Based on the myths of ancient Greece, they rarely make really good games. Most likely, if you try to recall the last high-quality project on the topic, it turns out that he came out a couple of years ago. Recently, the ranks were replenished with a newcomer – Arcade Apotheon. And let this not the first “ancient Greek” platformer, it definitely claims to be the title of one of the most original and interesting. For many reasons.
Greek rode across the river
First of all, the look, of course, clings to the visual style. The whole game is made as a drawing on ancient Greek amphora, with characteristic thin lines, multi -layer and ascetic color scheme. The plot is chosen appropriate: about the confrontation of man and the pantheon of Greek deities.
The situation is quite typical, repeatedly passed both in cinema and video games. Olympus rulers turned away from the inhabitants of the Earth. Zeus finally disappointed in mortals and forbade all his relatives to share grace with people: fish in the seas, a change of seasons, and even the sun disappeared. Hera, realizing that some unhealthy nonsense begins, decides to restore order. Right from the battlefield, she grabs the best human warrior and offers to Olympus. With an immodest request – to clean the pantheon from his extra representatives.
It turns out that the place of residence of the gods is not too different from an ordinary city, with shops, houses and attractions. The guards scurry back and forth, local residents gloat and rejoice that they will soon take the land. At first, you can explore the streets where the doors are located in the personal apartments of Apollo, Demeter and Artemis. Then they will become available for visiting Athena, Ares and Poseidon. Zeus himself will remain on the snack.
In what order to visit is no matter. The main thing is that not everyone will accept the hero with open arms. The silent protagonist, entering the new door, will certainly get involved in some story, each time a new. It is difficult to call this a plot in the usual sense, but this is an interesting experience each time: Apollo, for example, recognizes you insignificant and throws you into a dungeon, from which you have to escape. And then prepare his murder, in several ways simplifying the upcoming battle for himself.
But Demeter will readily agree that Zeus was in vain on people. And will indicate a new goal: go to Aida for Persephone. Artemis’s attention and respect will first have to be conquered by wandering through her personal forest, hunting for unique animals. The main character never becomes a direct participant in specific myths, but there will be something to remember: one way or another, a huge number of heroes and legends appear in the game.
The visual series, by the way, is constantly adapted to circumstances. Amporonal style persists, but the color, illumination and some effects are changing. Although after some time it becomes clear that the chosen style is quickly boring, greatly limits and simplifies the game. What creates the impression of a simple platformer is a fairly sweeping adventure.
Stuffing in Greek
The first thing that you will need to get used to it after starting for a long time is a specific combat system. Instead of the classic “blow – block – blow”, the authors offer complex fencing with a lot of rules and nuances.
There are always several types of weapons in the inventory: swords, spears, maces, axes. Still different types of arrows, variants of stones for sling, grenades (“Greek fire” in place). In the left hand – a shield or torch. All this breaks very quickly, so running with one type of weapon will not work for a long time, and the reserves are regularly gritted and replenished with new copies. All this has its own area of action – a small train remaining after the blow. Combining the buttons of direction and attacks, the player receives different tricks. The sword, for example, can chop from below or from above, or can stab. Spears are chopped with much less success, but it is not possible to stab a macer.
It is very important to take into account the area of the “work surface”. A wide blade describes a flat semicircle and is equally effective close and at a small distance. On the contrary, an ax on a long handle does not injure enemies closely close. Scope and blow require time, and the more massive the blade, the more difficult the attack is carried out. But throw everything you wish, you can instantly.
The damage caused is calculated depending on inertia and the area of hit. “Headshots”, alas, are not, but there are attacks on the legs that easily lie the enemy. Speed is taken into account if the hero fled. Or height if he threw stones from above.
Some inertia is also felt in management – the character needs time to scatter, he slows down, moving along the steps. Quite tense battles are obtained from this: it is not enough just just to burn one button on arenas with a huge number of enemies-you have to constantly worry about the state of the weapon, about getting at least for someone. Opponents obey exactly the same rules, and therefore often dodge, substitute the shield and rush to everything that falls by the arm. At high levels of complexity, where the enemy attack interrupts yours, literally every fight requires planned, conscious actions.
A powerful gameplay base is combined with magnificent game design. The game professes some openness of the world. Each task is a spacious multi-storey Labyrinth location with tasks markers. As a rule, the level is additionally populated by enemies and peaceful creatures who imitate some kind of living world: satires hunt rabbits, gladiators chop each other, dead are winging without work.
Locations are built so that there always remains a space for finding secrets and additional areas. For example, you can not notice that on a small lake in the possessions of Artemis, sailors mention the “bathing old woman”. Having started the study, you find out that at the bottom there really is a passage to the sorcerer, which trades with unique spells on the call to its side of magical animals.
Game situations are multifaceted and never repeated. Sometimes this is the battle of one on one with a giant. Sometimes – the level in complete darkness. Once you have to stand for a long time on a “button”, fighting off the waves of enemies. Another time, God will turn you into a deer, and you will have to run a few “checkpoints” before the opportunity to attack. The list of stories can be continued for a long time: each of the seven gods implies three additional tasks.
At any time, the mission can be interrupted and return to the city. Everything is not easy here too: there is a nominal “police” system that will suppress all looting on your part. There are locked houses and warehouses. But there is no system of karma, and you can safely fight back. Find, for example, in a dirty basement key to the door and break into the head of the guard for unique weapons, interrupting everyone along the way.
You can go to the blacksmith and spend money https://goinvest.com.mk/advantage-to-the-utmost-out-of-playing-having-hazard-high-voltage-position-no-deposit-incentive/ on improving the equipment (the role system is exhausted by the purchase and search for new armor), you can go to doctors for recipes for Kraft (there are first aids, repair kits and individual types of grenades). This is not very necessary, but it is useful. Finally, no one forbids just throwing out the previously begun missions and go to the door to another task, if the old is tired or not given.
The only problem is that the game is very complicated for understanding and accelerates for a long time. The first few hours of the fight are so simple that the complexity of the combat system is not revealed. A variety of situations and scenery can only be evaluated with time. And a very confused police system generally introduces into a stupor. To deal with where on Olympus you are beaten just like that, and where – only for looting, it is difficult even by the end of the passage.
A separate drawback should be called the optimization and the number of critical errors that spoil the game: “platinum” on PS4 is impossible to get, the game flies out about once a hour, and sometimes even manages to break the preservation. In addition, there is no multiplayer, once declared. He seems to be fooled later. The question solved by patches, of course, is how much unfinished games can already be released?
Apotheon does not live up to expectations because from the outside it seems a simple and concise platformer. The player who launched him for five minutes will not understand anything and will go further. But by spending an hour or two, you understand that this is practically Castlevania – with a huge territory for research, excellent presentation of material and serious duration. From the highest assessment, the game separates some roughness and, oddly enough, a visual series that cannot boast of anything but originality.
Pros: combat system;adventure scope;Great game design;successfully hidden optional content.
Cons: bugs;difficulty in mastering;merciless and chaotic Olympic laws;Salty graphic design.