The start of a gem of an RPG series. But how does it compare to the later installments?
On to the meat of any game: Gameplay. The Elder Scrolls has always been known for its complex, multi-layered storylines with many different conclusions, and many different paths to these conclusions. Unfortunately, Arena doesn't really follow that tradition, or rather, Arena wasn't the game that started it. The game plays more like a freeform adventure game than an RPG in some respects. The game's plot leads you all across Tamriel, allowing you to visit many cities in each province, but unfortunately non have much character due to its procedural generation system. This system builds all cities, dungeons, etc. Out of 'modules' that fit together to create an area that can be explored. The game features quite a wide range of enemies, however, from Goblins to Ghouls and Wolves to Bandits.
Side quests? Arena barely has any, unlike the rest of the series, which seems to take pride in its side quests (even Daggerfall!).
The very few side quests the game has are initiated, mostly, randomly by talking to royalty for a prisoner capture quest, or being pleaded to while approaching the bar at an inn.
Do you like being in the Fighters Guild? Mages Guild? Dark Brotherhood? Thieves Guild? Even the Knight Orders in Daggerfall? Well then you may be disappointed with Arena. Arena only includes one 'guild': The Mages Guild, but don't be fooled. Arena's 'Mages Guild Halls' are just weird libraries with one wizard inhabiting them offering potions, magical item inspection and evaluation, and spells. No guild ranks, quests, not even the opportunity to join the guild.
Combat in Arena is something I take pleasure in, though. Like Daggerfall, Arena has you draw your weapon with the A key, then swing by holding RMB and moving your mouse in the direction of your desired strike. I actually like this system, and the game succeeds in making it satisfying to slay your enemy. Yes, enemies can be looted, but don't expect to be able to get any meat or pelts from fallen creatures.
One thing I always praised the TES series for was the fact that it expanded on typical fantasy archetypes like Orcs. In the TES series these are actual races with homelands, backstories, characteristics, oh, and they are capable of speech. That means they offer more than "Ugg! Me kill you now!" as they burst out of a cranny in a dungeon, unlike many RPG series. Oh wait, excluding Arena. In Arena Orcs are standard hostile creatures that hang around in dungeons. They aren't NPCs.
Services in the game include:
-Bed renting (you can even choose what room you want, from a hovel-like single to a grand royal suite)
-Spellmaking
-Spell purchasing
-Armor, weapon repairs
-Armor, weapon purchasing
-Healing, blessing, curing at the Temples
Amongst others.
The game doesn't include horses, carts or the like, unlike its deeper successor Daggerfall. It does include a fast travel system though, and you are assumed to already own a generic horse as you are seen riding on it during fast travel.
There is no wilderness to explore in Arena, just cities and Dungeons. Exiting a city or dungeon just takes you to the fast travel map.
One thing of note is that this game and Daggerfall are entirely first person, there is no third person mode available.
The game has a pretty average storyline. You are employed in the Emperor's royal court when Jagar Tharn, the Imperial Battlemage, uses his magic to trap the Emperor in another realm and declares himself Emperor. He killed Ria Silmane as he could not turn her into one of his monstrous army, and transformed the Imperial Guard into his own twisted servants. The game's storyline then revolves around Ria's spirit guiding you to find the pieces of the Staff of Chaos to rebuild it. This will lead you to royalty, doing 'favors', and pretty much all manner of questing.
The game's graphics are, well, poor, but that's by today's standards. Back when this game came out, they were state-of-the-art, and the game still plays smoothly when settings are properly configured on DOS-BOX. Sprites are nicely done, but there are a few overlooked graphics glitches (Redguard turning white underneath a helmet anyone?). One thing jarring when looking at the game today is how obviously sprites are drawn out of pixels. This isn't my complaint, my complaint is that the many scenery items are obviously photographic sprites which makes them look out of place.
The audio is a mixed bag. You have the excellent music, even in MIDI form (orchestrated is available but hard to run on an emulator) and sub-par voice acting (The Ghouls' AAAGGH!) is a prime example. The game's dialog isn't voice acted.
Overall, though, I find the game really fun. There's just a great pleasure you get from killing enemies in a dungeon and selling about 500 sets of plate armor to a blacksmith. And that wasn't sarcasm, I actually find that strangely fun and how dated the game is really adds to its charm.
Oh, and one thing of note to fans: In Arena Cyrodiil was thought to only have one city: The Imperial City, so you can't go to Leyawiin, etc. And you can't go see what Kvatch looked like before it was ransacked during the Oblivion Crisis.
Overall, get this (why not, it's FREE!), enjoy it, get Daggerfall (FREE!), then buy Morrowind GOTY & Oblivion GOTY for the full TES experience. Oh, and don't forget the often overlooked Battlespire and Redguard. They're also awesome games.
-lintonthepenguin aka mrlinton