Achilles: Legends Untold Gameplay Preview

Achilles: Legends Untold feels similar to Titan Quest. It is an action adventure game with a backdrop set in ancient mythology. The combat, however, is not hack and slash at all. It is much more similar to a casual Dark Souls game.

For starters, the game looks pretty great. The graphics are well done. The only thing related to the aesthetics of the game I can nitpick is the voice acting. While it is serviceable, the delivery of some lines make it feel very hokey.

The combat and exploration is the heart of the game and both are very enjoyable. I played the demo for Achilles Legends Untold and the level design was very linear and compact. It was a surprise to me when I played the early access release. The map is huge! It was very easy to get lost. In fact, I ended up in some sort of dark forest surrounded by wolves. Turns out I spent two hours exploring in the wrong direction.

Fear not however, the game offers a bread crumb trail to follow for quest objectives by pressing the ‘G’ key on the keyboard. I would recommend using this every so often to make sure you are going in right overall direction while giving you the freedom to explore freely without getting lost. It is worth exploring as going off the beaten path can lead you to a shiny new weapon or other valuable treasures such as crafting materials.

As for the combat, it feels like a simplified Dark Souls game. Every action requires stamina and attacks have set animations so you cannot just simply spam your attacks. If you do, you’ll be caught without stamina and be overwhelmed by enemies and often times die. The combat is not too difficult however. There are plenty of strategies to employ. You can simply block the attacks with a shield, dash or dodge past an attack and counter attack, or use the parry mechanic. The game also gives you plenty of consumables such as bombs to deal with a large group of enemies.

Much like Dark Souls, you are rewarded souls for defeating enemies. You can then use said souls at the Hades portals to level up your attributes. The rate of progression seems pretty generous, with you being able to level up skills at a fairly decent rate. You mostly level up damage, health, and stamina regen along with unlocking some abilities such as a backstab and parry.

After saving Hephaestus you unlock the Captain America shield. It’s pretty fun to use. You can throw it at enemies and then call it back. It feels pretty nice when it snaps back.

Overall, Achilles: Legends Untold is a solid action adventure. The game looks great and feels great for the most part. The map is large and has many areas to explore while providing a bread crumb trail to prevent you from getting lost. The combat is pretty solid and is a decent challenge. It’s a solid experience.