Some preliminary thoughts before we circle back.

I’ve been playing Arco on and off for the last few weeks on Switch and PC.

I’m loving it - I think Arco’s pretty wonderful.

Arco official screenshot showing two tiny riders on mounts in a bright sunny desert amongst a giant ribcage

Hopefully next week we’ll find that the final code is a lot more stable.

I’m going to focus pretty tightly on the combat today, which is an absolute gem.

You’ll chat with someone and you’ll get a kind of WhatsApp stream of what’s said.

Cover image for YouTube video

Maybe it’s a necklace, maybe you get bitten by a snake.

Here’s a bridge - do you want to fish?

Do you have any bait?

The player battles lizards in Arco.

This is how Arco unfolds.

And then there’s combat.

Are they going to move or attack or even just wait?

A map of a hilltop village in Arco.

Into this scenario, you then give a shot to insert yourself.

Like I said: it took a while to get used to.

Arco uses a system of extendable lines.

A standoff in a dark stone temple in Arco - the hero faces off against gunmen.

The fun of all this comes from the attacks - yours and your enemies - and also environmental dangers.

In a game of near-perfect information this still felt like gambling.

Finally, chuck in stuff that’s in the environment.

The Monk Village in Arco, spread out up the side of a twisting hill.

The spatial complexities of the game expanded massively.

Arco’s full of stuff like this.

This is the spot I’m in with Arco, then.

The hero approaches a huge and melancholic temple in Arco. Text reads: It’s the abandoned temple the monks told you about.

I’ll be back next week with a proper review.