New Arc Line Gamescom First Look and Q&A – A cRPG About Magic vs Technology

About a year ago, publisher Fulqrum and developer Dreamate unveiled New Arc Line, a new cRPG set in a setting that mixes steampunk with magic and fantasy. Its premise and features have intrigued me from the get-go, so I was very interested in checking it out at Gamescom 2024.

It was originally billed as a hands-on demo, but it turned out to be a presentation. Still, I learned quite a few new things about the game, which is still slated to launch before the end of the year on PC (the console versions may come later, as you'll read below).

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As mentioned earlier, the conflict between magic and technology is at the very core of the idea behind New Arc Line. In the past, mages and technologists were in actual wars, and the mages lost. Technologists became the ruling class. Mages are still present in the world, and their culture is still there, but they've been relegated to the outskirts of society.

There's also a rampant disease called Iron Plague that started during the magotechnology wars. However, no one knows how it spreads, let alone how to find a cure. The afflicted inevitably turn into metal, and they slowly die. In the demo, the developers showed a Leprosarium, a hospital for patients who have contracted this deadly disease. The head doctor was missing, while another doctor called Bailey tasked us with bringing three patients in.

This is located in the poorest part of the city, where Mages live. Right away, the developer shows off some interactive elements, such as the ability to examine the nearby ambulance and gather useful items after passing the dice roll. Rounding up the three patients requires a mix of combat and dialogue persuasion. New Arc Line has turn-based combat; every character has different initiative stats, so every fight will have a different order of events. In every turn, you have a limited amount of movement points and action points. Each ability uses