About a year ago, publisher Fulqrum and developer Dreamate unveiled New Arc Line, a new cRPG set in a setting that mixes steampunk with magic and fantasy. Its premise and features have intrigued me from the get-go, so I was very interested in checking it out at Gamescom 2024.
It was originally billed as a hands-on demo, but it turned out to be a presentation. Still, I learned quite a few new things about the game, which is still slated to launch before the end of the year on PC (the console versions may come later, as you'll read below).
As mentioned earlier, the conflict between magic and technology is at the very core of the idea behind New Arc Line. In the past, mages and technologists were in actual wars, and the mages lost. Technologists became the ruling class. Mages are still present in the world, and their culture is still there, but they've been relegated to the outskirts of society.
There's also a rampant disease called Iron Plague that started during the magotechnology wars. However, no one knows how it spreads, let alone how to find a cure. The afflicted inevitably turn into metal, and they slowly die. In the demo, the developers showed a Leprosarium, a hospital for patients who have contracted this deadly disease. The head doctor was missing, while another doctor called Bailey tasked us with bringing three patients in.
This is located in the poorest part of the city, where Mages live. Right away, the developer shows off some interactive elements, such as the ability to examine the nearby ambulance and gather useful items after passing the dice roll. Rounding up the three patients requires a mix of combat and dialogue persuasion. New Arc Line has turn-based combat; every character has different initiative stats, so every fight will have a different order of events. In every turn, you have a limited amount of movement points and action points. Each ability uses up a different number of action points, so you have to strategize around that, of course.
For the demonstration, the developer played as a Voodoo Mage since it pairs well with the only companion at this stage of the game, Mick, a giant that goes into melee. Voodoo Mages have many abilities and spells that let them control the battlefield by cursing the enemy. As an example, when outnumbered, the Voodoo Mage can put down a taunt totem that sets up a distraction. If the foes fail the save roll, they will be forced to attack the totem instead of the party. Voodoo Mages can also use the Soulbind spell, which binds two enemies together; on success, whenever one takes damage, the other takes it as well.
Unlocking new abilities works differently for technology classes and for magical classes. The technology process is all about equipment. New abilities are dictated by what weapons you have, and there's also a crafting system, so you don't just have to rely on what you loot, but you can craft your own and update what you already have. Mages, on the other hand, obtain new spells by collecting magical cards and combining them in a system called Magecraft. That's a parallel of the crafting system with which you will be making your own spells.
Of course, both technologists and mages share a leveling system through XP. You can also improve your skills and your fighting ability in general and at certain levels, you will also be able to select perks. The selection of perks is molded by the choices you make in the world and how you approach different classes and different tasks. That lets you build up the character the way you want.
The presenter of the demo also stressed that upon failing skill checks, the game imitates life. That is to say, when you fail, it's almost never the end; the quest will go on, and the outcome will be different. You can, of course, use savescumming tactics and reload until you succeed, even when you have just a 1 percent chance, if that's the way you want to play. There's no police, nobody will stop you from doing so, but you can also just go forward as it is.
After convincing those three Iron Plague patients to head to the Leprosarium, the presenter went back there and found out the head doctor, instead of treating the patients and researching the disease as we were thinking, was actually running an underground fighting ring.
He put his patients against one another for the amusem*nt of literally class and made quite a lot of money out of it. In his defense, he claimed that all the patients joining the fights did so voluntarily, that he was not forcing them, and that he was giving them a share of the profit.
Doctor Bailey is, however, completely against that. She wants to return the hospital to the original purpose of researching the Iron Plague in the hope that she may find, if not a cure, maybe some treatment to alleviate suffering. The player can either walk away and let the doctors sort it out among themselves or side with one of the two. Siding with the head doctor will provide the added bonus of a cut of his underground fighting ring's profits.
There's one more system in New Arc Line when it comes to the conflict between magic and technology. Every region in the world has a different affinity, either towards magic or technology, and they compete against each other. Your decisions and your actions also influence this, so you can turn this world that's largely technological more towards magic.
You might want to do that or not because when a Mage casts spells that are more powerful than the local region allows, they accumulate Mage corruption points. Upon gaining enough corruption, you progress to the next tier. Lowering the level of corruption can be done with consumables, but to get to a lower tier, you need special encounters. It's very complicated to do that. It's not always bad. Every tier gives you certain new abilities, so there are positives as well, but it's something you need to keep in mind. By the way, if you do side with magic, then the advanced technology of your technology classes might stop working or backfire.
Following this interesting presentation, I spoke with Michal Černoch, Marketing Manager at Fulqrum Publishing, for a brief Q&A about New Arc Line.
Are the rules inspired by Dungeons & Dragons?
We don't copy/paste the rules of any existing RPG. But yes, of course, inspiration is drawn from that, as well as the Baldur's Gate and Divinity: Original Sin series.
Are there attacks of opportunity when you're close to an enemy and they move?
That's the other way around here. You don't just have action points but also reaction points. When you are attacked, you get a chance to use those points to react so you can counterattack, depending on the character's build.
You said there is leveling, right? Did you settle on a level cap already or is it still to be decided?
It's one of the design decisions that's still being worked on.
Can you stay in the middle between magic and technology or do you have to absolutely choose between one or the other?
You have to choose if you want to play as a Magic user or technologist, but with all other choices in the world, you don't have to go to extremes. You can also try to avoid the conflict as much as possible and, quite often, just walk away and not get involved.
Your goal is to find a cure for the Iron Plague, for the family that you left back home. You moved to the city because you heard of the rumors that there is a cure. That's what you want, that's what you're looking for. You can stick to that.
Maybe there is a way that magic and technology can coexist.
Unfortunately, that won't be the case. There's always conflict; it's inherent in the world, and you can't solve that now. They can coexist in the sense that Mages have not died out after the technology wars when they were defeated. But one side will always have the upper hand.
Are you going to have any voice over for dialogues in New Arc Line?
Oh yes, not for every dialogue in every quest and every character, but we have quite thorough voiceovers, especially for the main events.
Can you have relationships with your companions, like in Baldur's Gate 3?
Yes, there are companions that you can romance, and it'll of course, depend on the character you create and the choices you make.
Would they potentially leave your party if they don't agree with what you're doing?
Yes, yes.
Do you have a day/night cycle?
No, no, there's no day/night cycle.
Can you explore the city freely from the start of the game, or do you have to wait to progress in the story?
You open up new areas by completing certain quests and tasks, but it's up to you in what order you do it, so there's a lot of freedom. In the very beginning, you will be a little bit steered on your way, but as you progress, you will have more and more freedom, and it'll be up to you.
So, is there a lot of side content?
Yes.
Do you have an estimate for the average playthrough length of New Arc Line?
That's really hard to say. Every estimate has also been changing as we've been developing new mechanics and content. Also it depends a lot how you play a game. You can spend hours exploring and diving deep into the lore, so yeah, it's really hard to give an estimate on that, but it's not going to be a short game by any means. We're not talking five hours. Around 20 or more is the target.
How many classes are there?
In the beginning, there are six classes to choose from. Three technologists (Steampunk brawler, Dieselpunk engineer, and Teslapunk scientist) and three magical classes (Voodoo Mage, the Hellfire Mage, which is more direct damage oriented, and the Celestial, which is the support type of character). Through leveling and building out the character, you will also get to our prestige classes to further customize them.
How big is the party? How many companions can you bring in combat at once?
It's three companions you can have at the party plus yourself.
Do you have a camp where you go talk to them, or can you just talk to them anywhere?
You can talk to them anywhere.
Did you set a release window for New Arc Line?
The development team is in Ukraine, so you can imagine it's difficult. We're still aiming for this year. We're exploring different options for releasing the game, but we are aiming for a release in 2024. We should actually have a better idea in just a few weeks, so we'll be making an announcement soon.
So it could be released as an early access game?
It is one of the options we are considering, but it's not decided yet. It will eventually come out on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X. Early access on PC and then full release later on the other platforms is one of the options that's being considered.
Does the game already support controllers on PC with a dedicated UI?
I don't know that we have tested that yet. I'd have to find out from the production team.
Okay. Thank you for your time.
