Story: 5/5
Mechanics: 4/5
Visuals: 3/5
Audio: 3/5

I absolutely fell in love with Arco, and it happened fast. I first decided to check the game out when Patrick Klepek mentioned it as a game that the rest of the Remap Radio crew should check out for their Game of The Year discussions. He mentioned the mechanics being more engaging than most turn-based games, so I decided to try the demo.

Boy, was he right. Combat has “planning” and “execution” phases. During the planning phases, no one moves but you can see what the enemies will do, and decide what your character(s) will do. During the “execution” phase, it all plays out and you see if you successfully planned your maneuvers to dodge bullets, shovels, dynamite and more while doing your own damage with bows, knives, items and more.

Each character has their own skill tree to spend earned experience points on, improving skills, health and magia (the resource used to commit actions) as the game progresses. I rarely (if ever) avoided fights, and by the end I had not filled any of the characters’ skill tree. This paired with the fact that there appears to be no way to refund spent experience means that your choices are meaningful, and reflect the permanence of self-developmental choices made in life.

There’s some decent depth to the combat without getting confusing and characters play differently from each other, though I do wish there were some more ranged weapon options.

This snappy, intriguing combat drew me in and the emotional story of loss, both of individual loved ones and also culture in the face of colonialism and resource exploitation, pierced my heart like Tizo’s arrows. Vengeance and guilt are also heavy themes, with the latter appearing mechanically as different types of “ghosts” that can appear during the “planning” phase of combat. These ghosts break the normal rules of the planning phase and can chase and damage your characters, meaning you must make your choices quickly or suffer extra damage. Guilt can be gained through story choices, or by engaging in needless violence.

Visually, while I like the very low resolution (characters are usually more more than 6 or so pixels in the overworld) art, I don’t think it is doing the game any favors. If all the art in the was more detailed, like the character portraits, I think more people would give Arco a well-deserved look.

The music in the game is quite good, though it can get a little repetitive when restarting tough fights, which can happen quite often. Each act of the game ends with a beautifully sung song reflecting what the character(s) just experienced.

This is a game I will absolutely play again, and have already been evangelizing to friends. If you have the chance, check it out. Even if turn-based combat isn’t usually your thing, I have a feeling the demo will change your mind.