Apotheon Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Apotheon
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
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Apotheon

Some people are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. For others still, it's more of a matter of picking up a sturdy shield and a sharp spear, gutting some gods, stealing their power, and restoring balance on Earth and saving mankind.

Apotheon is a heroic tale in the vein of the twelve labors of Hercules, with less full-frontal male nudity and more platforming and melee and ranged combat, drawing inspiration from the rich mythology of ancient Greece, and sporting a very unique artistic style, based on ancient Greek pottery.

The game comes from Capsized and Autocraft makers Alientrap, and promises to deliver a free-roaming experience similar to that of the Castlevania series.

Story

You are a hero that has to rise to the task of restoring the natural way of things, after Zeus and the other gods forsake mankind and withdrew their influence from the mortal realm, due to being increasingly fed up with the ways of man and thoroughly disappointed with our achievements.

First time atop Olympus
First time atop Olympus

All the gods have taken refuge in Olympus, including all the little ones that govern over creeks, ponds, forests and so on, which means that the world no longer works as intended.

The sun no longer shines, the fish no longer swim, trees and fields lie barren, and all life is slowly dwindling. It is a time of great turmoil, but luckily, the world of ancient Greek mythology is not without its fair share of heroic deeds.

You take on the role of a rising hero, grab a rusty sword and a broken shield, and carve your way to greatness and better loot, butting heads with the mighty gods and procuring some of their favorite trinkets, powerful items imbued with their essence, with the final goal being to usurp Zeus himself from his throne atop Mount Olympus.

During your adventures, you will have to defeat pretty much all the great gods in the Greek pantheon, including some of their pets, ferocious mythical beasts, and other interesting characters, their importance revealed by mystical messages engraved on immemorial plaques and stones, slowly unveiling a world of mystery and divinity.

The bowels of the underworld
The bowels of the underworld

Gameplay

Apotheon plays in the typical fashion of a two-dimensional open-world platformer: you get a sprawling map, some objectives, and a few gameplay systems, and you play around with them however you see fit.

In this particular case, the main interaction you'll be doing is fighting, using a variety of melee and ranged implements. As this is ancient Greece we're talking about, your arsenal is comprised of an assortment of daggers, swords, spears, pikes, javelins, hammers and arrows.

You use a set of basic actions, moving, jumping, rolling, blocking and attacking, and then you proceed to take down a myriad of opponents in brutal battles.

Although many times you'll just end up smashing the keyboard while rubbing against your target in hopes of quickly dealing enough damage to take it down, there are many occasions on which finesse is rewarded or required.

The point isn't to spam attacks, as draining your stamina bar will cause you to attack slower and slower, but instead to find the right balance between dodging, blocking, getting out of the way and timing your blows, depending on the particular type of weapon you are using, in order to intelligently defeat opponents.

Enemies aren't overly bright, which means that reading their movements and getting into the rhythm of combat are the key to success, as most of the time you'll be faced against multiple opponents, and things will get pretty hectic.

The combat itself feels really good, and even if you're a little overpowered, it still feels challenging due to the layout of the levels or the specific mechanics involved.

Most of the time you'll be using a pretty basic sword and board approach, raise your shield, intercept the enemy's blow, then step in and stab them, rinse and repeat, but there is a surprising depth to combat, enabling you to devise your own strategies, like dealing a low blow to an opponent in order to topple them, only to be followed by a strong overhead smash to finish them off.

There are also a ton of environmental hazards you can use to take care of your enemies, from picking up and throwing boulders to setting up traps for them to step in, or shooting the chains from which lamps are hanging, to make the burning oil explode on contact with the enemies below.

In addition to this, you can also find a series of weapons with unique abilities such as arrows that break into three separate projectiles or hammers that cause a massive blast on impact, and you can also craft your own explosive vials and healing potions to use in combat, provided that you learn the recipe from the apothecary first.

Your resources are limited, however, as shields will shatter and weapons will break with use, which is why it's important to make sure to explore and loot, and get a fresh supply of your favorite tools of war when hitting the shop.

There are also some rudimentary character progression elements, in addition to small increases to your life total whenever you defeat a god, you can also pay gold to upgrade your armor, increasing your maximum armor threshold, and you can also train and become more proficient with the various types of weapons you can use, but there aren't any skill trees or other things of that sort, as everything is simplified.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall
The bigger they are, the harder they fall

What the game does well

Apart from the stellar atmosphere, there are several gameplay elements I want to touch on, first and foremost being the boss fights.

I expected to see a lot of them, as you rise against the gods themselves, but instead of simply letting each of them have a different gimmick and then having everything be pretty much the same, the developers tried to offer a varied and surprising experience that always leaves you wanting more, curious about what you're going to run into next.

Every level oozes atmosphere and has some very powerful thematic symbols, from the tiny suns powering your enemies' attacks in the house of Apollo to the berserking melee fit that the satyrs drum up when you smash all their wine caskets, and the bowels of Ares' keep being home to an unending stream of battle and bloodshed.

You'll run into a lot of unique enemies and every boss fight will be different, testing you in a new way, and showcasing the team's creativity.

The combat itself feels really good, and even if you're a little overpowered, it still feels challenging due to the layout of the levels or the specific mechanics involved.

In addition to this, there are also some interesting puzzles to solve, like having to shoot certain triggers in order to set mechanisms in motion at the right time, as well as timed levels where you're on the run, or where you take turns being the hunter and the prey, as is the case of your confrontation with Artemis, the goddess of the hunt.

I don't want to spoil anything, as exploring everything that the game has to offer is part of its charm, but there are a bunch of secret areas to uncover, and snooping around can reward you with some pretty interesting items.

Sound and visuals

Apotheon's most important point of difference from anything else in the gaming world is its unique artistic direction, based on ancient Greek pottery art, using only a handful of colors and silhouettes to great effect.

The pottery art functions like a sort of visual narrative of that era, depicting the men, the gods, their habits and the extent of their interactions, telling the myths of the time in a very straightforward and suggestive manner.

The style is bold and uses symbolism to great effect, managing to convey a lot without cluttering the screen, making everything instantly recognizable through a great use of shape and color.

In spite of the perceived limitations of the art style, the end result is truly compelling, offering a deeply atmospheric experience, that is only enriched by the brilliant music and ambient sound.

During your journey, you get a pretty good notion of what's at stake through the minimalist artwork and the ominous sounds accompanying you, and you feel immersed in the two-dimensional world, eager to take on the gods and fight for mankind.

The visuals are, as expected, clean but also strangely rich and expressive, suggesting what they need to without carrying too much detail. The game world, on the other hand, has a ton of details that make it more profound and believable, from amphorae and game meat hung in food stores, to birds and small critters running through the forest.

You get to see a ton of different environments, from the underworld to sewers and Olympus, where the minimalist visuals and limitations of the 2D platforming genre are used to great effect, and the changes in color palette are very suggestive and manage to add to the overall atmosphere greatly.

In addition to this, special effects and plays with light make the entire experience more striking, and sometimes even add a further layer of depth to gameplay.


The Good

  • Gorgeous visuals
  • It oozes atmosphere
  • Satisfying combat
  • Great design

The Bad

  • Short
  • Wonky movement

Conclusion

Apotheon seemed like a very promising game from its trailers, and now that it's out and I got the chance to play through it, I can finally justify liking it from the very beginning.

It's based on some of the most interesting narratives created by man, on a rich cultural heritage that has always appealed to me, and it manages to offer a story that seems fresh, in spite of Greek mythology's popularity in media in general.

The action feels satisfying, combat is fun, and there are also a few nice surprises when it comes to gameplay, both as far as boss fights are concerned and in the presence of puzzles, particularly in the levels involving Athena, making the whole package even more attractive.

There are some areas that still feel a bit rough around the edges from time to time, like the way you cling to walls and wind up attacks with some weapons, but the whole experience is simply brilliant.

My biggest disappointment with the game is its length, as I really wanted more world to explore and more bosses to fight, but I guess I'd rather have a short but intense, flavorful and innovative experience than a repetitive and drawn-out one just for length's sake.

story 9
gameplay 8
concept 10
graphics 9
audio 8
multiplayer 0
final rating 8.5
Editor's review
very good
 

Apotheon screenshots (36 Images)

ApotheonFirst time atop OlympusThe bowels of the underworldThe bigger they are, the harder they fallApotheon screenshot
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