Can you imagine something worse than an experiment that breaks the limits of the body? How about one that twists its very nature. Though arcane experiments sound like they belong in fantasy games they can actually be found across the timeline, even in futuristic societies! Experiments of this nature typically deal with attempting to harness some powerful force through old rituals or a combination of old rituals and modern machinery. Doesn't sound too bad as long as you don't mention that most of these rituals require a sacrifice. In the case of games like the reboot of Thief and the Jak and Daxter series someone is subjected to a colossal amount of arcane energy, and though the initial exposure in Thief was a complete accident it still resulted in imprisonment and torturous work on both victims. There are also the more oddball games like Haunting Ground where the method of gaining arcane power is arguably even less pleasant for the subject. Why Does It Belong Here? So what cements this experiment type as number 4? While it's just another experiment trying to enhance a subject it's still worse than the first two because it's not even trying to enhance the person using the laws of physics or something that already exists in the body. This kind uses supernatural forces that have no business being harnessed by a mortal resulting in something less than human. It also surpasses the A.I. experiments because the research goes back to torturing live subjects in hopes of instilling them with power. Better yet these experiments frequently affect large populations of people. Whether corrupted energy seeps through the streets like in Thief, or big lakes of toxic dark eco dot the land like in Jak and Daxter you can bet death and decay aren't far behind. The live experiments combined with its destructive potential put this experiment type at number four.
