Games like Fall of Setarrif really bring me to think that some guys in the development team didn't know what they were doing. The flaws of this game are so obvious that they scream in your face. The AI is dead stupid. When the enemies go into attack mode, you can dodge on the side and continue attacking while they aim where you last stood. At times enemies fail to attack you at all and just stand there while you're finishing them off.
Another thing that bugs me is the loot, or rather the lack of it. The environment is rich in detail but you can only interact with a fraction of it. I also noticed that when you loot clothes, amulets and rings, the game sometimes replaces them with items you've already equipped. The stats of the equipment seemed higher in a way so I'm thinking if the game was programmed to do you a favor. I sometimes discovered that my character was wearing some amulet with very good mana stats and the amulet with decent health and armor stats was placed in the inventory.
Then there were those little logical flaws that were ok 10-15 years ago, but start to appear as amateurish when you still see them now. Example: a guy is locked up in a bamboo cage, you have to help him out. What does your character do? He asks where they keep the key. I mean, c'mon, I'm sending archdemons to the abyss here, if you need a key for a bamboo cage then I've got this magic ore battleaxe here, just take one step back. Or on other occasions you're fighting off 30 feet tall trolls and sending exploding fireballs towards a swarm of enemies, yet can't climb a wooden fence. I wish games were past such nonsens and come up with something better.
On top of everything they also didn't fix the moon gravity. The nameless hero keeps floating through the air. I guess they thought it looks cool. So cool that you don't get tired of it till the end of the game.
I had hard time rating the game. I was in between. The graphics still looks great, the design department has built a stunningly beautiful world. And there are some splendid features in the game. For example in some places you get to play as Lester and Gorn. Having gone through all the Gothic marathon just think how cool is that. The game's got a great sense of humor. Someone in the development team did they're job.
I decided to lable it as a negative review only for one reason. Throughout the game I kept thinking about the flaws and bugs and what they might have done better. What this means is that the game lacked atmosphere. It didn't suck me in as games are supposed to. The lack of atmosphere is quite unforgivable.
I did get a curious idea though. It's about the new nameless hero, who he is and what he does. He is a shepherd by profession. That's how ArcaniA starts out: you find him tending to his flock. The curious idea is about resemblance to another figure in the history of man who was also destined, just like the nameless hero, to fight back evil. Though carpenter by profession, he is often referred to as the shepherd. What a curious resemblance, I keep thinking.