Set in that lovable age of Greek Mythology, Rise of the Argonauts follows the story of Jason, a Greek King whose wife was assassinated. After taking his revenge on the killer, Jason sets out on his ship (the Argo) to find an item called the Golden Fleece, the only thing that can save his wife (or so he believes). It is the classic Greek story brought to life in a video game. Like all adaptations, some liberties have been taken with the story, but all in all this is shaping up to be a solid title.
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The game-play generally revolves around you visiting different islands scattered around Greece in order to find the Fleece, gathering the 'Argonauts' to your side as you progress through the game. Players also collect new and unique weapons as they progress through the game and as Jason evolves, so does his skills. Each Island will have a different theme to it, generally related to a God (which will be covered later) and so each will have its own visuals.
The developers claim that Argonauts is a 'true' action RPG, a game that successfully meshes together elements from both genres. Whether the final product will live up to this title remains to be seen, but so far it's looking pretty good.
Everything is done in real time, and whilst combat generally revolves around the 'hack 'n' slash' dynamic, the developers have modified it slightly. Unlike other games, enemies don't have hit-points or anything like that, not visible anyway. What they do have however is a form of area hit registration. So a hit in the arm will mean an enemy won't be able to use that arm, a hit in the leg and they will be crippled, etc. Jason also has his powerful shield, which plays an important role in combat as well – think of the shields they had in 300. There will be special abilities such as God powers, so all in all their is a rich and diverse array of combat methods at a player's disposal.
The RPG side of the game shows it's mythological head in the form of the favour and deeds system. There are four Greek Gods in the game that Jason can 'dedicate' deeds too – deeds being an in-game version of the 360 achievements. This in turn helps Jason and his allies level up and gain new abilities, which are defined by the God you choose to ally yourself with. You can also gain favour with a particular God through dialogue, which follows a generic RPG-choice system. Each choice is associated with one of the Gods, and your choice will reflect how the game turns out, and which God you are more aligned to. The dialogue is based on a system that is becoming popular of late, which you could say started with Mass Effect, and has been improved upon and evolved in consequent games that use it. As mentioned before, each dialogue choice you make in the game does have an impact, and its consequences are tangible.
Whilst we are on the subject of choices, the developers have done things in a slightly different way than most games with RPG elements. Whilst the choices Jason makes do effect your environment and the story, these changes generally apply to the immediate time-frame, as opposed to the ending or the wider game. Things like which Argonauts he takes with him, which God he favours, or a conversation or action he has on a particular island will affect how that island plays out. As for the ending, Liquid has designed it so that you can actually see each of the different outcomes by simply reloading the last hour or so of game-play, as opposed to having to play through the whole game. An interesting design choice, and in a way risky, as most people may just skip the main part of the game and just view all the endings. On the other hand, this way almost guarantees at least one replay, even if it is just the end due to the increased accessibility.
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This demonstration was the first hands-on preview that Liquid has done with this game, so we were shown a level that could show the various elements at work. The build that we saw was in the beta stages, and so far it's looking pretty slick. Graphics look good, and the environments have been beautifully rendered. The controls are very simple and intuitive, with quick, heavy and fatality moves mapped to their own buttons. To cut down on inventory time, there's even a button to quickly cycle through all your available weapons. As you move through the different areas, you'll more often than not have some of the Argonauts with you, but you don't have to worry about them as the AI controls them. More action than RPG, but it works, and it keeps things in the moment and in real-time, which is the developers true aim.
Rise of the Argonauts is shaping up to be a serious contender for the holiday line-up. Due out in October, there's a couple of months left for things to wrong, but to be honest it is doubtful that anything will. Those of you who liked Spartan, or even God of War (although there are no quick-time or context based sequences from what we can see) will definitely enjoy this. The developers have really set up to capture the 'epicness' of the Greek tales, and this game may be one of the few that achieve it whilst still being believable. Make no mistake though, this game is violent, bloody, and has its fair share of swearing, so be prepared. Still, it’s definitely one for the Christmas list.
