Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura Thumbnail

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura similar games & best alternatives

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2016

Related articles

Quick resume

Imagine a place of wonder, where magick and technology coexist in an uneasy balance, and an adventurer might just as easily wield a flintlock pistol as a flaming sword. Welcome to the land of Arcanum.

Global score

89/100

Genres

Role-playing (RPG)

Similar games

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Dungeon Siege II

  • Dragon Age: Origins - Ultimate Edition

  • Tales of Symphonia

  • OCTOPATH TRAVELER II

  • Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment

  • The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

  • Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game

  • Dungeon Siege

  • The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

Outsiders

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Drakensang: The River of Time

  • Wild Indigo Ranch

  • A House of Many Doors

If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

Pros

  • Extensive character customization and roleplay freedom
  • Deep and immersive fantasy-steampunk world
  • Multiple quest solutions and high replayability
  • Rich story and moral complexity
  • Active fan community with patches and mods

Cons

  • Dated graphics and interface
  • Buggy and unstable without unofficial patches
  • Clunky and unbalanced combat system
  • Steep learning curve and lack of tutorials
  • Requires patience and sustained attention

Analysis

Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Cooperation, Fellowship, Intimacy, Leadership. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Expression, Story, Exploration.

How to use the graph
Similar games map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

  • Purple star: the game you are viewing on this page.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
  • Hover a dot for a quick preview; click to compare it in the panel on the right.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

Motivations

  • Autonomy

    Game with the same Autonomy vibe

    5

    "Players have extensive freedom to customize characters, choose playstyles, and solve quests in multiple ways."

    Capsule for Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition

    "Players have extensive freedom to create characters, choose playstyles, and solve quests in multiple ways."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    3

    "Combat and character progression require strategic thinking and skillful planning, though some reviews note complexity and learning curve."

    Capsule for Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

    "Character builds and skill development require thoughtful planning and mastery, though combat can be unbalanced and buggy."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -3

    "Focus is on personal exploration and story progression rather than competing with others; multiplayer exists but not emphasized."

    Capsule for No Time No Time

    "Focus is on personal roleplay and exploration rather than competing against others; multiplayer is minimal and not emphasized."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    5

    "Highly replayable with multiple classes, quests, and outcomes; players report returning repeatedly over many years."

    Capsule for Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition

    "Highly replayable with many playthroughs reported; players return repeatedly for new experiences."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    3

    "Players manage and cooperate with a fixed team of companions with unique personalities and abilities."

    Capsule for Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut

    "Players can recruit companions with unique personalities and manage party dynamics, though companions act semi-autonomously."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    5

    "Extensive character customization, multiple approaches to combat and quests, and mod support encourage creativity."

    Capsule for Baldur's Gate 3 Baldur's Gate 3

    "Strong emphasis on character customization, crafting, and multiple solutions to quests."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -4

    "Interactions emphasize shared challenge and mutual respect; no evidence of trash talk or power imposition."

    Capsule for Voidigo Voidigo

    "Interactions emphasize roleplay and mutual respect; no evidence of power-over or trash talk dynamics."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    5

    "Strong narrative and immersive steampunk fantasy setting provide players with an escape from real life through story and atmosphere."

    Capsule for Sovereign Syndicate Sovereign Syndicate

    "Players immerse in a rich fantasy-steampunk world to escape real life, with deep story and atmosphere."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -5

    "Engagement is driven by intrinsic interest, nostalgia, and personal desire rather than obligation."

    Capsule for Serious Sam Classic: The Second Encounter Serious Sam Classic: The Second Encounter

    "Engagement is driven by intrinsic interest, nostalgia, and personal desire rather than obligation."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    5

    "Multiple ways to approach quests, diverse character builds, and modding encourage experimentation and exploration of mechanics."

    Capsule for Fallout: New Vegas Fallout: New Vegas

    "Players experiment with diverse character builds, skills, and quest approaches."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    5

    "Open world with many hidden areas, secrets, and optional routes encourages discovery."

    Capsule for Baby Steps Baby Steps

    "Open world with many hidden locations and secrets encourages discovery."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    5

    "Extensive options for character gender, appearance, quirks, and roleplaying support strong self-expression."

    Capsule for cyberpunkdreams cyberpunkdreams

    "Character creation and roleplay allow for strong self-expression."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    5

    "Set in a detailed fantasy world with steampunk elements, magic, and fictional kingdoms."

    Capsule for The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

    "Set in a unique fantasy-steampunk world with magic, mythical races, and imaginative fiction."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    2

    "Some social interaction via multiplayer and community mods, but mostly individual play; community is nostalgic and small but dedicated."

    Capsule for FlatOut 2 FlatOut 2

    "Community and fan patches/mods exist; some social interaction through companions and fan communities."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    4

    "Players develop skills, learn game mechanics, and improve strategies over repeated playthroughs."

    Capsule for Garbage: Hobo Prophecy Garbage: Hobo Prophecy

    "Players develop skills, learn game mechanics, and improve through multiple playthroughs."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -4

    "Primarily sedentary gameplay with long sessions and minimal physical activity."

    Capsule for Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition

    "Primarily sedentary gameplay with long sessions and minimal physical activity."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -4

    "Requires sustained attention and focus; not suited for casual or background play."

    Capsule for X-Plane 12 X-Plane 12

    "Requires sustained attention and focus; not suited for casual or background play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    1

    "Some emotional connection to characters and their stories, but limited to in-game relationships."

    Capsule for 60 Parsecs! 60 Parsecs!

    "Some emotional connection with companions and community, but limited to in-game relationships."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    2

    "Player leads a party of companions and makes key decisions affecting story and party dynamics."

    Capsule for Avadon: The Black Fortress Avadon: The Black Fortress

    "Players lead a party of companions with some autonomy, balancing group dynamics."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    5

    "Strong progression through leveling, unlocking classes, acquiring items, and building characters."

    Capsule for Tales of Maj'Eyal Tales of Maj'Eyal

    "Strong progression through skills, items, crafting, and character development."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    2

    "Atmospheric and immersive gameplay provides flow and tension release, though combat and bugs can cause frustration."

    Capsule for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

    "Atmospheric and immersive but combat and bugs can cause frustration and tension."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    2

    "Enjoyable soundtrack and art style provide sensory pleasure, though graphics are dated."

    Capsule for Phantom Brave PC Phantom Brave PC

    "Enjoyable soundtrack and art style provide sensory pleasure, though graphics are dated."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -3

    "Focus is on personal experience rather than social recognition or popularity."

    Capsule for Persona 4 Golden Persona 4 Golden

    "Focus is on individual experience rather than social recognition or popularity."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    5

    "Deep narrative with branching quests, character development, and immersive lore."

    Capsule for Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition

    "Deep narrative with branching quests, moral ambiguity, and rich lore."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    4

    "Requires planning character builds, quest approaches, and tactical combat decisions."

    Capsule for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind® Game of the Year Edition The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind® Game of the Year Edition

    "Requires planning character builds, quest approaches, and combat tactics."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    1

    "Some suspense and tension in story and combat, but overall moderate emotional intensity."

    Capsule for The Thaumaturge The Thaumaturge

    "Some suspense in quest outcomes and combat, but overall moderate emotional intensity."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    5

    "High perceived value due to extensive content, replayability, and low price."

    Capsule for Divine Divinity Divine Divinity

    "High perceived value due to extensive content, replayability, and low price."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    1

    "Combat exists but is discouraged; violence has consequences and is not glorified."

    Capsule for Golden Light Golden Light

    "Combat is present but players can choose pacifist or violent approaches; violence is not glorified."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    3

    "Players manage resources and avoid defeat in a dynamic, competitive environment."

    Capsule for Alpha League HD Alpha League HD

    "Players manage resources, avoid threats, and overcome challenges in a dynamic world."

Last update: 15/05/2026