A Legendary Journey: An Achilles: Legends Untold Review

By Manuel

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox One, XBox Series, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC (Steam)

It's been a while since I've looked at an Action RPG, and I have quite the one to bring you all today. Achilles: Legends Untold originally released on Steam via Early Access back in May 2022, and it saw a full release the following year on the PlayStation 5 and XBox. It's been a quite a while since that release, but it's finally made its way to the Nintendo Switch. It only makes sense that the version we're going to be taking a look at today is that new Switch release, and we'll soon decide if the wait was worth it. This is going to be a long one, so let's just get to the review already!

Achilles: Legends Untold places you into the sandals of the mythical hero himself. The game opens with the Trojan War, and then time skips ahead to ten years after its end. It seems that Achilles met his end during that war, but he's somehow back in the world of the living. Not only does Achilles have to a mystery before him to unravel, but he also must traverse a Greece that has changed a lot since his days as its hero. King Menelaus is no longer Achilles' benefactor, and he soon finds himself working for the god Hades. He also learns that he has the ability to tap into otherworldly senses, and even has to fight off horrors that can best be described as Lovecraftian. Though the story is surprisingly strong for what it is, it also takes a backseat to the gameplay. This arguably makes sense as far as the genre go, but there is a surprisingly deep plot for those hoping to find one. This is probably the weakest aspect of the game, though the general vibes of the setting do make up for it somewhat. Even though there isn't a lot of reason as to WHY I'm fighting a cyclops, a roc, or a giant statue come to life, it is still enjoyable at the end of the day.

Though I'd have to say that Achilles: Legends Untold is an Action RPG at its core, it's one that borrows several elements from several ground-breaking titles that came before it. Looking at it in screenshots, one would be forgiven for thinking that it might be a Diablo clone, or maybe even a take on the formula established in Titan Quest. While it does play like those games to some degree, it probably takes more from the Soulslike genre instead. It probably goes without saying that Soulslike games are known for their combat systems, so let's look there first. Any actions having to do with equipped gear, such as attacking with a weapon or throwing your shield, are mapped to the shoulder buttons, while dodging and skill usage are done with the face buttons. That only leaves the D-Pad, and that is used for items. All forms of dodging and attacking use up some of your stamina bar, and said bar refills whenever you stop taking the aforementioned actions. Skills are also used for attacking and defense, though these draw power from a separate rage meter that can only be refilled by way of potions. Speaking of potions, those are also the only surefire way to refill your health, though using them requires breaking away from combat for a bit, as they have a long use animation attached to them. Combat boils down to attacking, blocking, rolling out of harm's way, and pausing to regain your bearings every so often. This all comes together to make the action feel very similar to what's found in the games like Dark Souls or Elden Ring, but from a different camera perspective.

Borrowing from the greats isn't bad by any means, but it does come at the cost of one's identity. Achilles: Legends Untold is a fun game to play, and has surprisingly deep systems, but there are times when it feels like it only succeeds in bringing together elements that worked elsewhere. These elements all blend together well, but it's hard to praise a game too highly for assembling a great game out of things you've already seen before. I still have a lot to talk about as far as gameplay goes, and I don't want to make it sound like I didn't like the game, but I also wanted to make clear that this isn't a breakout title that is going to shake up the industry. It's a solid experience, and does a good job in accomplishing what it sets out to do, but it's not going to stand toe-to-toe with the games that it will most likely remind you of.

Before I go into exploration and story progression, I want to discuss character growth. Achilles: Legends Untold uses a standard level system, but it mainly exists to grant you skill points. Skill points are used to unlock stat gains, special abilities, and equippable skills via a grid that is made up of several constellations. Not only is the skill grid visually appealing, but it also allows you to focus on areas that matter most to you. Equipment can be bought and sold, and found in chests. Pretty much all equipment comes in the form of shields and weapons. Not only can shields be used for blocking, but they can also be thrown to attack enemies from afar, or to hit things you normally couldn't reach. Weapons themselves come in four main varieties. Swords are balanced, axes are stronger but slower, spears have wider range but can't be dual-wielded, and two-handed swords make it so you can't equip a shield at all. Most weapons you find will have a Diablo-like set of abilities attached to them. These can be elemental or stat bonuses, or the ability to inflict status ailments with attacks. Weapons can also be upgraded via a blacksmith, as can your armor. Achilles' armor isn't changeable, but it can be upgraded. Upgrading any item requires raw materials and money, and there actually is a crafting system associated with the raw materials too. This might sound a bit complicated on paper, but it all becomes second nature when playing the game. Also, most of these systems can be ignored on the lower difficulty settings, but mastering the game will mean making use of most of them throughout. What's important about all of this is that it allows the player to mold Achilles' stats, attacks, and abilities to their particular play style. It's probably where the game shines brightest, and that's interesting considering you only have a set character to play as.

Calling Achilles: Legends Untold an open world game isn't exactly accurate, but the moniker does fit it for the most part. There is a main questline to complete, and there will be tracks showing you where to go to get to the next part in that quest, but you can totally ignore these if you so desire. There are some Metroidvania-esque roadblocks that stop you from progressing too far into areas you shouldn't, but you're pretty much free to level up, collect loot, and wander about to your hearts content. Naturally there are also sidequests and optional areas to explore, and plenty of opportunities to gain even more skill points. There are also some optional boss fights, though these can be very difficult early on in the game. Though the world is big, you can fast travel to and from any shrine you've previously visited. Shrines are places you'll heal at, and are also where you'll go to use your skill points. Healing and fast travelling reset all killed enemies, so you'll want to use them with some amount of caution. Shrines are extremely helpful though, so you're going to want to stay near them when entering a new, unknown area. Even though I never really had a problem figuring out where I was or where I was going, the game does provide a very detailed in-game map. Not only does it show you important things like your current location and main story destination, but it also marks areas that are currently blocked, paths that lead to underground areas, and other points of interest. Greece is a big place, and you have a lot of exploring to do. Thankfully the process can be quite fun.

Similar to classic dungeon crawling games like Diablo, it's easy to lose track of time when playing Achilles: Legends Untold. The loot might not be as plentiful as that game, but the need to find more of it drove me to play the game in long stretches. Combat is fast-paced, and the world is full of places to explore. Even mundane tasks like managing your inventory can be enjoyable, as it makes room for more powerful gear. There are several ways to play the game, and all of them feel right. You can wander freely like I did and have a blast, or you can zero in on the main storyline. I did find that some of the story quests seemed to assume you'd have done a lot of wandering in-between, as the difficulty can sometimes spike out of nowhere. The only real way to combat rising difficulty is levelling up and getting better gear, so you always have to be on your toes as far as those two things go. The gameplay loop can be repetitive at times, but that's just the nature of the genre. Going back to what I said about combat, there's not too much here that will make you think it's game of the year material, but the game is solid enough to keep you invested until its end.

There are a lot of things that can be said about graphics in Achilles: Legends Untold, but I have to remind everyone that this is supposed to be a review that focuses on the new Nintendo Switch version of the game. I'm willing to bet that this is a visually impressive game on other platforms, but it can look pretty rough on the Switch at times. I compared it to Titan Quest earlier, and it actually reminds me a lot of how that game looks on the same console. By that I mean that it has hints of looking like a current PC title, but toned down greatly to run on lesser hardware. Imagine playing a game on PC, and having to turn down every single graphics option to the lowest setting. Picturing that will give you an idea of what to expect here. Models are blocky, some backgrounds and details are blurry, and there were a few times when the frame rate dropped far below 30 fps. Having said all that, I do have to admit that this is a fully competent port, and it's completely playable too. There were even a few points where I still found the game to be quite impressive, despite its flaws. I don't know if it's just Switch Stockholm Syndrome, but I didn't actually care that the game didn't look as great as it could on other platforms. I had a blast playing it, and only really noticed the graphical issues when they affected gameplay. Thankfully those moments were few and far between, so I was able to continue on in bliss in spite of them. The only thing I point out as a negative would have to be the usage of some small fonts. These can be hard to read in Handheld Mode, but I really can't find much to complain about beyond that. This isn't the best version of the game by far, but it's still quite good if you set your expectations accordingly.

Even though I don't have a lot of positive things to say about sound in Achilles: Legends Untold, I don't think I have a lot of negatives either. The music is good for the most part, but mostly exists in the background. I only ever really noticed it during big boss moments, and even then it just sounded generically epic. I know that's sounds like the oddest way to describe music, but it's how I felt about it most of the time. The individual tracks are well-composed, they all fit the scene they're in, but they don't stand out at all. It's a competent collection of music, but not a soundtrack that anyone is likely to want to listen to outside of the game. This isn't a bad thing of course, it's just how it is. Moving on a bit, things are a bit shakier when it comes to voice acting. Line delivery is all over the place, but I don't think it's due to bad acting. I'm willing to bet everyone in the cast is highly skilled, but the writing seems to be a bit off a lot of the time. It's hard to make bad lines sound good, and I honestly think that's the main issue here. Randomly excessive cursing, characters going through all sorts of mood swings for seemingly no reason, and even Achilles himself going back and forth between being a righteous hero and being an asshole, are just some of the things you'll have to deal with. It can make for an amusing experience, if not an uneven one too.

One aspect of Achilles: Legends Untold that I can't find fault with is its price. Not only can you pick it up for a very reasonable $19.99, but you get a lot of content too. I was not only shocked by the price, but also how long the game is too. This is easily a 20+ hour game, and it's fairly replayable as well. Besides finding every hidden secret in the game, you can also try out different character builds and difficulties too. I once again have to reiterate that it's a game that's a couple years old, and it's available on more powerful hardware, but I'm just glad it didn't pick up a Switch Tax with the new port. This obviously is the least optimized way to play the game, but it's worth picking up nevertheless.

While my recommendation isn't truly 100%, I do think that Achilles: Legends Untold is a game worth playing. Fans of games like Titan Quest and Dark Souls should stop reading and pick it up now, and I'd even say that it's appealing to the casual gamers out there too. Those looking for the best graphical performance might want to grab it on a platform other than the Switch, but that version isn't all that bad if you're able to get beyond the visuals. It still isn't the most unique game out there, but it's fun for what it is, and that's all you can really ask for at the end of the day. It's fun, it has a rewarding gameplay loop, and I hope that it gets a follow-up soon. Go out and grab it on whatever platform you can, and take out all those worthy opponents! See you in the next one!

Check Out Achilles: Legends Untold on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/achilles-legends-untold-switch/

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Story: A
Gameplay: B+
Graphics: B
Music/Sound: A-
Value: A+

Overall: A-

Pros:
+ A great mix of dungeon crawler and Soulslike gameplay.
+ Even though the plot leaves a little to be desired, the mythical Greek setting has a lot of charm.
+ Combat is fun, fast-paced, and surprisingly easy to grasp considering how many separate systems are at play.
+ Exploration and levelling up is always a good time, and that's important considering that makes up much of the gameplay loop.
+ Achilles' skills, stats, and equipment can be molded to suit any gameplay style.
+ Not only is there a lot of content here, but it comes at a good price too!

Cons:
- The plot does feel a little weak at times, and the writing is rather sub-par too.
- Though I wouldn't say it's completely horrible, the voice acting is all over the place in terms of line delivery. It can be amusing, but it also takes you out of the experience more than once.
- Possibly owing to the open world nature of the game, the difficulty spikes can sometimes come out of nowhere.
- At the end of the day, there really isn't a whole lot that makes this game unique.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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Is that Audrey II?