When pitted directly against some of the more prominent names in the isometric combat landscape, likeDiablo IVandHades,Achilles: Legends Untoldmight not seem all that different except for the Mediterranean-like areas where the game takes place. But developer Dark Point Games has created a gory combat system that ebbs and flows remarkably smoothly when taking on either a group of human enemies or lone monsters. It might feel basic at first, but after spending a little time battling Achilles' enemies, players will more than likely enjoy the dance of death the game offers.
Achilles: Legends Untoldhas a lot of other things going for it, including its size, weapon choices, and a plethora of side missions and things to discover. Some may frown at a few of the animation choices the developers made, but the majority of the game shows on its sleeve the effort that went intomaking it a very fun action RPG.
A game likeAchilles: Legends Untoldwill only be able to go as far as its fighting will carry it, and fortunately it isn’t lacking anything in the combat department. Each weapon carries its own combat style, from one-handed axes or spears to two-handed swords, and each weapon deals death in its own way and at its own pace. The standard two-handers deal more damage trope is in effect here, but the offset to this is single-handed weapons being able to interrupt attacks quickly, as well as attack faster. Each weapon has strengths and weaknesses when dealing with groups of enemies, something that will happen quite often while traveling through the game’s fantastical locations, so players will need to pick and hone their favorite weapon types. The game does do a decent job of giving new weapons to try as the player progresses through the main storyline, but most players will find a single type or group and stick with them as much as possible.
The flow between attacking, blocking, anddodging might feel a little odd at first to players, as the game gives a lot of hints at blocking and parrying being a good path for new players to go down. Despite this, many new users will quickly discover the benefits of high stamina and constant dodging, especially when confronted by multiple enemies. Trying to block many incoming attacks hitting Achilles at the same time will quickly drain his stamina meter, but dodging away from all of that is a quick way to begin regaining stamina without loss of life. With an increased stamina bar, it becomes relatively easy to avoid taking any damage, especially with enemies constantly attacking with unblockable attacks. Some larger enemies seem to fight with nothing but those styles of attacks, which may require an almost constant attack/dodge/attack/dodge gameplay loop in order for players to be victorious. Those with little patience may not enjoy this style of play, but it has a level of satisfaction that is sometimes hard to come by in gaming.
Dodging will quickly become king to survival in most players' eyes. After figuring this out, the combat flow will likely start to make more sense, and players will begin to grasp and start to master the dodge/attack timing with their favorite weapons. The level of combat isn’t very difficult at the start, but figuring out how to approach groups of enemies will take a bit of trial and error. It feels odd to just dodge and strafe around enemies, but since attacks can hit more than one enemy at a time it behooves players to line up enemies for better damage. The developer’s page says that enemies will adapt to a player’s play style, but it was never really noticeable while progressing through the game.
Better damage can also be foundthrough the game’s upgrade system, which uses a standard improvement method by using drops and found items to raise the stats of weapons, though the cost is quite steep early on. It is always sad when players are forced to put down their favorite weapon for something that does more damage or causes a better status effect, but weapon switching will need to happen to progress fluidly. Weapons without status effects will quickly fall by the wayside as players learn the value of causing negative status effects on enemies like curse or poison. Each carries a large upside and weapons without a status effect will more than likely have to be a significant damage increase in order to be added to the rotation.
Weapon damages are further enhanced by the game’s skill trees, though it is less of a tree shape and more shaped like the constellations found in the night sky that are all linked together. Adding skill points to each area not only enhances base stats like strength and constitution but also unlocks skills or bonuses that can greatly change the way the game plays, such as one full unlock that allows players to pay a price to resurrect where they died. There are a lot of skills, stat boosts, and abilities to unlock in the skill map, and players will likely enjoy the speed at which stuff unlocks early on. It might feel almost too generous at first, but it does encourage players to fight and complete missions for that sweet level-up.
There is a lot to do and explore withinAchilles: Legends Untold. Map sizes are large and full of encounters and enemies, and there are plenty of side quests to keep players busy before progressing the story. There are numerous benefits to fully exploring areas, but it mostly begins to feel like the only purpose of its size is to give more enemies to kill for leveling and the occasional item found off the beaten path. There are a few stand-out quest moments that shouldn’t be spoiled, but the majority of side missions are standard RPG fetch, find, and kill quests. It’s not the most exciting mission designs or objectives, but they play well with the game’s aesthetic and overall story ideas.
Achilles: Legends Untolddoesn’t break the mold with its story, using an almost standard time skip to change the world as the protagonist knows it. The world seems to have become more violent and chaotic since the titular hero seemingly diedand was resurrected 10 years later. Monsters and bandits roam the land in greater numbers than before, preying upon innocent folk wherever the protagonist looks. The main story beats are filled with a variety of mission types and quests that can vary from challenge group fights to singular combat against mini-boss-style enemies. The overall plot is semi-intriguing, but it does struggle to maintain a sense of urgency due to constantly being sidetracked and given quests that steer Achilles away from his main objectives.
The game is pretty to look at, with glowing torches illuminating pathways, destroyed buildings and their debris strewn about, and a myriad of dark cave entrances and cliff sides spread about. The game’s textures are well done, and some of the darker areas do a good job of creating depths using shadows and the like. One potential aspect that might seem odd to players is Achilles’ regular walk speed animation. It might just be an aesthetic choice that doesn’t bother many players, but he does look a bit hunched over when walking, though it’s less noticeable when sprinting. The game’s combat animations do a good job of creating a variety of movements between the different weapons. A particularly enjoyable one is the lunging attack animation after performing a dodge. It has a lot of power behind it and flows very smoothly from the dodge into the attack, though there are a few weapons that can make users feel like they are ice skating a little bit during the lunging strike.
The audio and music are well done, adding gravitas when needed and excitement throughout. The sounds of the various weapons smacking into enemies are almost a little bland, but players are less likely to notice it until after a good chunk of time has been spent playing.The voice-acting can also be hit or miss, with some NPCs sounding almost odd in their reflection, while others are almost trying too hard to sound menacing. Even Achilles himself has some lines that will make players pause and wonder if that was really what he meant to say. Despite these moments and NPC’s, the majority of the game doesn’t suffer long and the bulk of the audio is never really a distraction.
In a field crowded with competitors,Achilles: Legends Untolddoes everything it can to set itself apart from the pack. A story setting that hasn’t been explored as much in the isometric combat arena, a fighting system that flows very smoothly using whichever weapon a player wants, and large areas to explore and fight in. A large skill tree adds complexity as well, and there isn’t much to complain about in the looks department. It will need all of this and more to go up against the big names of the genre, but this scrappy action RPG fighter has a bigger punch than most players will be expecting.
Achilles: Legends Untold
WHERE TO PLAY
Achilles: Legends Untold is an action RPG featuring souls-like combat mechanics, set in the mythical world of ancient Greece, where you assume the role of the fearless warrior, Achilles.For the best gameplay experience, we recommend playing with a controller.FIGHT AND LEARN: Dive into a world where mastering combat, from defense tactics like blocking and evading to a wide array of attacks, is the key to success. If you fall in battle, rise again, enhance your hero’s skills, try a different tactic, and venture forth once more.CHOOSE YOUR COMBAT STYLE: Select your ideal weapon, from wielding a one-handed sword and an axe in the other, to the might of two-handed swords. Equip a set of powerful special attacks, craft a handful of grenades from gathered ingredients, and charge into battle.FACE UNIQUE CHALLENGES: Engage in battles against foes utilizing an innovative GAIA (Group AI Action) system. Your adversaries exhibit unscripted interactions with one another, enabling coordinated attacks, often making strategic use of their environment.DEVELOP YOUR CHARACTER: Harness a wealth of skill points to expand your hero’s capabilities, offering a multitude of character development options.EXPLORE ANCIENT GREECE: Roam through meticulously crafted locations inspired by Ancient Greece. Ascend mountain passes, venture into the deepest dungeons, and battle for survival in otherworldly rifts.The developers describe the content like this:Achilles: Legends Untold is based on Greek mythology, stories of warriors facing their fate in the wars of humans and gods. The game features a violent combat system, there’s gushing blood, blood puddles, heads, and limbs that can be severed. Sometimes finishers on boss-type enemies will have the final blow zoomed-in and in slow motion.The enemies are mostly humans but you may also face mythical creatures that resemble animals.
Achilles: Legends Untoldis available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Game Rant was provided a PC code for this review.
