ATLAS FALLEN Review: Gliding Over Sand And Issues

PC Review Code Provided by Focus Entertainment

Creating an entertaining RPG is one thing, but to keep it interesting is a whole other aspect of development. Despite the great efforts by Deck13, it seems they got Focus Entertainment to publish a game with a lot of entertaining gameplay elements and a bogus level of interest in lore. That said, there is plenty to love about Atlas Fallen if you don’t mind skipping cutscenes and doing the objective because - why not? But if you are coming here for a good tale, I’ll go ahead and save you time by suggesting you look elsewhere.

Gameplay

Probably the best thing about this game is the gameplay, especially since you can enjoy it through co-op with a friend. Traveling is a lot of fun in this game because of the fact that you can literally surf on top of the sand! It took quite some time through the game before this minor traveling aspect even started to get tedious, it’s honestly just a lot of fun.

Breaking up the times you are surfing on the sand will be for combat and city explorations. Starting with the city explorations, this is where you will be mainly progressing the story, upgrading your equipment, and buying whatever you need. There isn’t a lot to do in the cities, but you will find yourself in them from time to time, so it is worth taking a look around yourself and seeing who can offer what from within.

The combat is actually a lot of fun, especially with a friend! You will find a few different weapon types to choose from, each with its own style. You will also be able to fight in the air, but this is best maintained with the more quickly moving weapons, like the sword. Don’t be afraid to test out the different types of attack options you have and pull off combos because this game has plenty to choose from.

Audio and Visual

They definitely put some work into the aesthetics of this game because it is honestly beautiful! The environment may be full of sand, but the way the sun glistens is like a tan ocean. Not to mention the creatures all look very detailed, the combat move animations and interactions are swift with big impacts, and the characters have a distinct stylish design. The same goes for the music put in this game - very well designed and placement choices. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the voice acting because it was just a hit-or-miss system there. Some characters had some good voice work while others should talk less, to put it bluntly.

Replayability

As long as you are enjoying the gameplay, there is plenty of replayability to this game.

What It Could Have Done Better

To put it together in a quick list, there was some voice work that really should have been improved on, the high-quality visual detail likely led to the bit of performance issues I experienced in the game, and the story isn’t even worth talking about. If they had spent some time tightening the loose bolts in the name of lore, performance, and voice work, then this game would have been a knockout but unfortunately, because of the lack of quality control, it got knocked down.

Verdict

Atlas Fallen delivers when it comes to an entertaining gameplay experience but falls short in a few other aspects. Even with that said, this is a game that is worth at least trying out before overlooking it. Sure, it could be better in a few areas, but the most important aspect of the game - the gameplay - was solid and well-designed, giving hours of entertainment easily. You will just want to skip some cutscenes and dialogue to enjoy it better.