Ludography
70/100
Players5 ratings
86/100
Metacritic14 critic reviews
More scores
Metacritic usersuser score
82/100
GameFAQsJust Right
3.92/5
Player reviews
96% positive2,201 reviews
Steam Deck
Verified
Runs on
Windows, Mac
Price
US$19.99

Where to get it

Arco cover

2024 · Adventure · Indie

Arco

Nintendo console exclusive

Three tales forged in bloodshed, laced with magic, and united by revenge.

Released
15 August 2024
Platforms
LinuxNintendo SwitchWindowsmacOS
Genres
AdventureIndieRole-playingStrategyTacticalTurn-based role-playingTurn-based strategy
Developers
—
Publishers
Panic
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Bird view / Isometric
Themes
ActionFantasy
Age ratings
USK 16CLASS_IND 16ESRB TPEGI 16
Languages
Chinese (Simplified), English, German, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian
Time to beat
12hmain story16hcompletionist

About

Arco is a 2024 Western-themed turn‐based strategy RPG. It was made by an international team including Polish pixel artist Franek Nowotniak, Australian game developer Max Cahill, Spanish composer and sound designer José Ramón "Bibiki" García, and Mexican developer Antonio "Fayer" Uribe, and published by Panic Inc.⁠

The game was released on 15 August 2024 for Windows, Mac, and Nintendo Switch, and was praised by critics for its art style, combat system, story, and setting.

›Story

Enter the breathtakingly beautiful world of Arco, a unique tactical action game where your decisions shape the story. Journey through lush forests, sweeping plains, and scorching deserts as you guide four unlikely heroes in their vendetta against the Red Company gang. Battle warriors of different nations, fend off greedy colonizers, and slay monstrous creatures as you voyage across this enchanted land. Change your fate, one move at a time.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Set in a fantasy alternative version of frontier era North America, the story revolves around four native protagonists who each pursue separate vendettas against the Red Company. Over the course of the game players play three different stories, which come together for the game's final act. The player starts as Teco, a young child, and after an introductory period, picks up as the same character later in life, now going by the name Tizo.

The game takes inspiration from various Mesoamerican and Indigenous South American cultures, and takes place during the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

Reception

Reviewing the February 2024 demo as part of Steam Next Fest, GamesRadar+ highlighted Arco as "one of the early standouts", praising its art style, engaging combat, and interactivity, and Eurogamer highlighted it as a great example of a turn-based game. In a June 2024 preview, IGN commended Arco's creative setting, combat encounter variety, and exploration system.

Combat received positive reception from critics, with particular praise given to the back-and-forth nature of moving to avoid incoming damage, while lining up attacks to deal damage in return. Rock Paper Shotgun noted that while the game employs many elements of bullet hell games, it does so in a way that doesn't feel overwhelming. PC Gamer described the combat as deceptively simple, with an innovative system and wide array of options, especially later in the game.

Awards

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Linux15 August 2024Worldwide
macOS15 August 2024Worldwide
Windows15 August 2024Worldwide
Nintendo Switch15 August 2024Worldwide

Games like this

Collections1 collection

Years

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.