Atlas Fallen is a recreation that gives a hack-and-slash fashion of fight alongside semi-open world exploration. Its huge deserts and overarching story present an aesthetic not seen by most titles as we speak, though a few of its options will virtually actually draw comparisons regardless. First impressions by most gamers would possibly go away them apprehensive a couple of lackluster story that may hardly be ignored and characters that toe the road from forgettable to annoying. However in contrast to different fashionable releases with related traits, Atlas Fallen manages to carve its personal identification by focusing its efforts on the place it issues most.
The Sights and Sounds of Sand
Atlas Fallen has first rate sufficient sound design. Few instances does it really feel like the sport is lacking sound results. Every hit dealt to enemies is loud and clear, making each occasion of profitable harm really feel satisfying. The sport’s music sadly will get drowned out by the noises and common atmosphere, making it exhausting to recall any tracks enjoying in the course of the extra threatening encounters. There’s additionally a notable lack of sound for getting hit by enemy assaults, generally requiring gamers to maintain a continuing eye on their well being bar to understand simply how near demise they’re.
Visually, Atlas Fallen is okay. It goes for a practical look shared by many Triple-A releases, however the recreation is marred by a couple of hiccups on PC. Decrease-end machines shall be struggling to play in any respect with out turning settings right down to medium or low, even when deciding on the performance-friendly DirectX 11 possibility. The sport appears good on larger settings, however with the fixed flood of tan-and-orange visuals, gamers could have seen many of the recreation’s biggest appears throughout the first hour or two.
Coarse and Tough, however Not Irritating
The sand-filled world of Atlas Fallen doesn’t make for a lot selection in aesthetics outdoors of some notable places, nevertheless it’s nonetheless noticeably hand-crafted. Patches of inexperienced and ruins inside caves assist shake up the monotony of the sport’s infinite deserts. There are 4 main areas to discover, with two of them being pretty massive and the opposite two being completely huge. The rewards for locating secrets and techniques can differ between fantastically-useful gadgets and little greater than pocket change, however making the trouble to go off the crushed path is often worthwhile.
The principle journey of Atlas Fallen has the participant discovering a mysterious gauntlet housing a voice that grants them godlike powers. They use this gauntlet to free themselves and the individuals from an evil deity often called Thelos. Many of the characters and story beats are pretty forgettable, providing little or no in the way in which of attachment. However in contrast to related titles launched this yr, there’s fortunately an excellent lack of “quirky” dialogue or overly-complicated lore. Atlas Fallen’s story doesn’t strive too exhausting to be humorous or thought-provoking, and it doesn’t have to. What’s there’s serviceable, that means any pitfalls throughout the story and characters are unlikely to show gamers away.
The largest pitfall of the story is the way it interacts with the gameplay. Whereas there are some nice concepts scattered all through, such because the Watcher’s fixed presence and the existence of Thelos worshipers, the sport doesn’t draw out their full potential. It’s enjoyable to have interaction with opposing NPCs that despise, concern, and respect the participant character, nevertheless it’s a disgrace that the one true foes in battle are the senseless sand-covered wraiths. Atlas Fallen is a reasonably quick recreation total, lasting round 8-10 hours story-wise, and this unimpressive size sadly hinders how a lot it might experiment with extra enjoyable and distinctive gameplay parts.
Which is very a disgrace, as a result of the gameplay itself is totally unimaginable.
Risks of the Dunes
For all of its pitfalls, from story to sound to visuals to options, Atlas Fallen excels in its base gameplay. The sport follows such a easy system with little greater than three principal weapons, but it manages to make fights with these weapons an utter pleasure. That is partially due to the distinctive “momentum” function that progressively makes assaults stronger because the participant fights extra successfully. Few different action-focused titles handle to incorporate a function like this, and even fewer handle to do it in such an easy-to-access method. It’s a continuing reward for these keen to enhance their abilities, which they’ll have to do in the event that they need to survive.
One of many greatest the reason why Atlas Fallen’s fight is so enjoyable is due to how a lot management gamers have. Motion is maybe the pleasure and pleasure of this recreation, each in fight and in primary exploration. Changing a regular dash with a slide on sand was maybe the neatest transfer the builders made, making it enjoyable to easily go from one place to a different even with the existence of quick journey. Aerial motion can also be top-notch, permitting gamers to sprint by way of the sky and proper their actions for unmatched precision. This extends closely into battles with the sport’s wraiths, making it unlikely that gamers will spend various seconds with their ft on the bottom.
Enemies in Atlas Fallen are simply as spectacular because the fight they’re designed round. Even minor enemies have a number of assaults, requiring consideration and care as gamers tackle the bigger boss-like wraiths later within the recreation. These foes really feel like true threats, with some even meting out combos of their very own. Beating most of them requires nice data of the sport’s parry system, which is forgiving with out being an entire win-button. There are many different instruments gamers can use to surpass these enemies just like the quite a few Essence Stones at their disposal, permitting them to even the chances when in encounters with teams.
Regardless of its implausible gameplay, Atlas Fallen sadly suffers from points with the way it balances its encounters. The sport’s issue choice appears to do little greater than improve well being or harm taken, and virtually each battle — from regular encounters to boss battles — includes a number of enemies. This could make later foes really feel like full harm sponges, particularly when sure bosses are protected by a protect stored up by different enemies. Every foe makes for a superbly enjoyable battle by itself, so the whole lack of solo battles is simply an utter disappointment.
Ultimate Ideas
Atlas Fallen isn’t a recreation freed from flaws. Nevertheless it additionally acknowledges the truth that a recreation ought to be performed. Above all else, a recreation ought to be enjoyable to select up and revel in firsthand, and that occurs to be the one space the place Atlas Fallen actually excels. That alone makes it way more worthwhile than lots of the different releases it competes with. Ought to the builders proceed to help this title, both by way of common updates or a sequel that shatters its outdated flaws, Atlas Fallen will solely ever be a web optimistic on the trade. It would lack a memorable story or the highest-quality visuals, nevertheless it’s a primary instance of a recreation that builders ought to be making as we speak.
This recreation was reviewed utilizing a replica of the sport offered by the sport’s writer,public relations firm, developer or different for the specific function of a evaluate.