Achilles: Legends Untold Review

03.11.2023 - 14:26 / thesixthaxis.com / Brad Pitt

The legendary hero Achilles was heralded as the greatest of all the Greeks, so shouldn’t that make Achilles: Legends Untold the greatest of all the video games? Well, to put it succinctly, no. But that doesn’t mean this action RPG isn’t worth your time, as it has a lot to offer despite its Achilles’ heel-like shortcomings.

Unsurprisingly, you take on the role of the iconic warrior Achilles during the cataclysmic siege of Troy. After vanquishing Hector in a rather underwhelming show-down, Achilles is quickly dispatched by Paris in one of those annoying ‘you were always meant to lose’ boss fights. That’s where shenanigans kick off properly, with Achilles mysteriously brought back to life and returned to Greece some ten years later. Achilles must find out what has happened during the intervening decade, uncover the secrets of his rebirth, seek out his fellow Myrmidons, and kill loads and loads of monsters in as gory a fashion as possible.

The best way to describe Achilles: Legends Untold is as an isometric 3D action adventure with RPG-lite elements and occasional Dark Souls aspirations. By that I mean this game is harder than Achilles’ abs, particularly when played on Hero mode – thankfully Wanderer mode is a tad more welcoming, at least in the early going. Each enemy encounter could easily be your last, but luckily for Achilles, he’ll then simply return at the closest of the many shrines he has discovered on his journey.

Combat is simple but pleasingly violent. Achilles must either crowd-control large groups or assess and respond to the attack patterns of singular bosses. Vastly different skills and items are available to deal with both enemy types, ensuring a satisfying amount of brains are required alongside the usual action-adventure brawn in order to succeed. Take Achilles’ Spartan kick – delivered with a level of gusto that would make Gerard Butler proud – by way of an example, as it is perfect to knock human-like bosses off balance but is pretty useless against a gang of skeletons. In contrast, various shock wave skills will repel those skeletons but do nothing against a Minotaur. Mixing up your attacks is the name of the game, which makes it frustrating that Achilles’ powers are so laborious to switch between. The game inexplicably forces a tedious return to the menu rather than a quick-select option during the heat of battle.

Alongside his more exciting skills, Achilles also has a light and strong attack that can be combo’d with the right timing. He can dodge like Brad Pitt in Troy too, right up until his very limited stamina bar expires leaving the shredded hunk panting like a particularly overweight dog on a hot day in July – should’ve really done more stamina training. Suffice it to say, it’s