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This is a lush, clever RPG that punches well above its weight.
Arco is obviously good in many ways.
Interacting with that world is a treat.
There’s a toy-like quality to Arco that puts it somewhere between old-school adventure games and modern RPGs.
Environments hide useful items, observations split between cute dialogue and important context, and plenty of hidden encounters.
Curiosity is encouraged and rewarded and sometimes punished.
The lofi wrapper on Arco feels like a disguise.
Let me give you two of my favorite interactions so far, obviously not including the donkey.
You get gold by completing quests, looting areas, and selling items to merchants.
I found the wreckage of a caravan attacked by large lizards, the crew already half-eaten.
Damn, I should’ve listened to him.
So in the end, I basically got some free and valuable XP out of the deal.
Take that, Zoka.
Elsewhere in our travels, I encountered some local mountainfolk.
“For the love of all gods, just don’t wave,” Zoka advised me.
Arco is a hostile place, so this time I heeded his advice with no questions asked.
There’s a bit of Real Time With Pause to it, but with more clearly defined turns.
As with many RTWP games, kiting enemies is also important.
Arco maintains this and other delicate balancing acts without even blinking.
It’s a smart, tightly designed RPG with nothing but respect for your time.
It’s a wonder and a shame that it ever struggled to find an audience.
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