Aris Arcanum

This game is perfect the first 2 hours that you play it. It looks good, plays well, and seems to promise a lot of unlocks and replayability in the future. If this was an early access game, I'd recommend it. Sadly, it's not. And the more you play, the more you realize that your anticipation for things to come is just your optimism. And the things you get the first 2 hours is it. It's unfinished otherwise. There's only 1 biome and you get about 15 levels until the boss fight. Pretty short. First time I rolled credits, I thought maybe it unlocked something new. It didn't. Maybe it's like Hades and you get more unlocks the more you beat it? After 5 more times of rolling credits and getting exactly the same dialog and being unceremoniously dumped back to the hub area with nothing new, it's apparent that that's really just it. The game brags "Experiment with thousands upon thousands of builds". Technically true, but doesn't work in practice. You get 4 spell slots with up to 5 modifiers (some spells have less). Remember the 1 biome, 15 levels? The run is so short that forget the other slots, you can barely even fill in all the modifiers for your starter spell even if you always go for upgrade doors. A thousand builds might be possible, but not probable. You always get the same starter spell and the same handful of modifiers to choose from before the run ends abruptly. Hub area gives you Leto (the globe for upgrades), 2 NPCs, 2 tomes, an empty spot, a large door, and the lift to the levels. So when you play the first few hours, you're expecting more things from the hub. You're excitedly thinking: this is gonna be good as I unlock things. Nope. One NPC gives you a weak attempt at world building, the other one eventually gives you a trinket. That's it. The 2 tomes, the empty spot, and large door? Nothing. Just decorations. What you get the first time you start the game is the same hub you get after rolling credits multiple times. If you're looking for something to play for a few hours, beat once, and not play again. You can consider this. But if you're looking for a game with a long tail, different strategies, multiple biomes, plenty of replayability, this ain't it. Maybe that was the original intent, and they made a great start. But they decided to release it as just that: a great start, but obviously unfinished.

Good stuff! Gets janky sometimes but great world and the combat and spell crafting has its moments. Would recommend.

Absolutely gorgeous art style and the cosmic horror library setting is so unique! Hidden gem!

For the first game by the Broken Cane team, it’s very impressive. The art style is superb, but certain elements still leave a bit to be desired. I hope they keep working on it.

Excellent vibes, gorgeous characters and fun weird and fresh combat: all I need to love a game.

Big fan of weird stories and characters so this gets a yes from me. Gustav is my favorite- what a king. The combat system got me a bit of getting used to ,but it was well worth it, love ragdolling enemies. Plus points for that receptionist thing.

Beautiful atmosphere and a tight game loop, loving it so far!

A fun game with an addictive loop. It has a slower more stamina focused combat than Hades. The graphics look great and the setting is interesting. The story is intriguing and the music great. All round great game

Love the art style and the music. The victory/idle music after you defeat enemies is superb. Character wise I wish they had more to tell in terms of story progression. The gameplay is attention-grabbing and fun but the ink shard can get a bit dull after the first few rebirths. Overall it's a lovely game worth your time. P.S. That one moaning basic enemy with the weird sword can go ♥♥♥♥ himself.

Great music, weird vibes. Interesting build variety so far. Promising Hades-like.