Clichés and stereotypical characters make up the run of the mill role-playing game (RPG). More often than not, players will of these titles assume the role of the main character, usually a male in his later teenager years, who isn't really sure of himself and full of angst. This male is only further confused with the creation of a love triangle, with Love Interest A being a childhood friend who he never really saw as being 'the one' for him, and Love Interest B being an older, more mature woman who is more mysterious and alluring to the lad.

Toss in various types of enemies, a megalomaniac hell-bent on world domination/destruction, and an affable supporting cast and there you have it - the standard RPG in a nutshell. This is why the not entirely unique, just enough off the beaten path story of Arx Fatalis, a PC RPG that's made its way to the Xbox, makes me happy.

The world is a dark place beneath the Terra Firma. Since the sun is missing in action, all life has had to burrow deep below the surface to prevent extreme death. Oh, and all alliances that used to exist between the races inhabiting the subsoil of the Earth have been broken. Then there is the fact some arcane evil has resurfaced, too. One more thing - the main character is suffers from amnesia and imprisonment. Yeah, it's just really not a good to be an inhabitant of this under Earth civilization.

The premise is intriguing, but backed by what? Opting not to adopt a gold standard for support, Arx Fatalis has some well-developed gameplay behind it. Done in a first person perspective, exploration and combat are both simple and hardly mundane activities.

The character development is also nice, because it allows the player to develop their character to their personal tastes. Fancy a brutish barbarian? Go for it. Wait, you're the silent and deadly type? That's a possibility as well. However, neophytes might be thrown for a loop by the statistical progression.

When you're allowed to explore the world, the options available only increase. A general purpose exists, but the story is furthered more by more miniscule objectives - get out of the jail cell, get a weapon, open a door and what have you. This fairly nonlinear approach keeps the game more interesting at times. But those who find solace in their cookie cutter plots should be forewarned - this isn't the game you're looking for.

While the story keeps the environments similar in presentation, it's bearable in so far as the player is intrigued. But it's kind of humorous that the unimpressive graphics almost match the dreary feel of the game. It almost makes up for the fact the character models and textures look lackluster. Almost.

Another notable and intriguing feature is the implementation of a near realistic need for nourishment. Instead of being to exist by eating nothing, your character in Arx Fatalis regularly has to ingest some food or face starvation. It's a tiny addition, but it shows the craftsmanship.

However, it tends to be lacking in other aspects of the game, but not so much so that the entire experience suffers. The spell casting element lacks the proper foresight, as it's a overly convoluted and sadly, necessary evil. Collecting runes, combining said runes, casting spells by using the analog stick or D-Pad and then queuing up the spells. It's a really sad state of affairs.

All in all, Arx Fatalis should serve as a wakeup call for all those who've yet to experience an RPG with a more morose approach to the "save the world" style story present in nearly every title in the genre to date. Keeping things a little less linear, a little more realistic and a little less ordinary makes Arx Fatalis a game that's held back only substandard graphics and some befuddling gameplay systems.