地城英雄志
Arx Fatalis

Arkane Studios, 2002
Windows 和 Xbox (Linux 和 Mac)*

Arkane Studios, 2002
Windows and Xbox (Linux and Mac)*

起初 Raphael Colantonio 是要以《创世纪:地下世界 3(Ultima Underworld 3)》的名字来宣传的,但是被 EA 驳回了,于是 Colantonio 先生便自己创建了 Arkane Studio 并用《地城英雄志(Arx Fatalis)》这一名字宣传。

就像是他的灵感来源一样,该游戏流程完全发生在地下的一个八层地牢里,在这个地牢里不仅有传统的地牢探险,在一些人口居住区还有社会活动。这一设定源自游戏世界正度过冰河时期,也就迫使当时的人们只好躲在地下那些文明尚存的飞地里面。艾克斯(Arx)是一个被改造过的矿坑,许多政治上分裂的物种都在此生存,游戏故事的叙事中心就是在这样一个地方。

《地城英雄志》靠前面的关卡注重政治外交任务和调查任务,像是与哥布林和他们的巨魔工友们打交道,而游戏后期则更多的是地牢探索,像是能营造出极度紧张氛围的大型地下墓穴。甚至有一个关卡让游戏直接摇身一变成为生存恐怖类[1] 游戏。

Originally pitched as Ultima Underwold 3 by one Raphael Conlantonio and rejected by EA, Arx Fatalis was the result of Mr. Conlantonio founding Arkane Studios to bring his pitch to life.

Much like its inspiration, the game takes place entirely underground in an eight-level dungeon involving both traditional dungeon-crawling and social interactions in populated locations. The reason for this particular setup is that an ice age forced the survivors of this fantasy world to take shelter in underground enclaves that hold what is left of civilisation. Arx, a converted mine with many politically divided species crammed together, is one such place and the centre of the game's narrative.

The early levels of Arx Fatalis emphasise politics and investigative quests, such as dealing with goblins and their troll workers, while later levels offer adventurous dungeon-delving, such as a huge crypt that manages to deliver a surprisingly tense atmosphere. There's even a level where the game takes a trip into survival horror territory.

* 2011 年 Arkane 工作室将《地城英雄志》的源代码免费释出,并由此制作出了《地城英雄志自由平台(Arx Libertatis)》,即该游戏的跨平台开源移植,并修复了诸多游戏漏洞。

* In 2011 Arkane Studios released the source code of Arx Fatalis as free software. From it was created Arx Libertatis, a cross-platform, open-source port of the game, with various bug fixes.

角色系统很简单,共有四种属性和九种技能。装备种类也不多,但是你可以在武器上附魔。

The character system is simple, employing four stats and nine skills. There isn’t much equipment variety, but you can enchant your weapons.

游戏中的主线任务非常少,只有少数上下文剧情衔接方面的内容。但是,还有很多不具体的目标,比如抢劫银行,或是跟随神秘的清道夫猎人——玩家的代理[2] 。游戏鼓励玩家多探索而不是直接给出游戏指引。

所有的这些都导致了游戏节奏别具一格,也就是说,作为一款 RPG 本作游戏时长非常短,总体流程大概也只有大概 20 小时,但是游戏玩法却极具多样性。这一点也反映在了游戏的成长系统中,游戏中玩家所用角色可用的九种技能只有三种是主要用于战斗的,由于这些功能可以无限制的增加,因此游戏玩法的多样性也就大大的增加了。

但是游戏的平衡性还有待提高,以太链接(Ethereal Link)不仅可以查看敌人数据,而且还可以增强自身的法力恢复,但是鉴于游戏战斗非常简单而且可用药剂种类繁多,这点也就一笑而过了。而与此形成鲜明对比的一点是,游戏中不可或缺的知识对象(Object Knowledge)是创造,附魔,修复甚至是鉴别物品的唯一途径,而无法用在其他地方。

《地城英雄志》的战斗并不出彩,但是游戏中的战斗所占据的时间却很长,这无疑是一大致命弱点。近战和远程都做得相当平庸,但是潜行却做的大放异彩,基于阴影的梯度检测系统做的非常棒。这也是对窥镜工作室的《神偷(Thief)》[3] 的强烈认可,该工作室也制作了《创世纪:地下世界》。但是很可惜,游戏并不支持最纯粹的潜行方式。尽管如此,影藏在阴影之中依旧是一项很刺激的体验,尤其是在游戏前期的时候。

现在咱们来说说游戏最好的地方:魔法系统。每个咒语都是通过特定的符文释放的,这些符文需要通过鼠标手动绘制的,这一点有点像是 Peter Molyneux 的《黑与白(Black & White)》[4] 。考虑到本作是工作室的第一款游戏,改作影响深远而且出类拔萃。

The quest design is sparse, with only a handful of contextual side content, but with many non-specified goals, like robbing a bank or following cryptic scavenger hunts – player agency and exploration being emphasised instead of direct instructions.

All of this results in an eclectic pacing which means that, while the game is short for an RPG, clocking in at about 20 hours, there is a great deal of variation. This is reflected in the progress system as well, only three of the nine skills that define the player's avatar being decidedly combat-focused. Since these can be increased without any restriction, versatility is heavily encouraged.

Balance leaves a lot to be desired though; Ethereal Link shows enemy statistics and boosts your magical power regeneration, but, given the simple combat and the high amount of potions available, it can be safely ignored. In dire contrast, the indispensable Object Knowledge is the only way to create, enchant, repair and even identify items, which cannot be used otherwise.

While Arx Fatalis isn't overly combat focused, the moments where it does feature fighting for extensive periods of time are decidedly one of its weaker parts. Melee and range combat are decidedly mediocre but stealth is surprisingly well-done with it having a shadow-based detection gradient. A clear nod to Thief by Looking Glass, the same studio that made Ultima Underworld. Sadly the game in no way supports a pure stealth approach. Still, skulking through the shadows can be a pretty tense experience, especially at early levels.

Now onto one of the game's best aspects: the magic system. Each spell is cast by using specific runes, which need to be manually drawn using the mouse, similar to Peter Molyneux's Black & White. The effects that can be achieved are quite numerous and frankly outstanding considering this a studio's first game.

__________

1 译者注:强调资源管理和战斗的恐怖类游戏,例如《生化危机(Biohazard)》和《死亡空间(Dead Space)》
2 译者注:游戏开始玩家是刚从地牢里被放出来,因此该人物会指引玩家。
3 译者注:《神偷》作为 3D 潜行类游戏的鼻祖之一,对后来的潜行类游戏有着深远的影响。
4 译者注:《黑与白》是 2001 年 Lionhead 工作室发布的游戏,当时凭借华丽的游戏画面和崭新的游戏形态大受好评,并被评选为 2001 年最佳电脑游戏。

GameDB 相关游戏: 地城英雄志

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