There’s a long, proud tradition of sand-based games. The Prince of Persia, of course, did it first (or at least biggest), while Assassin’s Creed: Origins rebooted their entire franchise by placing it in Egypt. And now Atlas Fallen is picking up the mantle, with a fable about warring gods, a spooky great head in the sky, and a killer gauntlet that will punch any monster into oblivion (providing you time your dodges right).
The story picks up with your character (never named) trapped in a storm. They’re part of the ‘Unnamed’ — a rather vaguely explained slave caste, responsible for mining Essence, a holy substance that gets fed to the great god Thelos.
Of course, the mining itself is hideously dangerous, but insubordination is not allowed (there is also an evil queen to keep the population in line, you see). And after a suicide mission goes awry, you find a superpowered gauntlet in the wilderness that promises unbelievable powers.
Along with the gauntlet — which appears to be holding the spirit of an Avatar-esque creature called Nyall — the player will head off with the task of fomenting revolution among the Unnamed and finding the mythical Knights of Bastengar, a fighting order that was almost wiped out when they rebelled against the queen 10 years ago.
So far, so promising — and yes, it bears a startling resemblance to the rather unloved January release, Forspoken (like Cuff, Nyall is also rather annoying). Similarly to Forspoken, the world that Deck13 Interactive has built is fun: it’s a sand-ravaged landscape that has been broken by Thelos’s insatiable demand for Essence and populated by broken-down, ruined buildings. And, of course, there is Thelos’s Watcher: a massive head in the sky that sometimes bursts into huge, destructive rages you don’t want to be caught in the middle of.
It’s all rather gorgeous and, even better, travel across this dusty terrain is fun, too, thanks to a nifty ‘sand-surfing’ ability and the power to ‘Air Dash’ through the sky, basically extending your jumping length and allowing you to jet around like a superhero.
As the premise suggests, there is a lot of fighting involved — as well as some light quest-solving and errand-running. Fighting is probably Atlas Fallen’s USP: I’m not sure I’ve played many games like it. The monsters you’ll be fighting are Wraiths, sand-based creatures that haunt the wastes of this shattered land — everything from Horizon: Forbidden West-style gigantic vipers, to flying creatures that sap your energy mid-fight — and there’s a pleasing variety of them.
The gauntlet itself gives you two attack styles — involving heavy or fast weapon types which can be customised and swapped around — but much of your success will hinge on being able to time your parrying skills just right, thereby freezing enemies and allowing you to whale on them to your heart’s content.
The most unusual thing about the combat, though, is the Momentum gauge. This nifty bit of design basically allows the player to build up power every time they hit their enemy; more Momentum unlocks special attacks and deals more damage. It also makes the player more susceptible to damage, thereby making it a double-edged sword whereby one hit could spell instant death, or instant victory.
It is hideously difficult — to the derision of my partner, I played the entire game on easy, and some monsters were still a bit of a challenge — but the game fortunately keeps things interesting by introducing Essence stones: basically, upgrades that can be crafted using monster parts and plants scavenged from your travels.
These unlock new attacks (such as a massive, attack-disrupting set of hammers that slam a monster into the ground); more health, or more charge for your Idol (the thing that restores health during a fight).
The thing is, as fun as this game feels, it also feels just the slightest bit… dated. The graphics, while decent enough, feel like they could have been released three or four years ago; the world itself, while engaging, doesn’t have too much to discover beyond lore scrolls or endless monsters to fight. Your character has a very limited amount of agency, true — but it’s hard to see how picking between two different dialogue options has much of an impact on the story.
But that’s expecting too much from this game. Atlas Fallen is a perfectly fun, perfectly serviceable RPG that boasts top-notch combat as well as some rather gorgeous desert vistas. Pack the suncream; you’re going to need it.
