DECK13, the renowned game development studio behind popular titles like “Surge” and “Lords of the Fallen,” has recently launched their latest action-adventure game, “Atlas Fallen.” The game has garnered significant attention and is now available on Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S platforms. As a fortunate player who had the opportunity to experience the game in advance, I had the chance to immerse myself in its world for approximately 25 hours. In this article, I will discuss the game’s features, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of my current experience.
One of the notable aspects of “Atlas Fallen” is its semi open-world exploration. The game begins with a tutorial-like section that familiarizes players with the game’s background, plot, and basic mechanics. However, after about an hour of gameplay, a new area opens up for players to freely explore. They have the choice to continue following the main storyline or engage in various side missions. Furthermore, the game offers rich rewards scattered throughout the map, encouraging players to explore based on their preferences. The map, although not particularly large, boasts varied terrain and breathtaking scenery, providing a truly magnificent experience. It is worth mentioning that the maps in the game are unlocked sequentially along with the main storyline. Players need to acquire new abilities through the main quests to access more areas. This approach clearly demonstrates the developers’ intention to promote exploration. By taking detours to explore, players can stumble upon valuable materials, gold coins, or weapons hidden in various corners of the map.
The protagonist possesses the unique power to control sand, enabling them to manipulate the terrain and reach previously inaccessible areas. This ability plays a crucial role in exploration. Additionally, teleportation points in the game are opened up through the power of sand control. Apart from hidden treasure chests, there are several rewards that can only be obtained by completing specific activities such as tracking animals, conquering parkour challenges, deciphering treasure maps, or engaging in kite-flying contests.
Moving on to combat, one can perceive a slower combat rhythm compared to other action games. The characters’ attack actions are noticeably slower, resulting in an overall slower combat pace. This might require players accustomed to fast-paced action games to adapt accordingly. The game features an ability called “Sand Armor,” which functions as a shield counter. The shield counter timing in the game is relatively forgiving. Essentially, as long as players see the enemy’s red light, they can activate the shield counter. Notably, the shield counter can be used even during attacking actions. When successfully executed, the character emits light, and if hit during this period, the enemy becomes “crystallized” or immobilized temporarily. This mechanic greatly influences the outcome of battles. A well-timed shield counter can significantly aid players. With a high success rate, battles become considerably more manageable. In terms of difficulty, the game offers three options. Since the monsters’ attack timing is relatively easy to gauge, I would recommend choosing the hard difficulty for players accustomed to action games. Even for those struggling with such games, I would recommend opting for normal difficulty rather than the easy mode. After testing, I found that the enemies’ attack frequency on the simple difficulty is significantly low. Most enemies can be dispatched simply by relentlessly attacking them, which fails to provide a genuine experience of the game’s combat mechanics.
Regarding weapons, players can choose between axes, whips, and gloves. They have the opportunity to wield two weapons, one as the main weapon and the other as the auxiliary weapon, offering players different combinations and playstyles. Each weapon possesses distinct attributes such as damage, attack speed, range, combos, and actions, allowing players to choose their preferred weapon mix. Furthermore, the game includes a unique “Power System” that encourages aggressive playstyles. When players inflict damage on enemies, the power bar on the lower left gradually fills up. Initially, players can only use 1st-level active and passive skills. However, as the power bar accumulates, they can unlock level 2 and level 3 skills. Additionally, the quality of weapons, including damage and attack range, improves with increasing power levels. Players can also expend energy to unleash powerful abilities known as “nirvana,” dealing significant damage to enemies. In terms of replenishing health, players can also spend energy to restore their vitality. This emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balance between attacking and defending. It is worth noting that while accumulating strength may result in higher damage output, it also increases the damage received. Consequently, planning and strategically using strength, as well as timing the accumulation and expenditure of power, become crucial elements in battles.
The game boasts a wide array of skills with a total of 151 options available to players. This allows players to customize their skillset based on their preferences. They can prepare several sets of skills and switch between them seamlessly during battles, offering convenience and adaptability. Skills are acquired through “Essence Stones,” which are scattered throughout the map. These stones fall into five different categories: Attack, Skills, Power, Survival, and Healing. Players can find Essence Stones by defeating specific enemies, completing quests, or exploring the environment. In some cases, blueprints for new skills are unlocked, requiring players to collect specific materials to synthesize Essence Stones and learn the skills. Players must then defeat certain monsters to collect the required materials. During the early stages, players have access to a wide range of skills, and obtaining them is not overly challenging. Experimenting with various skills and discovering the most suitable combination is one of the game’s greatest pleasures.
Although “Atlas Fallen” possesses numerous advantages, there are a few shortcomings that give rise to some disappointment. Firstly, the game features a limited variety of enemy types. In the previous desert maps, there were only approximately five types of mobs. Additionally, the attacking actions of the monsters are quite simple, leading to a somewhat monotonous combat experience at times. Even during battles with heroic monsters or bosses, the action repertoire seems quite limited, typically consisting of only three to four moves. As a result, players can quickly grasp the patterns and strategies required for success. Secondly, the locking system could be improved. Since the number of monsters encountered in the game ranges from three to a maximum of ten, the shield counter does not switch targets automatically, regardless of its success or failure, when the player is faced with a large number of enemies. Furthermore, some mobs retreat after launching an attack, thus increasing the distance between themselves and the player. In such cases, swiftly switching and locking onto the appropriate target becomes challenging, disrupting the flow of combat. Despite these shortcomings, “Atlas Fallen” remains a game filled with numerous advantages, including expansive exploration, engaging combat mechanics, and a plethora of skill choices.
In conclusion, DECK13’s latest action-adventure game, “Atlas Fallen,” provides players with a compelling and immersive experience. The semi open-world exploration, diverse combat mechanics, and extensive skill choices all contribute to making the game an enjoyable and captivating endeavor. However, the limited variety of enemies and simple combat actions could be improved upon to enhance the overall gameplay experience. As “Atlas Fallen” continues to make waves in the gaming community, players across all platforms can look forward to embarking on exciting adventures and unraveling the mysteries within this intriguing universe.