Arcania: A Gothic Tale Preview

PSX Extreme has put together a short preview of Spellbound’s Arcania: A Gothic Tale, though it appears to be based on existing information rather than the recent E3 demonstration.

As most of you know, action/RPGs don’t often place a heavy emphasis on storyline, plot or character development. This is the format used for many open-world RPGs where freedom and customization reign supreme, but Spellbound is tossing a wrench into the works this time around: that faceless, nameless hero of past Gothic installments is now the villain; he’s responsible for torching the main character’s hometown at the start of the game. Obviously, this is catalyst enough to get your blood pumping and you apparently embark on a mission of vengeance and retribution. Now, the good stuff: not only is the game estimated to be over 70 hours in length (talk about bang for your buck!), but you will also discover and equip plenty of various weapons and pieces of equipment. Although you only start with access to a small portion of the map, you will soon expand outward and eventually come into contact with the seven different cultures that inhabit this intimidating world. As is typically the case with most action/RPGs, your choice of weapons ranges from clubs and maces to swords and axes, and let’s not forget the ranged bows and, we assume, magic-oriented staffs.

Staves?