In this RPG, character archetype and background will definitely have an impact on how others will react to the player and even possibly the types of side adventures will be worth taking on and which ones might be best left for another time. The game promises to offer a full selection of pre-generated characters, including numerous gentleman and ladies of much refinement. And players will also have the option of creating their own unique characters from a selection of races, along with choosing the character's unique background. A human with education from a university will no doubt do better when bargaining for a room for the night, but a half-ogre that ran away and joined the circus will easily pound any lesser monsters and creatures into the ground. This aspect of the game certainly opens up re-playability options for Arcanum, although the central storyline is somewhat linear with key elements needing to be solved before players can advance to the next chapter of the tale. At this point the previewable beta only offered a glimpse into the world and the first chapter so even I don't fully know what to expect, but what I did find was this unique world was quite enthralling and the gaming highly addictive.

The balance of magic and technology appears to have been handled quite well. Characters who are injured can rely on Virgil, the player's “follower,” to heal he/she up after an encounter with monsters or other villains. Players can opt for their characters to have magical ability, but this does limit what types of technology (including weapons) can be used. Likewise technology and magic seem to be mutually exclusive in how they are used in general, so it appears that a damaged piece of technology cannot necessarily be repaired through magic. Players can also learn technological skills including those in anatomical, chemistry, electrical, explosives, gun smithy, mechanical, forged weaponry, and therapeutics as their character advances; or follow the path of magic and its 80+ spells.

Additionally, karma plays a major role in the game, with good deals and benevolent acts being rewarded by a blessing that influences the player's attributes through the next quest – but evil or notorious acts will just as easily put a curse on the player that can only be lifted or dispelled by another act. All this is part of the game's numerous layers, which should make for hours of intense role-playing.

One other area where Arcanum is truly innovative is in the way the world map is laid out. Players can pretty much travel to virtually any spot on the map with free reign, and while this can result in a bit of aimless wandering at times it does evoke a sense of being in a real world. This helps address the one big failing of computer RPGs, where the players are forced to travel through what seemed to be a single path where the adventuring was spread out over several map tiles. Arcanum instead allows players to travel to any point, and this gives the sense of really being in open spaces on a huge continent. It would take 20 gaming days and 48 hours of continuous play to walk across the main map.