 2015
    20
    If you find it on sale, mega-sale even, and have nothing else to play I suppose you could romp around the world and mindlessly kill things. This isn’t one of those games that’s fun to play despite the jankiness. It’s just not fun.
    Read full review
  3. Push Square
    Jun 7, 2015
    30
    Arcania: The Complete Tale is quite possibly the dullest RPG to arrive on the PS4 to date, and as if that wasn't enough, it also manages to be a poster child for all of worst parts of the recent trend for remasters.
    Read full review
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