An intriguing open-world action-adventure with RPG elements

Mar 20, 2023 16:50 GMT  ·  By

Atlas Fallen is a very ambitious project coming from the studio behind so many popular franchises like The Surge and Lords of the Fallen, Deck13. As a genre, Atlas Fallen is and action-adventure game with RPG elements like character progression and skill tree. After spending several hours with the game, I’m quite intrigued by where the story goes because Atlas Fallen doesn’t lack way to keep you engaged.

The desert biome reminds me the dune of Arrakis and the worms that inhabit Atlas Fallen’s world only cements that feeling that you’re part of one of Frank Herbert’s iconic books. Environments aside, there’s plenty to do in Atlas Fallen, as activities are split into main and side-quests, as well as errands.

But let’s talk a bit about the premise because that’s the main hook of Atlas Fallen before you’re actually given all the components needed to make combat the driving force of the game. Deck13’s upcoming title puts players in the shoes of a young warrior who must fight the corruption that spread after a cataclysmic event that almost destroyed the entire civilization.

At the epicenter of the entire story is an all-powerful gauntlet, which wiped out a vast ancient civilization after being wrongfully used by one of the gods. The game throws you in this post-apocalyptic world with very little information about your background and your mission. You wake up in a cavern having the said gauntlet strapped on you arm.

Atlas Fallen
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Soon you realize that this is a sentient weapon that lost its memories, but still retains some of the abilities that once made it a powerful weapon. You start with one simply skill, the ability to “rise” objects that allow you to access areas that are otherwise unreachable. The gauntlet also enables the protagonist to unearth chests and anvils, places where you can upgrade your gear and save the game.

For the first several hours (and probably beyond that), your main goal is to retrieve some of the pieces of the gauntlet that scattered around the continent after the apocalyptic explosion. Each time you get a certain amount of shards, your gauntlet will be upgraded and you’ll be able to further progress the story and use it for even more epic outcomes.

There’s no gear in Atlas Fallen, just your armor that can be upgraded with resources that you find in the wild, and the gauntlet, which is also your main weapon. The gauntlet can be augmented with a bunch of abilities that you find by killing monsters and finding chests throughout the world. These abilities are very important because they can define the playstyle. Obviously, some abilities are more powerful than others, but finding the best synergies is also something worth considering.

As far as the overall feel of the combat goes, Atlas Fallen is rather unique. Although it might resemble Forespoken and Darksiders' combat, this is a bit more complex in the fact that you have a momentum bar that allows you to use the abilities.

The more attacks you land, the faster the momentum bar will fill. The bar is split in three segments and determines what abilities you can use once they’re filled. More powerful the abilities require more momentum, but filling the bars is hardly an issue since combat is quite fast. My only issue was with aerial combat, which very awkward to say the least. I think it needs a bit more work to feel just as good as the terrestrial combat.

Another aspect that I didn’t find as satisfying as the rest of the combat is the parrying system. All monsters in Atlas Fallen telegraph their attacks so you know when to dodge, parry or block. If timed right, the parry action allows you to “crystalize” the enemy for a few seconds. When an enemy is crystalized it doesn’t move and you can get some hits in before it’s reanimated. It’s an interesting concept that worked very few times as much as I tried.

Overall, I think the combat is one of the most positive aspects about Atlas Fallen, but only if you learn to use the abilities that the game throws at you. Solely using the light and heavy attacks will still allow you to complete many of the missions in the game, but won’t provide you with the same satisfaction.

There are a lot of other strategic layers that make the combat even more customizable, such as the Essence Stone and healing systems. The latter works a bit different that in other games. Basically, you have three “healing potions” that refill while you land attacks. It’s pretty simple and encourages an aggressive approach whenever fighting enemies.

One other interesting concept inspired by games like Monster Hunter is that monsters have different parts that the player can hit and take out. The only thing you get after successfully removing a part from a monster is a higher chance at a better drop, but it’s an interesting idea nonetheless.

Alongside combat, traversal is another aspect in Atlas Fallen that I really like. Instead of running or flying, you actually slide through the sand dunes. It’s an excellent feeling that makes moving from one location to another so much more enjoyable.

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Conclusion

Despite some awkward combat mechanics and the rather lackluster story, I find Atlas Fallen quite intriguing in a good way. I think the starting portion doesn’t make the game justice. The preview build that I played ends just after killing a boss and just before visiting what I think it will be the game’s main hub.

That being said, I’m anxious to revisit the world of Atlas Fallen when the game launches on May 16. The open world aspect and the enjoyable combat is what excites me most about Deck13’s game, but I hope the story picks up after the visiting the main city.

It’s hard to tell how good a game ends up being after playing a very small slice of it, but I can safely say that Atlas Fallen is going to find an audience among action-adventure fans.

Preview key was provided by the publisher.

Atlas Fallen screenshots (23 Images)

Atlas Fallen key art
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