Rise of the Argonauts Firstlook
February 27,2008 - Rise of the Argonauts looks to be steadily coming into the woodwork as of late, with more details emerging about this action-RPG every day. Developer Liquid Entertainment is excited about offering a truly rich and original title set around the mythological backdrop of Jason and his popular Golden Fleece. But as the game is set for its future 2008 release, just how great is Rise of the Argonauts shaping up to be? We at Gamer 2.0 take you on a first-look journey of this RPG-in-the-making.
With so many recent games being based on ancient mythology, Rise of the Argonauts sets to make itself known by offering an original take on the story of Jason of Iolcus. While his adventures regarding his Golden Fleece are well known, Liquid Entertainment chose to offer a back-story you have not heard anywhere else (and you haven’t since it is entirely fresh and original). Rise of the Argonauts follows Jason as he travels to find the famed Fleece, but instead of using the Fleece for personal gain, he is now searching for it in an attempt to revive his dead wife. Liquid Entertainment is being very hush-hush about some of the main stars in the game, but those of you history buffs out there can probably figure out who Jason’s heart melts for.
Although the game focuses on these original story points, many of Jason’s archetypal facets will make appearances throughout the game. His massive boat, the Argos, is used as the most prominent means of transportation throughout the game. Fixtures on the boat, such as blacksmiths, vendors who fix armor and items, and even priests become fluent as you progress through the game. The upgrading mechanics are similar to those in Kingdom Hearts and the Gummi Ship, just much better and intuitive. The Argos has more bearing on the story than most travel vessels tend to do, so expect it to be as important to Jason as his many characters.
After securing the Argos, Jason will soon meet his devoted Argonauts, a group of fighters that are said to be some of the most fearsome and devoted followers in all of Argos. Naturally, you will find your occasional heavyweight icons such as Achilles and Hercules abound, as well as lesser known heroines such as Atalanta and Odysseus. The range of characters playable in the game has not yet been confirmed by Liquid Entertainment, but they have said it is at least ten, which is a good number of characters to choose from in a large-rounded RPG.
Combat in Rise of the Argonauts happens in real-time, meaning you are free to fight and issue commands whenever you want during battle. Similar to the title Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, the game flows freely during combat, and offers button segments that allow you to perform high-performance moves, ala God of War. Also like Marvel, characters portray a different array of skills and maneuvers during battle. Achilles relies on his battle adrenaline to offer devastating melee kills; Hercules has super strength and can turn any object into a makeshift weapon, and Atalanta uses her bow and speed to attack from afar. The many possibilities of how you arrange your trio of fighters to battle alongside of Jason is engrossing.
As you progress through the game, you will earn experience points for upgrading weapons, skills, etc, as well as favor for the gods. Jason is aligned with four different deities in the game (Apollo, Ares, Athena, and Hermes), all of whom can grant him special powers for favors performed. A “god tree” of sorts is set up in the menu for players to choose their own path and please whichever god they choose. You can follow one route on the tree and totally omit the other, which will please one god and anger the other. The choice is up to you and making the right choice of what you prefer is always a fun and engaging option to decide. It is not certain what these special skills earned might be, but judging from who the gods are they might reflect their specialties. For example, Hermes’ favor tree might resemble skills that improve quickness in battle (since he is the god of Flight and Speed) while Ares’ (we all know who he is the god of) tree might improve battle strength. Again, these options are still up to debate and may not be known until the game is nearer to launch.
The favor given to the gods is more than just earning skills, as you even earn valuable resources during your journey. As you progress through the game, you will come across damsels in distress, civilian inquiries, and people who just need your help. Exercising your time to lend a helping hand will definitely please the gods, and by doing so will give you items that will give you the upper hand when fighting monstrous bosses. An example would be projectiles that could have been used against Adonis when fighting him during one level. Of course, boss battles can as sure be won without any of these special items from the gods, but it makes your life a lot easier if you have them at your disposal.
Another fun quip that Liquid Entertainment has proposed is the reduction of menus and interfaces. A staple to RPG games, especially on consoles, players usually need to tend to their character’s needs and abilities by lavishing through an expansive and ordeal menu. Rise of the Argonauts changes that, with weapon and item selection, experience point distribution, and other notable attributes that happen on-screen with no pause in the game. The only need to head to the menu for upgrading seems to be with the gods’ favor tree system. It will be interesting to see how Liquid Entertainment can master a control scheme to balance this sort of unique presentation out, and hopefully they can create a system that could be used in games to come.
Rise of the Argonauts is shaping up to be a truly dynamic game. With so much potential thrown on the table, Liquid Entertainment created a thriving world full of immense splendor with a truly original, gripping story. The gods have aligned so far from what we have seen, so let’s hope things only get better as the game nears launch later this year. Plus, with expected online and offline co-op multiplayer modes, what more could you ask for?
Written By: Joshua Schwartzman | Tags: Rise of the Argonauts, PC, Codemasters, Liquid Entertainment
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Although the game focuses on these original story points, many of Jason’s archetypal facets will make appearances throughout the game. His massive boat, the Argos, is used as the most prominent means of transportation throughout the game. Fixtures on the boat, such as blacksmiths, vendors who fix armor and items, and even priests become fluent as you progress through the game. The upgrading mechanics are similar to those in Kingdom Hearts and the Gummi Ship, just much better and intuitive. The Argos has more bearing on the story than most travel vessels tend to do, so expect it to be as important to Jason as his many characters.
After securing the Argos, Jason will soon meet his devoted Argonauts, a group of fighters that are said to be some of the most fearsome and devoted followers in all of Argos. Naturally, you will find your occasional heavyweight icons such as Achilles and Hercules abound, as well as lesser known heroines such as Atalanta and Odysseus. The range of characters playable in the game has not yet been confirmed by Liquid Entertainment, but they have said it is at least ten, which is a good number of characters to choose from in a large-rounded RPG.
Combat in Rise of the Argonauts happens in real-time, meaning you are free to fight and issue commands whenever you want during battle. Similar to the title Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, the game flows freely during combat, and offers button segments that allow you to perform high-performance moves, ala God of War. Also like Marvel, characters portray a different array of skills and maneuvers during battle. Achilles relies on his battle adrenaline to offer devastating melee kills; Hercules has super strength and can turn any object into a makeshift weapon, and Atalanta uses her bow and speed to attack from afar. The many possibilities of how you arrange your trio of fighters to battle alongside of Jason is engrossing.
As you progress through the game, you will earn experience points for upgrading weapons, skills, etc, as well as favor for the gods. Jason is aligned with four different deities in the game (Apollo, Ares, Athena, and Hermes), all of whom can grant him special powers for favors performed. A “god tree” of sorts is set up in the menu for players to choose their own path and please whichever god they choose. You can follow one route on the tree and totally omit the other, which will please one god and anger the other. The choice is up to you and making the right choice of what you prefer is always a fun and engaging option to decide. It is not certain what these special skills earned might be, but judging from who the gods are they might reflect their specialties. For example, Hermes’ favor tree might resemble skills that improve quickness in battle (since he is the god of Flight and Speed) while Ares’ (we all know who he is the god of) tree might improve battle strength. Again, these options are still up to debate and may not be known until the game is nearer to launch.
The favor given to the gods is more than just earning skills, as you even earn valuable resources during your journey. As you progress through the game, you will come across damsels in distress, civilian inquiries, and people who just need your help. Exercising your time to lend a helping hand will definitely please the gods, and by doing so will give you items that will give you the upper hand when fighting monstrous bosses. An example would be projectiles that could have been used against Adonis when fighting him during one level. Of course, boss battles can as sure be won without any of these special items from the gods, but it makes your life a lot easier if you have them at your disposal.
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Rise of the Argonauts is shaping up to be a truly dynamic game. With so much potential thrown on the table, Liquid Entertainment created a thriving world full of immense splendor with a truly original, gripping story. The gods have aligned so far from what we have seen, so let’s hope things only get better as the game nears launch later this year. Plus, with expected online and offline co-op multiplayer modes, what more could you ask for?
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| Published by: | Codemasters |
| Developed by: | Liquid Entertainment |
| Genre: | Action RPG |
| # of Players: | 1-2 |
| ESRB Rating: | Rating Pending |
| Release Date: | US: Q3 2008 |
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Gamer 2.0 Rating: N/A | User Rating: 8.7
Gamer 2.0 Rating: N/A | Hype Rating: N/A
Gamer 2.0 Rating: 6.9 | Hype Rating: 8.7
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