20 Biggest Video Game BOMBS That Deserved Better

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magicka Obscura is a cult classic early 2000s isometric RPG taking place in a completely original steampunk world.

The game’s setting’s clash of classic fantasy tropes with the harsh reality of the industrial revolution set it apart from every other RPG on the market in the year 2000, and even to this day, no other franchise has managed to utilize a similar idea.

This originality is actually what has helped Arcanum garner the cult following it enjoys today, and yet at the time of its release, it unfortunately wasn’t enough to ensure the game’s success.

Arcanum came about at a very dynamic time of video game development. Video game graphics and design were already experiencing radical improvements, which is why although the game performed moderately well at first, it didn’t take long until the changes began affecting Arcanum’s reviews, causing it to be flooded with negative comments about its outdated looks and feel.

The shift in reception inevitably led to substandard sales and contributed to Troika Games’, Arcanum’s developer, shutdown.

The timing was definitely unfortunate, as these days Arcanum is praised as an amazing retro experience, and were things different, perhaps it would’ve sparked a full series of games set in its world.