14 DAY TRIAL // The seagulls might be hungry but they are wise enough not to take any of the Ambrosia fruit I have in my inventory. They are holding out for better treats with fewer side effects and Hermes has just decided to provide them. He isn’t interested in actually locating all the birds but my character, Alex, is ready to help this version of the classic Greek god.
Feeding the birds is not enough to get his friendship high enough to help me with a temple door. So I also have to use the radar function on my Ambrosidex, powered by a friend frequency, to get some artifacts myth usually associates with him, like sandals.
The Oracle is more talkative, offering hints about the nature of the island and suggesting building a solid stockpile of Ambrosia fruit, although not for eating. There are hints that more powerful supernatural forces are at work here. It’s time to get another object for Hermes and then persuade him to give me access to the rest of the island.
Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island is developed by Polygon Treehouse and published by Whitethorn Games. I played a preview version on the PC via Steam. The game uses adventure game ideas and is set in an intriguing alternate world centered on myths.
Players control Alex, shipwrecked on a weird island after a storm that feels supernatural in origin. Before she can locate shelter she meets an Oracle and sees loads of classic Greek architecture. Hermes soon makes an appearance, able to use his godly powers but unable to remember anything from his past or talk about the other inhabitants of the island.
During the preview, I only met the Oracle and Hermes, with hints that more gods are waiting after I solve the first big puzzle. Ares, Athena, Hades, and more are part of the cast. Alex will have to interact with them all and strike up friendships while uncovering a bigger mystery. I liked the writing I saw, although some of the humor might not work for everyone.
Mythwrecked is played from a 3D perspective, with players in charge of Alex as she moves around island locations. Conversations are built around topics of interest and to get them to tackle more difficult subjects, players will first have to boost friendship levels. There’s also an option to trade the golden Ambrosia fruit with the gods for items from their special stash.
Alex also uses a special device called the Ambrosidex, received from the Oracle, to track quests and search and locate the items for the gods. The preview featured seagull feeding and artifact hunting for Hermes, fine ideas but with limited innovation. I hope the full experience introduces more interesting ways to interact with the island.
Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island’s graphics are pretty stylized and the one god I met didn’t look anything like his classical self. Concept art suggests a variety of designs for the rest of the pantheon, which I like. The biggest issue is the fixed perspective for each location, which constantly shifts and doesn’t help with creating a mental map of the island. The short phrases characters say are a little annoying in their repetition, while the soundtrack is decent.
Conclusion
The developers state they want to create a title that has challenging puzzles while offering accessibility options for all those who need them. Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island narrative setup is good and I’m looking forward to more godly conversations when the full game arrives this year.
A preview key was provided by the publisher
