It’s been over two years since we looked at the early access PC build of Achilles: Legends Untold. It was always an interesting proposition when initially marketed as a Souls-like ARPG, but Dark Point Games has tweaked and evolved the core gameplay significantly, including a story and balance overhaul, to the point it’s now a somewhat less distinct, streamlined, yet satisfying ARPG – with tough, tactical combat for those who want it. That might sound like a negative if you’re looking for something with the scale and depth of Diablo IV or Path of Exile, but Achilles: Legends Untold stands out by offering more hands-on combat that rewards skill as much as a higher gear score.
If the IP is new to you, or you were curious about the state of the console port, Achilles: Legends Untold places you in the boots of the titular, gruff-voiced hero after the familiar Siege of Troy legend goes awry. Achilles is struck down by Paris, only to plunge into an abyss, and reemerge into a very different Greece with a 10-years memory gap. Kings have turned into tyrants, bandits and renegade soldiers pray on the vulnerable, mythical monsters plague the roads, and rifts are opening between the realm of the living and the dead. Achilles finds himself straddling both worlds, fighting for the living by defeating horrors using his Hades vision to peer across the veil.
As with most ARPGs, the plot itself is interesting yet unremarkable when the storytelling is limited to lightly animated cutscenes and lengthy dialogue sequences in which you simply stare at tiny characters from the usual isometric perspective. An early encounter highlights a choice system – sparing or executing rare mini-bosses – but this is effectively the choice between a weapon or A skill, with no impact on in-game interactions until the campaign ending. Like most of its kind, Achilles: Legends Untold is just a mix of glorified kill- and fetch-quests that get you exploring the map and engaging with its mechanics.
Talking mechanics, Achilles: Legends Untold always feels streamlined when it comes to character levelling, gear rarity, and crafting, but the satisfying combat can range from Diablo-esque hack-and-slash, to ‘Souls-like slow and cautious brawls – all depending on your chosen difficulty. You can change it at any time to avoid a few difficulty spikes, with easier modes allowing you to wade into combat more freely, concentrating instead on managing stamina for shield-disrupting heavy attacks and dodging unblockable attacks. In contrast, higher difficulties force you to isolate or kite enemies, continuously guard and parry, land blows when you can, and exploit elemental weaknesses.
It’s a combat system that feels intuitive on a gamepad – but a little less precise as the combat-lock is highly effective at getting you killed if you’re not switching targets continuously. Thankfully, Achilles: Legends Untold still has the typical character and gear upgrade systems to make your life easier. Experience from kills, shrines, enemy-filled rifts – all these activities grant skill points that you slot into a sprawling but limited skill tree of passive buffs. Unlocked active skills grant you powerful combat moves, while an assortment of collectible materials allows you to enhance tiered weapons and armour – think common, rare, epic, etc. – many of which have variants that deal or protect from elements.
Outside of the combat, there’s admittedly little to differentiate Achilles: Legends Untold from other action RPGs when even the setting is reminiscent of Titan Quest; however, that feels like less of an issue given how “breezy” it feels compared to its peers. The two large regions you explore are compact, interconnected paths with a handful of mini dungeons; rare side quests never send you far; and the main story can be completed in 12 or so hours (difficulty spikes permitting). That brevity is no doubt the reason most of the post-launch updates, including v1.5’s free “Fates of Moira” DLC, have aimed to refine mechanics and provide new end-game or new-game plus modifiers.
For returning players, the Fates of Moira DLC adds three NG+ modifiers that’ll either intrigue or annoy you depending on your tastes. “Inevitable Fate of Atropos – The Path of Caution” is a one-hit-kill modifier for Achilles and all enemies outside of bosses, which’ll test your timing and reflexes. “Fate of Clotho the Spinner – The Path of Aggression” is the complete opposite, constantly draining your life unless you defeat foes and drain their souls. “Fate of Lachesis the Allotter – The Path of Endurance” is perhaps the least appealing, as you’re stalked by an invincible and increasingly powerful Lajstrygon.
On the other hand, if you’re a newcomer just curious about a first playthrough, it could still be worth it for fans of the genre looking for a palette-cleanser between another season of grinding their favourite – especially given its budget price point.
Achilles: Legends Untold was played on Xbox Series S|X using a code provided to gameblur by the publisher. It is also available on PC and PS5.
