And, finished.
Cool 140 hours according to Steam, 110 according to save. What a fantastic RPG. Best Piranha Bytes game to date, albeit not actually made by Piranhas themselves.
Played the entire game with xbox controller thanks to steam input, works like a charm. DX11 renderer is very recommended.
Here is my comment from another site (translated mostly via deepl):
Archolos is, like Enderal, a non-commercial but (quality-wise) completely professional open world RPG. It flawlessly implements the design principles of Gothic 2, only on an even larger scale. That means atmospheric exploration of a new, previously unseen island, down-to-earth human dialogue and character writing, and the immensely satisfying character development, where villager Marvin who can barely hold a sword gradually becomes the Butcher of Archolos, killing enemies in pirouettes ala his Blaviken colleague. Or become a firestorms-throwing mage. The respect one has for the first many dozens of hours of the iconic shadow beast, and the sense of satisfaction when the first specimen finally falls…
Of course, you can fish, make your own weapons from swords to bows to crossbows, practice alchemy, lockpick chests, pickpocket…you can go into the mines and just do…mining for a few days. The economy is balanced so that there is always something to spend money on, there is always an incentive to make that one new sword and sell it to a blacksmith with a fat profit.
The amount of quests along with their quality, the way they often unexpectedly build on each other, the amount of all sorts of mini-events Marvin encounters is mind-boggling. The world is alive because of this, however, and practically every visit to the local town of Archolos (which rivals Novigrad in size) I encountered something new. One time it’s a rogue vendor who sold me spoiled fish - I didn’t let him get away, I took him down outside the town and got my money back - and another time it’s his sister, who apologized for him and gave me my money back - making me wonder if I should reload a save that’s several hours old. Or maybe a beggar who nags that he needs a scratcher. Well, only a skeleton’s severed hand will satisfy him.
Archolos is divided into six chapters, each with its own unique location and atmosphere, though they are of course linked by the exploration of the island itself - except for the final sixth, which is linear. But given the story’s progression, it makes sense. The ending itself is enriched by ending slides along the lines of Fallout - and nicely detailed, with many characters and events being mentioned.
Jestem Marvin a šukám roboty!
Archolos is very decently written and translated into English, but the dub is Polish…and it’s great. Yes, they fuck robots very often, cholera!, however the characters have charisma and especially Marvin himself has a distinctive voice and emotionally Archolos works, despite the twenty year old technology and non-existent facial animation. The writers are also great with simple animations - every time Marvin did a facepalm, I smiled.
After finishing it, which kept me up until four in the morning, I got exactly the feeling of melancholy that comes with finishing something great. I’m sorry it’s over, but I’m glad I got through it.
On my way to the town for the first time
Archolos at night
Elevator in the fog
How to get to monastery?
Slums during early morning
Dancing skeletons
Wolf’s Den
