The second half of 2023 has begun and it only takes a quick glance at the calendar to realize that we have many adventures ahead of us before the year is out. Atlas Fallen, developed by Deck13 Interactive and distributed by Focus Entertainment for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, is one of them and offers us a knightly odyssey of medieval fantasy.
I have had to leave Base 13 of Remnant 2 to put on the heavy armor of Atlas Fallen on PS5. It has not been easy to walk the path of this story and to realize that it is very likely that it will disappoint some people. And I’m not saying this because they send us to collect stolen apples between epic fights against monsters, but because almost everything stays very on the surface of their arenas.
Fallen Atlas: Arena, Gods and War
The history It is the only section of Atlas Fallen with which I have not had a problem. It’s nothing special and it’s not going to change anyone’s life. Without going into spoilers, the gods who kept the balance of the world end up facing differences of opinion about humanity. One is imprisoned and another rules over the earth, thus breaking the balance.
The story structure It’s very simple: we are a human nobody who finds a fragmented ancient weapon (the gauntlet) and our role is to restore all its power to fix the mess of the gods. Along the way, we meet our fellow traveler (who looks suspiciously like an Avatar) and other characters, from disgraced knights to queens.
Although it is not the most original story in the world, it has a lore that can be interesting. Beyond that, I like that it doesn’t pretend to be more than it is: an excuse to take us from monster to monster. As for the secondary stories, anecdotal with some interesting case.
A beautiful medieval fantasy world with apocalyptic touches
I have mixed feelings with the visual and sound section of Atlas Fallenalthough the balance ends up tipping to the positive side…albeit a little reluctantly. I really liked it artistically and graphically: it appeals to the romanticism of the great medieval castles, the honor of the knights of yesteryear and magic with apocalyptic touches. It’s nothing special, but it’s a result. You can see it in the catches that I have taken during the gameplay and with the Photo Mode.
The sharp contrasts among the forests, ruins of fortifications and desert are surprisingly well. The interesting thing is that the world retains a lot of color and light, since the apocalypse is a slow process like the advance of the desert sands. As we go on the adventure, the devastation is greater. Overall, it looks nice (the castle under the hollow mountain could have been spared) and is fun to explore.
Another good news is that the world of atlas fallen It’s made up of several small-medium sized maps, something I’ve really appreciated. The exploration has not become too heavy for me and it helps that the horizon changes a little at destroy certain towers, although I admit that I have made a fast trip on more than one occasion because the road to my goal was just deserted. Sailing the same sands after 6 hours makes it lose its grace a bit.
One of lime and another of… sand
But not all are good news. Although Atlas Fallen It looks nice, it’s not difficult to see the seams: many textures take time to load or don’t load (especially the chests), it has performance problems in cities (fine the rest of the time) and I had up to 4-5 crashes during the whole adventure, and at least 3 were just before killing story bosses. Yes, I had to repeat. As a very personal fact: I have felt that the world has more generic elements of which I would like.
Finally, the sound section deserves little mention. Although I have been pleased to hear the armor plates when walking, the sound in general is quite average. Voices are only available in english and german with Spanish subtitles. I have no problems with the language. However, the Spanish subtitles they go crazy when there is overlapping of voices in conversations and some do not correspond with what is heard during certain cinematics.
A knight with a gauntlet of (almost) infinite power
All the Atlas Fallen gameplay revolves around the gauntlet that we get at the beginning of the adventure. It is a ancient fragmented weapon who once had the power to defeat gods. As the wielder of the gauntlet, our goal is to put the fragments of the artifact back together and strengthen the bond with the being that gives it power. As we improve it, we advance in the story, we obtain special abilities and we put fatter hosts.
The power of the gauntlet is divided into four branches:
- The mobility improvements allow us to double jump and do several dash in a row before having to wait a few seconds. They are useful during combat, but have a starring role during puzzle solving.
- The power upgrades They allow us to interact with elements that at first we cannot: unearth objects and structures from the arena, unlock alternative paths and open both doors and special chests. Like the previous point, these improvements are designed to set the pace of adventure and exploration.
- The gauntlets primary weapons there are three: axes and maces, a whip and a fist of earth. We can only assign two and they will evolve every time our Impetus bar increases during combat. Each one has its own combos, which can be combined with each other.
- The runes and the skills they are unlocked by upgrading the gauntlet, buying scrolls, defeating enemies, and obtaining certain materials. They are the deepest aspect of the game and allow us to tailor the combat style to some extent.
He atlas fallen combat it is very fun and customizable. The great mobility of the character, the armor (with passive powers), blocking attacks at the right time and that all abilities (attack, defense and healing) are based on the momentum bar it feels very satisfying. However, I think it remains too superficial in regards to its potential. Although there are many abilities, it has few weapons. It’s cool for the first few hours and satisfying when you learn to combine combos and blocks, but it ends up being a bit repetitive.
One of lime and another of sand… again. Being the sand A great protagonist, our active interaction with her is very limited: we can only poke her, dig up things in specific places and during the animations of some abilities. I can’t count the times I’ve imagined ultimate and special summons like a wave of sand, quicksand, a big hand that sucks the enemy and even beasts from the sand like golems or a kind of Star Wars Sarlacc.
As for the enemies, more of the same. I really like that everyone’s life is divided into various parts of his body, which may or may not be shielded, and the status icon of the different parts is displayed in the upper left area. I felt the spirit of The Surge and it made me happy… but not for long. There is little variety, going so far as to use larger versions for most Elite and Boss purposes. They even keep the same limited move set.
Finally, the overall progression feels rushed at times. The whole adventure is based on getting different fragments for the gauntlet and each one needs three essences hidden around the map. Getting the essences is a lot of fun because it combines confrontation with puzzle solving and platforming. I didn’t like that Atlas Fallen literally gives away a couple of pieces, though.
Note: I have not been able to test the cooperative mode of Atlas Fallen.
The buried potential of Atlas Fallen
Atlas Fallen It has become my definition of “one lime and one sand”. I want to break a spear in its favor: it is not the Forspoken disaster, as its detractors pointed out, but it is not the wonder we hoped for either. My feeling while playing and at the end of the game is the same: your potential is buried under the sands of its deserts.
As I said at the beginning of the analysis, it has not been easy to go through the path of atlas fallen. I’ve had a great time during the adventure, but it’s also true that one day I ended up not wanting to continue playing. being so full of gray, it is very easy to fall into extremes. I don’t think it deserves to be called a bad game (much less a disaster), but I can’t say it’s good either.
Do I recommend Atlas Fallen? No, at least during its launch. If you are really interested and you are clear that you like what you see, my recommendation is to opt for prudence: Wait a few weeks/months and stay tuned for updates to come. I am sure that your experience will be much better than mine… at least that’s what I wish you.
Atlas Fallen Price
Atlas Fallen is available for PC (Steam) for 49.99 euros and in PS5 and Xbox Series X/S for 59.99 euros, included on Amazon.
Atlas Fallen – PS5 – Format : Blu-ray
Atlas Fallen Duration
I’ve been late 13 hours to complete the main story in easy mode, exploring the maps, completing various side quests and engaging in various engagements against elite enemies. I kept playing after finishing the story. Play time increased at 19-20 hours while testing difficulties, options, and Photo Mode; I was completing other side quests and looking for more armor and cosmetic items for them. I have not completed 100% or all trophies.
Atlas Fallen
| platforms | PC, PS5 (analyzed platform) and Xbox Series X/S |
|---|---|
| multiplayer | yes, cooperative |
| developer | Deck13 Interactive |
| Company | Focus Entertainment |
| Launch | August 10, 2023 |
The best
- Combat is fun and learning the combos is very satisfying.
- The length of the story is a success.
- World exploration is great thanks to the mobility, especially when there are skill puzzles.
Worst
- It has problems to solve at a visual and sound level.
- The overall experience tends to get repetitive as the hours go by.
- More weapons and types of enemies are missing, especially bosses and variety in their set of movements.
In ExtraLife | Atlas Fallen shows a gameplay full of combat, magic and monsters in epic medieval fantasy settings
