Highlights
- The announcement trailer for New Arc Line, a steampunk fantasy CRPG, draws comparisons to BioShock Infinite due to its striking visual style.
- The brief hints given in the trailer suggest similar narrative themes of tyranny and dysfunction hidden beneath progress.
- New Arc Line is the debut title of indie studio Dreamate Games, aiming for a 2024 release.
A brand-new announcement trailer has just arrived for New Arc Line, a steampunk fantasy CRPG coming in 2024, and the trailer's striking visual style is strongly reminiscent of the classic steampunk FPS BioShock Infinite. At time of writing, very little information about this new project has been revealed, beyond the teasing hints shown in the announcement trailer.
Given the immense popularity of 2013's BioShock Infinite, and the enduring impact it has had on the gaming world, it is no surprise that the steampunk Americana aesthetic of New Arc Line's announcement trailer is drawing comparisons to Infinite. A very similar phenomenon occurred following the announcement of inXile's Clockwork Revolution, a steampunk RPG which was also noted for its visual and thematic similarities to BioShock Infinite.
In terms of content, the short trailer for New Arc Line begins by introducing the game's setting, the fantastical city of New Arc, before delving into some brief snippets of gameplay footage and ending with a teasing glimpse of a masked, hooded character who may be the antagonist of the story. The visuals of New Arc do call to mind the distinctive style of BioShock Infinite's floating city of Columbia, and the trailer's subtly menacing voiceover narration hints at some similar narrative themes, such as the idea of tyranny and dysfunction hidden beneath a veneer of progress and exceptionalism. It is too early to tell whether these commonalities go any deeper than the surface: the brief hints fans were given in this announcement trailer don't reveal enough about the game's story to suggest whether it will attempt to reach the same levels of mind-boggling depth as BioShock Infinite's iconic narrative.
The team behind New Arc Line is Dreamate Games, a Czech-Ukrainian indie studio that is developing New Arc Line as its debut title. The game's official website describes it as a "Story-Rich Single-player RPG, Set During the Gilded Age of Magic and Technology." The studio is aiming for a 2024 release, although a more precise launch date has not yet been announced. Gamers intrigued by the announcement will have to wait for further revelations to find out how New Arc Line compares to other fantastic CRPGs released in recent years.
For now, the New Arc Line announcement trailer has revealed just enough to get people excited about the project. Fans of BioShock Infinite will likely be hoping that this project can recapture some of what they loved about that classic title, especially considering that BioShock 4 appears to be trapped in development hell. It remains to be seen whether Dreamate will attempt to lean into these comparisons with future announcements, or if it will strive to establish a fresh, distinct identity for its flagship project.
New Arc Line is coming in 2024 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
