I have been waiting anxiously for Apotheon since I first saw screenshots about a year or two ago of the unique art direction, triggering I have been waiting anxiously for Apotheon since I first saw screenshots about a year or two ago of the unique art direction, triggering child-hood flashbacks of playing Castlevania II: Simons Quest for hours upon hours. Now being a huge fan of Greek history/civilization, I was very interested to see something that wasn’t exactly like the usual take on that time period/civilization, but had to force myself to not think about it too much as the wait began. Fast forward to today and having played through around 5 hours of Apotheon, I have to say the game has impressed me very much so far.



I absolutely love the visuals and little details within the game, which is heavily based on the art seen on ancient Greek pottery, conveying a dream-like feel as you wander the various areas within the game. The color scheme used for each area is very interesting, often going for a monochromatic look for many (if not all, as I have not completed the game as of yet) areas of the world, which gives the game a very nice and consistent look, yet each area within the game still feels distinct.



The character and creature renderings are very well done and highly stylized, and while I myself love it, it may not appeal to those who like a less stylized feel. That being said, I feel that the rendering of the animals, humans, creatures, and gods are spot on and doesn’t go overboard with excessive details (understandable given the style of ancient Greek art) giving everything a nice and streamlined look, while maintaining the little flourishes here and there where it counts (like the lines that adorn the body of elk/deer/hind/whatever they’re called).



The combat system is actually pretty simplified, yet interesting, with different types of swings/thrusts being at your disposal (depending on the position of the mouse), with much of combat being about timing, movement, and matching up weapons that are better suited to the current fight to give you the most advantage.



The world of Apotheon is a destructible one, so don’t get too attached to your weapons or shields as they will eventually wear down and break.. This rule also extends to the objects that inhabit the game world, with many being able to be destroyed with possible spoils to be looted.



The game is surprisingly visceral as well, which I didn’t really expect, showing spurts of blood when you strike a creature/person, while a mortally wounded enemy will cough and choke and gurgle as they lay dying.



Musically, the score is beautiful, although it does hit the wailing woman trope a lot and it knows when to add an exclamation point to a scene and when to linger in the background, adding more wonder/tension to exploration and combat, respectively.



All this is well and good, but probably the thing I love the most about Apotheon is the lack of constraint in the way you approach the game, which is more of a sandbox than anything else. Of course its not completely open world like Oblivion or Skyrim, but its open enough to allow me to explore the world at my leisure and really communicates the feel (or illusion) of freedom very well as you wander about, as well as a sense of wonder as you uncover new areas or secrets.



Within this open world, animals wander and flee from you, citizens go about their (although limited) business, while friends and enemies populate the wilds and are always spawning, giving the game a sometimes frantic pace. In this, resource management is key, as is keeping a nice healthy stock of weapons and supplies.



It’s not a perfect game, make no mistake in that, as it does have some issues with the controls (at least getting used to using the mouse to aim) that take some time to get acclimated to. Difficulty seems to be above average (or I could be wandering around where I shouldn’t be…) and it does feel like I’m fighting for my life sometimes, which keeps the pressure on and provides a healthy amount of tension.



I have to say I am biased about Apotheon, in the sense that it is a game that happens to have the features I most appreciate in a game, any game, but I also feel that it is a strong title overall, but is probably not for everyone. If you love Greek mythology and history, or if you’re a fan of open world action/platformers/rpgs that don’t really hold your hand, you’ll love this game. I had some very cautious expectations of this title before release and have not been disappointed yet. … Expand