Arco Review (PC): Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

Westerns have long been about revenge and resolve against the backdrop of an uncaring, arid landscape. The turn-based RPG Arco is no different.

Retribution is the hopeful end for the game’s three protagonists looking to off a bandit gang once and for all. Their stories eventually converge as fate becomes yet another comrade against their common enemy.

However, Arco branches out beyond its Western roots with its choice of setting and of fantastical elements—preventing it from being just a copy of its influences.

Thanks to its exceptional combat and artistic components, some of the weaker clashing elements—such as dialogue and some minor misses in magical elements—don’t detract from the overall strength of the game. Arco is definitely a diamond that deserves its luster showcased and not hidden in the ongoing sandstorm of game releases.

Your Turn, Compadre

Gameplay is where Arco truly shines as the polished gem that it is.

Like any good Western, tense showdowns are bountiful thanks to Arco’s inventive “turn-based simultaneous system” that prevents a stale, stop-and-go flow in a fight.  Each confrontation provides moments to plan out moves by providing a player with information on the enemies’ next moves.  Yet, it can all still lead to being backed into a corner and biting the dust with one wrong move. It successfully delivers a gravity to each confrontation as though it may be the last.

That dreadful gravity gains additional weight with environmental elements.  Natural objects such as cacti can be found in most battles and be used to injure combatants with a well-timed attack or movement. But they can also just backfire and cause unwanted damage. It’s well-implemented and is a welcomed treat that prevents typical tactical gameplay from becoming stale.

Magic and fantasy also play a part in gameplay beyond just a character having magic.  Ghostly manifestations of guilt can join fights which greatly impacts player choice in combat. They do not wait for their turn like other enemies though. Each ghost just floats towards players even during move selection, so it adds a scary urgency to select a move quickly.

Between fights there are even adventure-game elements that provide respite and some depth in gameplay. Exploration and curiosity are definitely rewarded. A player can find some useful items, hidden bosses, and even alternate routes that aid in the overall story. Though, fair warning: It can also provide for some “play stupid games, win stupid prizes” like an old school Sierra point-and-click, and a player may suffer more than just an unwanted combat encounter. Even the guilt mechanic gets tied into this out-of-combat experience as player choice and exploration has a chance to lead to more ghosts popping up in combat.

The game is flexible even with these tense mechanics. Typical RPG elements are present to help customize fighting styles within each character’s wheelhouse. Each fighting encounter is also prefaced by a menu that provides inventory and build options. They play off well with a very welcomed addition of no-penalty deaths: A player can decide to re-do the fight or choice, or just not do it again if the narrative allows.

Once Upon a Time in a Western

Arco utilizes its three protagonists to carry five acts that explore their pivotal revenge arcs converging. The first two acts explore the story of Tizo as an earth-shattering event changes his life and him getting pushed later in life towards seeking his own justice for it. The following two acts after Tizo’s are those of Itzae and of Chio—each one introducing them as the story sets up their reason for revenge.

Like in many Westerns, Arco provides nuance to the characters by the circumstances that surround and shape them. Each character represents a unique mixture of indigenous cultures that are juxtaposed with varying levels of colonial influence across the game’s world. It provides not only a unique feel to a Western-like story, but allows for more depth behind each character’s very personal quest for revenge by providing a domino effect into it.

As each story progresses to the point of revenge, you see each character already having faced certain effects of colonialism. Whether it is explored in the massacre of their immediate family at the hands of westward expansion or having it be in the background of their travels as the influences pepper other parallel stories of NPCs.

A lack of similar timelines and even borders from our own world also add to that unique feel as well. There’s North African-inspired characters and settings alongside some conquistador-looking NPCs that may feel out of place at first.  However, the minimalist pixel art that is afforded for the characters works to tie everything together by not emphasizing such differences until it comes to the dialogue portraits during interactions.

The more detailed pixel art is reserved for the settings themselves. Each screen with the landscapes characters traverse through makes it feel as though the land itself is the main character rather than the three playable ones.

Rough Riders

Arco’s dialogue is the weakest link in an otherwise strong chain of artistic decisions. That is only because it stands next to everything else that is thoughtfully around Arco’s chosen themes and artistic direction.

Current online expressions are peppered throughout the dialogue and don’t lend to that timeless feel the rest of the game does. Seeing an often overused and almost outdated phrase such as “yas!” on the screen is an off-putting sensation when other verbal characterizations already helped sell who the character is.

Even the non-human creatures were not left unscathed. In an otherwise solid collection of creatures that are rooted in the game’s reality, the hobs—an axolotl-like imp creature—stand out like a sore thumb. It is for the simple fact that they have dialogue that is an extension of the actually outdated “rawr xD” format of Internet speech.

The way the in-game dialogue is written does provide an easy reading experience that successfully translates a character’s feelings and personality without being too verbose. Unfortunately, it’s a double-edged sword: The modernity just comes off as a shaky attempt at levity when faced with the more sincere aspects of the game’s story and writing. A balance just wasn’t found.

A Fistful of Features

The Arco team introduced a version 1.01 update released in late August. Among the changes were some bug fixes and a handful of quality of life features for players to enjoy.

Different assist modes were added for players looking to focus more on the game’s narrative. There is a battle skip mechanic that can be toggled at any point in the game which can be really helpful if a player just can’t get past certain enemies. User discretion is advised as skipping battles can dampen the game’s flow if used too often or during battles that present important story beats. It is definitely not recommended to skip battles during the final fights as a lot can be missed and make the ending fall flat.

Thankfully, the update does include other features that can help battles feel easier without skipping them. A more explosive option is infinite dynamite which makes for a more engaging alternative to skipping for those players that still want to do some combat (just feel OP while doing it). There’s also the added ability to turn off the guilt ghosts which can be super helpful for those just getting into tactical-heavy games.

Another thing to note: English is still currently the only language supported as of the August update. It was a little disappointing to not see a Spanish option considering the game’s themes and settings. There are plans, however, for Latin American Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese alongside German, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Russian.

Final Thoughts

Arco’s fights effortlessly translate the suspenseful and cinematic Western showdowns with its inventive turn-based combat with each thought-out move. The in-between moments are filled with picturesque vistas that are beautifully brought to life through pixel art. It is only brought further to life with music that takes common Western musical themes and brings them into a 21st century soundscape seamlessly with a Spanish twist.Even if a player chooses to use the accessibility options for easier gameplay, traversing through the game’s world includes adventure game-like mechanics of investigation and choice mechanics that reward (or punish) curiosity. While elements in writing could be better tuned to the themes, it doesn’t detract from the exemplary game that the Arco team has made.

Arco was reviewed on PC with a code provided by Panic. It is also available on Nintendo Switch and macOS.

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