Info about The Elder Scrolls: Arena:

Official game description:
The imperial battlemage Jagar Tharn betrays the Emperor Uriel Septim by imprisoning him in an alternate dimension, then assuming the Emperor’s identity and place on the throne. A lone prisoner must travel to Tamriel’s most famous and dangerous sites to collect the shattered Staff of Chaos, save the Emperor and free the Empire.

Release date: Apr 26, 2022

Categories: Dungeon Crawler, Character Progression, Open-World Exploration, Magic System, First-Person Perspective, RPG, Story-driven Gameplay

Feature scans:
- Mods: score 10; verdict: Vanilla Ready; summary: The user feedback primarily focuses on preferences for control schemes, quality of life improvements, and visual/UI enhancements. There is no widespread consensus on game-breaking issues or mandatory fixes required to play the game. Most mods mentioned are for enhancing the gaming experience rather than fixing critical bugs.
- Wiki: score 50; verdict: High Dependency on External Resources; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals a significant dependency on external resources such as wikis, walkthroughs, and manuals to understand character building, quest progression, and basic gameplay mechanics. This reliance on external data sources indicates potential gaps in in-game guidance and documentation, impacting the user experience negatively.
- Proton/Linux: score 55; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The game lacks native Linux support, requiring users to rely on workarounds like Boxtron, Proton, or OpenTESArena. While it can run on Linux using Proton, the experience may not be as seamless as on Windows, especially for modding. Additional tweaks, such as running a soundfont player, are necessary for optimal performance on Linux.
- Steam Deck: score 60; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The game faces significant issues on Linux, including compatibility problems and the need for additional configurations. The control scheme is outdated and cumbersome, requiring external mods or guides for an improved experience. Graphics and AI are also noted to be primitive and unintuitive, further detracting from the user experience.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that while the game has its flaws, many users find it worth the price due to its historical significance and appeal to fans of the Elder Scrolls series. The phrase 'especially at that price tag' implies a positive sentiment towards the current pricing, and other comments reinforce the idea that the game is worth purchasing for those interested in the series or its historical value.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provided does not contain explicit mentions of playtime hours for any of the categories. However, some reviews imply that the game is lengthy and challenging, suggesting a significant time investment. For example, one review mentions that the game is 'very long and tiresome,' which could imply a lengthy game completion time. Another review suggests that the game is 'not something that many people are up for,' indicating a high time commitment. Despite these implications, the lack of specific playtime data makes it difficult to provide exact numbers.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game becomes fun after players overcome the initial learning curve and early game challenges, but the repetitive nature of dungeons and quests can lead to tedium over time.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Overcoming the steep learning curve
  - Time to anchor: 1h 0m
  - Friction: Steep learning curve; Clunky controls; Repetitive dungeons; Tedious quests
  - Unlock drivers: Learning the game mechanics; Clearing the tutorial dungeon
  - Conditions: Patience to overcome initial difficulties; Willingness to explore and learn; Appreciation for retro games
- Player Archetypes:
  - Nostalgic Elder Scrolls Enthusiast (sale)
    - Motivation: To experience the origins of the Elder Scrolls series and enjoy the nostalgia of retro gaming.
    - Playstyle: Explores the game world, appreciates the lore, and enjoys the game despite its flaws.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Elder Scrolls fan; retro game enthusiast
    - Reference games: Daggerfall; Oblivion; Skyrim
  - Critical Modern Gamer (no buy)
    - Motivation: To evaluate games based on modern standards and provide recommendations based on current gaming trends.
    - Playstyle: Prefers games with modern mechanics and design, often uses mods to improve gameplay.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: modern gamer; critical player
    - Reference games: Skyrim; The Witcher 3; Dark Souls
  - Franchise Historian (deep sale)
    - Motivation: To explore the historical roots and evolution of the Elder Scrolls series.
    - Playstyle: Focuses on understanding the game's place in the series' history, often compares it to later installments.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: Elder Scrolls historian; franchise fan
    - Reference games: Daggerfall; Morrowind; Oblivion


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Historically significant and innovative (weight 0.28): The game is noted for its historical significance and innovation, being a classic and revolutionary product of its time.
- Enjoyable dungeon crawling (weight 0.18): The game offers enjoyable and varied dungeon crawling experiences, making it a great dungeon crawler.
- Unique and engaging combat system (weight 0.18): The game features a unique combat system based on dice rolls, adding unpredictability and variety with mechanics that include both magic and physical weapons.
- Fun and entertaining gameplay (weight 0.18): Players find the game enjoyable and entertaining, with repetitive yet fun gameplay that offers a worthwhile experience.
- Enjoyable despite flaws (weight 0.15): Players find the game enjoyable despite its shortcomings and issues, making it a worthwhile experience once past initial hurdles.
- Appealing to Elder Scrolls fans (weight 0.13): As the first in the Elder Scrolls series, the game holds historical significance and is recommended for fans of the franchise.
- Diverse character classes (weight 0.1): The game features a variety of character classes and races, offering diverse and varied options for players.
- Freedom to explore (weight 0.08): Players appreciate the freedom to explore the entirety of Tamriel, including dungeons and towns.
- Good soundtrack and music (weight 0.08): The game is praised for its good soundtrack and musical score, enhancing the overall experience.
- Charming and unique atmosphere (weight 0.08): The game has a charming and unique atmosphere, adding to its overall appeal.
- Customizable spell creation (weight 0.08): The game offers spell creation with customizable effects, allowing players to create their own spells.
- Variety in enemies (weight 0.08): The game features a variety of enemy types, adding diversity and fun to combat encounters.
- Wonderful story and mechanics (weight 0.08): The game is praised for its wonderful and charming story, as well as its engaging mechanics.
- Enjoyable main quest (weight 0.08): The main quest is fun and playable, with an enjoyable storyline and villain.

Common complaints:
- Unintuitive and challenging controls (weight 0.24): The controls are often described as janky, difficult to understand, and unintuitive. Many players find them challenging to adapt to and feel they lack proper explanation.
- Poor graphics quality (weight 0.23): The game's graphics are frequently criticized for being outdated, low-resolution, and causing eye strain. Players describe them as primitive, ugly, and overall poor quality.
- Repetitive gameplay (weight 0.23): Gameplay is criticized for being repetitive and frustrating. Players find the combat and overall gameplay loop monotonous and lacking in variety.
- Frequent crashes and bugs (weight 0.23): The game is noted for frequent crashes, freezes, and bugs. These issues significantly impact the gameplay experience and stability.
- Tedious and repetitive dungeons (weight 0.22): Dungeons are criticized for being too large, maze-like, and tedious. They lack variety and can be frustrating to navigate.
- High difficulty and steep learning curve (weight 0.2): The game is noted for its tough gameplay and steep learning curve. Players find it difficult to get the hang of and extremely challenging.
- Outdated mechanics and visuals (weight 0.19): The game is described as very outdated, both morally and technically. Players find it archaic and buggy, with old-school mechanics.
- Lackluster story (weight 0.18): The story is criticized for being shallow, lacking depth, and not particularly great. Players find it uninspired and monotonous.
- Clunky interface and combat (weight 0.17): The interface and combat mechanics are described as clunky and not intuitive. Players find them hard to navigate and use by modern standards.
- Repetitive quests (weight 0.15): Both main and side quests are criticized for being repetitive and boring. Players find them tedious and lacking in variety.
- Frustrating experience (weight 0.1): Many players describe the overall experience as frustrating and tedious. This frustration is a common theme across various aspects of the game.
- Non-customizable controls (weight 0.08): Players are frustrated by the lack of control customization. The keys are not rebindable, which adds to the difficulty and inconvenience.
- RNG-based combat mechanics (weight 0.07): Combat is criticized for being based too much on chance, making it feel unfair and shallow. Players find it fast but ultimately unsatisfying.
- Requires DOSBox emulator (weight 0.07): The game requires the use of the DOSBox emulator to run, which can be inconvenient and requires additional configuration. This adds an extra layer of complexity for players.

Gameplay feedback:
- Extensive dungeon crawling mechanics (weight 0.23): The game features a vast array of dungeons that are large, maze-like, and can be either procedurally-generated or hand-crafted, emphasizing old-school dungeon crawling gameplay.
- Main quest and secondary quests (weight 0.18): The game includes a central main quest involving key items and dungeon exploration, along with various secondary quests that contribute to the overall quest structure and storyline.
- Large and immersive open world (weight 0.16): The game offers a huge, immersive open world with a main quest line and numerous locations to explore, providing a vast scope of content.
- Unique magic and spell system (weight 0.12): The game features a unique magic system with spell creation, custom spells, and potion usage, along with unique racial abilities.
- Challenging and slow-paced gameplay (weight 0.1): The gameplay is noted for being difficult and slow-paced, which can be non-intuitive and challenging for some players.
- Innovative combat system (weight 0.09): The combat system is highlighted for its innovation and melee attack mechanics, offering a unique experience.
- Leveling and progression system (weight 0.08): The game features a leveling system and progression mechanics that include experience gain and level scaling.
- Interesting but dated gameplay mechanics (weight 0.08): The gameplay mechanics are interesting but can feel dated, affecting the overall gameplay loop and player experience.
- NPC interaction and dialogue (weight 0.08): The game includes interactions with NPCs, featuring dialogue and an economic system that enhances the gameplay experience.
- Frequent saving necessary (weight 0.08): Players need to save frequently due to the game's design, making saving strategies an important aspect of gameplay.
- Item collection and management (weight 0.08): Item collection, equipping, and identifying are key mechanics in the game, contributing to the overall gameplay experience.
- Character building and customization (weight 0.07): Players can engage in character building and customization, allowing for diverse character progression and personalization.
- Exploration across Tamriel (weight 0.07): The game allows players to travel and explore various regions of Tamriel, including Cyrodiil, Skyrim, and Morrowind.
- Class balance issues (weight 0.06): There are balance issues between classes, with mage classes being easier and potentially overpowered compared to warrior classes.
- Random enemy encounters (weight 0.06): The game includes random enemy encounters and monster spawning, adding to the challenge and unpredictability of gameplay.
- Variety in enemy types (weight 0.06): The game offers a diverse range of enemy types, providing variety in combat and exploration.
- Procedurally-generated side quests (weight 0.06): Side quests are often procedurally-generated but can be repetitive, primarily involving fetch quests.
- Puzzle-solving mechanics (weight 0.06): Puzzle-solving is a key mechanic in the game, requiring players to solve various puzzles to progress.
- Adjustable difficulty and graphical settings (weight 0.06): Players can adjust difficulty and graphical settings, catering to different preferences and system capabilities.

Performance notes:
- Frequent crashes and freezes (weight 0.21): The game often crashes and freezes, particularly due to memory overflow issues. This is a common and significant problem affecting gameplay.
- DOSBox compatibility and settings (weight 0.13): The game runs well with DOSBox on Windows, but requires adjustments such as increasing CPU cycles for smoother gameplay.
- Outdated and poor graphics (weight 0.11): The game's graphics are considered primitive and outdated, with issues at higher resolutions and overall poor quality.
- Performance issues on modern hardware (weight 0.1): Players report that the game barely runs on modern hardware and has performance issues, including FPS drops even on powerful PCs.
- Game-breaking bugs (weight 0.1): There are numerous bugs, many of which are game-breaking, making the game unplayable at times.
- Compatibility with modern systems (weight 0.07): The game has compatibility issues with modern systems, requiring technical configuration and adjustments to run properly.
- Long loading times and slow performance (weight 0.05): The game suffers from long loading times and overall slow performance, affecting the user experience.
- Sound and music issues (weight 0.04): There are issues with sound and music, particularly on Linux, where a soundfont player is needed for music and some enemy sounds are missing.
- Specific glitches and issues (weight 0.04): There are specific glitches such as the final cutscene glitch and softlocks in combat that affect gameplay.
- Camera and control issues (weight 0.03): The game has awkward camera angles and movement controls, which can make it difficult to play.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for Elder Scrolls fans (weight 0.23): This game is highly recommended for die-hard fans of The Elder Scrolls series, especially those interested in the origins and evolution of the franchise.
- Research before playing (weight 0.17): It is advised to research and read guides before starting the game to understand its mechanics and controls better.
- Daggerfall Unity as better alternative (weight 0.16): Many players suggest starting with Daggerfall Unity instead of this game for a better and more stable experience.
- Recommended for retro and RPG enthusiasts (weight 0.16): The game is recommended for fans of retro CRPGs, old-school RPGs, and dungeon crawlers.
- Recommended for patient players (weight 0.08): The game is recommended for players who have a lot of time and patience due to its complex and challenging nature.
- Worth trying for historical appreciation (weight 0.06): The game is worth trying for those interested in the history and evolution of The Elder Scrolls series, as well as for collectors and nostalgia enthusiasts.
- Free and worth a try (weight 0.06): Since the game is free, it is worth giving it a try, especially for fans of old RPG series and those curious about the origins of The Elder Scrolls.

Other player notes:
- External resources shared (weight 0.06): Several reviews include links to external resources such as YouTube videos, CD versions, patches, and guides for enhancing the gaming experience.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.3): Players are frustrated primarily due to the game's difficulty, which is exacerbated by poor controls, repetitive gameplay, and frequent bugs. The combination of outdated mechanics, confusing quest directions, and game crashes further intensifies this frustration, making progression feel arduous and unfair.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.15): Players enjoy the game's dungeon crawling, combat mechanics, and the overall gameplay loop. The spell system, character progression, and the unique abilities also contribute to a fun and engaging experience.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.15): Players feel nostalgic due to the game's historical significance as the first entry in the Elder Scrolls series. The retro gameplay, charming outdated graphics, and personal memories associated with older games evoke a sense of nostalgia.
- Disappointment (weight 0.09): Players express disappointment mainly because the game hasn't aged well, with outdated mechanics and repetitive gameplay. Frequent bugs, unintuitive gameplay, and lack of meaningful lore also contribute to this sentiment.
- Appreciation (weight 0.05): Players appreciate the game for its historical context and foundational role in the RPG series. The game's ambitious design, lore continuity, and unique features like custom spells and an immersive world are also highly valued.
- Excitement (weight 0.04): Players are excited by the game's large world, engaging plot, and innovative features for its time. The variety of dungeons, spell modification, and unique loot add to the excitement.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.03): Players feel satisfied with the game's historical significance, easy controls, and the rewarding experience of completing the game and obtaining valuable items. Mods that enhance the gameplay also contribute to this satisfaction.
- Respect (weight 0.02): Players respect the game for its historical significance and its role as the foundation for the Elder Scrolls series. The game's compatibility with modern systems and its pioneering aspects are also respected.
- Joy (weight 0.02): Players experience joy from the engaging and fun gameplay loop, as well as the challenging yet rewarding nature of the game. Understanding the game mechanics and enjoying retro gaming elements also bring joy.
- Confusion (weight 0.02): Players feel confused due to the difficulty in understanding the game mechanics and the main quest. Initial unfamiliarity with controls and melee attack mechanics also contribute to this confusion.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): Players are amused by unique and challenging gameplay moments, as well as humorous aspects like the beggar break-dancing. Exploiting the game's flaws for fun and commenting on the lack of arenas in a game called Arena also provide amusement.
- Curiosity (weight 0.02): Players are curious about the game's historical context, mechanics, and features. The interest in the game's map size and encouraging others to try the game despite its flaws also spark curiosity.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Players are enthusiastic about the game's wonderful story, mechanics, and music. The game's atmosphere and depth also contribute to this enthusiasm.
- Love (weight 0.01): Players love the game for its unique and true computer game experience. The connection to the TES series and the gameplay mechanics and visual style also evoke love for the game.
- Helpfulness (weight 0.01): Players feel helpful by providing tips for new players and useful links. Sharing strategies and personal experiences to improve the gameplay of others also contributes to this feeling.
- Frustrated (weight 0.01): Players feel frustrated due to the difficult and repetitive gameplay, as well as the lack of guidance and unbalanced combat mechanics.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Players feel anger due to specific issues like the game being broken because of missing items, such as the Stonekeep parchment. Criticism of the developers also contributes to this anger.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are surprised by the game being better than expected. Enjoying the game more than anticipated also contributes to this surprise.
- Interest (weight 0.01): Players are interested in the game due to its historical significance as the first Elder Scrolls game. The unique features and mechanics also spark interest.
- Nostalgic (weight 0.01): Players feel nostalgic while playing an old game in the series, reminiscing about the charming 90's dungeon crawler atmosphere.}