Arcanum. The best isometric RPGs of all time
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Pillars of Eternity II is not the only disadvantaged big game on our list. It also includes one of the best RPGs of all time – Arcanum, which wasn't helped by archaic setting and a few visual pitfalls. The graphics looked average on launch day, the combat system favored magic and melee characters, and the transition between turns and real-time clashes was weirdly impressive. On top of that, there were numerous bugs that could knock us out of the otherwise engaging world.
But if we could turn a blind eye to these flaws, we were in for one of the most immersive universes in the history of the genre. Black Isle veterans gathered under the new banner of Troika Games have created an ambitious project. The game is set in a universe combining steampunk and magic, but it's not entirely clear whether steam engines or spells have the edge.
The Troika visionaries didn't just limit themselves to dressing elves and orcs in suits. Nope. They have designed a lively, thoughtful, functional society, affected by a variety of very relevant problems (racism, workforce exploitation, fundamentalism, terrorism, sects and churches). Nothing was whitewashed, and at the same time an effort was made to present everything from many sides. The whole thing is based on the conflict of magic and technology, and the background of various classic fantasy races and cultures.
Authentic characters with masterfully written dialogue perfectly complete this environment. It's hard to forget the companions we traveled with and the creatures we met. Many of them offered intriguing, offbeat stories, and more than once you could crack a smile at the game's humor. In turn, the plot played with our expectations of the stories of the chosen one.
And one of the biggest selling points, besides the atmosphere and the storyline, was the freedom the game offered. After the first few locations, we could almost freely roam the world, although it was not a sandbox and we had to earn the access to some segments. The same was true for character development. What if someone insisted on building a hero whose abilities didn't really work together? It was doable, although it certainly didn't make the game any easier.
Arcanum is even today a great and unforgettable adventure that doesn't leave you empty-handed. At first glance, the game looks unimpressive, but once you leap into the story of a survivor of an airship crash – you will find yourself glued to the screen.
Disco Elysium
The newest game on the list quickly made its way to the pantheon of isometric RPGs. And no wonder, since this game ended a very long hiatus in the genre. It was long in the making, and no wonder – it's a colossal game with walls of text, and on top of that, it's still terribly engrossing. This new level of quality was first set by the legendary Planescape: Torment, then it was contested by Torment: Tides of Numenera (not entirely successfully) – and only Disco Elysium managed to attain similar RPG prowess.
It succeeded perhaps because Disco Elysium didn't pretend to be another Torment, but did its completely own thing, on par with the classics in terms of quality. To make things more interesting, it's a heavily text-based RPG fueled by dialogue, and the main character suffers from amnesia. But that's where the similarities end. It's a completely different world, an even more complex approach to storytelling, offering completely different subject matter going hand-in-hand with much more flexible mechanics.
Disco Elysium is a detective neo-noire story enriched with existential, psychological, socio-political and philosophical considerations. At the same time, the story is condensed, kept it the framework of novels and movies about fallen cops. There is incredible depth in the personalities, behavior, and expressions of characters. This makes absorbing the hidden meaning of the story a real joy.
Once you appreciate the level of quality, you'll be astonished that this is an independent production. The environments are incredibly detailed and pretty, the most important characters are voiced over (with even more spoken dialogs brought by the Final Cut), the animations are neat, the quest design is amazing and bulky, and it's not a short adventure, either. You can see that this is a game born of passion – from beginning to end.
Which, in addition, takes an unconventional approach to the genre. The developers have completely abandoned the classic tactical combat system. There are some strictly RPG tests, but they happen narratively, through choices – in dialogue. And believe me, this is just the beginning of unusual solutions you will face here.
