France-based studio Arkane is responsible for some of the best action-adventure games of the last decade, including the phenomenal stealth-sim Dishonored and the recent Game of the Year contender Deathloop. Having only been founded in 1999, Arkane is a relatively new developer in the grand scheme of the gaming industry, but that doesn't mean the developer hasn't spent those years working tirelessly to make a name for itself.
While Dishonored and Deathloop have been praised for their more experimental qualities, they're much more toned down than some of the developer's first video games. Though Arkane only released two games in the 2000s, they both say quite a bit about the developer, depicting Arkane as a studio that likes to experiment and bring brand-new experiences to its player-base.
Arx Fatalis
The first game Arkane ever released, Arx Fatalis was originally intended to be a direct sequel to Ultima Underworld. When negotiations about the rights with EA fell through, the developer decided to create its own IP, simply inspired by the Ultima series, and in 2002, Arx Fatalis released for PC and the original Xbox.
Set on a planet where the sun has disintegrated, forcing the world's inhabitants to hide in a system of caverns, Arx Fatalis is a first-person action RPG with some truly unique and innovative mechanics. Players are tasked with taking down Akbaa, the game's big bad, but have a range of side objectives they can complete before heading off to face the boss.
These objectives are presented in an organic way with no dialogue system, forcing players to take in every element of their surroundings so that they never miss a call for help or hidden door that may lead somewhere beneficial. Similarly, these objectives are fairly open-ended, with no prompts telling the player how they need to achieve their goal. Players can use stealth, combat, or a mix of both, and finishing missions in a certain way will impact the story moving forward.
One of the most innovative features of Arx Fatalis is its spellcasting system. As opposed to players just selecting a spell and firing it, Arx Fatalis requires players to use the mouse to draw the corresponding gesture. It's a little clunky, especially by today's standards, but it's a pretty unique mechanic that shows how willing Arkane has always been to try out new features.
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
While Arx Fatalis was received very well critically, it hardly made a dent sales-wise, leading Arkane to seek out support from a publisher. The developer was eventually approached by Valve, who allowed them to use the Source engine, and the team were sought out by Ubisoft to create a Might and Magic game in a similar vein to Arx.
Released in 2006 for Xbox 360 and PC, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is a clear successor to Arx Fatalis, once again taking players on a fantasy-themed, first-person adventure. Though RPG elements are still present, such as leveling up, Dark Messiah is much more of a streamlined action-adventure experience. Critics were a little mixed on Dark Messiah, with some praising its complex progression system and physics-based combat mechanics, while others claimed the technical issues and over-reliance on the kick attack held it back significantly.
Arkane's Canceled 2000s Projects
Though Arkane only released two video games in the 2000s, the developer had a few more in the works that were ultimately canceled. Perhaps the most infamous case study, Arkane was working on a Half-Life project in 2006 named Return to Ravenholm, which has gained a recent resurgence in popularity thanks to a documentary deep-dive by Noclip.
Designed to be a more horror-centric Half-Life experience, Return to Ravenholm would take place a little while after Gordon Freeman visits the ghost town in Half-Life 2. It would have put the player in the boots of Opposing Force's Adrian Shepard as he works alongside a mutated Father Grigori. After creating around 10 levels, the project was canceled by Valve, stating that the zombie market was a little oversaturated.
Soon after this, Arkane began work on The Crossing, a first-person arena shooter that aimed to tell its story through multiplayer matches. This was canceled due to Arkane being unable to find a publisher willing to fund the project in full. Arkane then shifted focus to the Steven Spielberg-backed LMNO, which was also ultimately canceled in 2010.