Rise of The Argonauts: a love letter?
(This review was originally posted on Hindsight Alloys on 12/18/2009)
I like Greek mythology. I always have. When I heard that there was a game based around the legend of Jason and the Golden Fleece, I was intrigued. It took me awhile to get around to playing it, however – big name titles like Gears of War 2, Halo 3: ODST and Borderlands have occupied my 360's disk drive for the last several months. I've also taken to revisiting old favorites like Lost Planet, and these combined have maintained a rather complete monopoly on my play time. But Rise of The Argonauts has been on my “to try” list for awhile, and with its used price dropping to $17.99 at Gamestop, this seemed like a pretty good time to try it.
Rise of The Argonauts is, at its core, Mass Effect set to the tune of Greek mythology. When I heard summaries like this used to the describe the title prior to playing it, I wasn't sure how to feel about it.
Most of the elements that made Mass Effect (and other Bioware RPGs, for that matter) noteworthy are here. Exploration of multiple environments, a cast of interchangeable party members (and cutscenes which differ depending on your choice of party), an action based combat system as opposed to a turn based one, and heavy emphasis on a semi-functional conversation simulator as a means of campaign progression.
It seems a simple enough question – did you like Mass Effect? If so, you might like Argonauts. Did you not like Mass Effect? Then leave Argonauts alone. I firmly believe, however, that one would be sorely mistaken if this is the basis by which they decide whether or not to play this game. I will you why.
Rise of The Argonauts is an action-RPG, and there's no denying it. You will explore several dungeons, acquire party members as you progress, fight an ancient evil, save mankind, et cetera so forth, but you will also do so in a bastardized retelling of Greek Mythology. Many familiar names are present – Hercules, Achilles, Argos, Medusa, Perseus, and of course the player's character, Jason. Their stories are not preserved in the most accurate fashion, but we're not here for a history lesson, and only the most steadfastly prude mythology buffs are likely to take offense. Can you fight minotaurs with Achilles and Hercules at your side? Yes. Is it awesome? <i>Yes.</i>
While we're on the subject of battle, the combat system warrants close examination. As I've said, battles are not turn based, but rather action oriented, giving the player direct control over Jason as he cuts, bashes and stabs his way through legions of Ionian mercenaries, Satyrs, Tartarus Fiends, Blacktongue sorcerers, and then some.
You have no control whatsoever over your party members. This is frustrating at times, particularly in situations where enemies must be defeated in a certain <i>place</i>, but Hercules and Pan are insistent upon running into the green ooze which makes the Tartarus Fiends invincible and fighting them <i>there</i>, instead of following your lead and luring them onto dry land where they can actually be killed.
To be fair though, this only happened once. Support characters do their job well, and contribute a great deal to the melee in even the most frantic of combat situations. They score genuine kills, and take the some of heat off of Jason when the fighting gets thick. Each character (Atalanta, Pan, Hercules, and Achilles) has their own unique fighting style and special abilities. They don't level up however, and you can't change their equipment, almost relegating them to an aspect of the scenery, so you probably won't spend too much time in deciding which to take into battle.
As far as what you <i>can</i> control in combat, Jason himself is your sole vehicle. This is where Argonauts really shines, presenting us with a combat system that is both simple and engrossing. Attack combinations are executed through simple button mashing, and pretty much every enemy in the game is defeated in a fashion one would utilize in even the simplest hack 'n slash/beat 'em up title. Different attack and weapon combinations yield different results each time a new button is added to the mix, and with a mace, sword and spear at your fingertips, you'll find no shortage of ways to dispatch your foes. Multi-weapon combos are also present (switching weapons mid-attack for extra damage) and Jason's shield is used for both attack (decapitations, specifically) and defense. You will also gain access to special God Powers as you play, which change the flow of combat in a variety of ways. Argonauts is a gory battlefield, and a fun one at that. Even so, you'll probably find yourself using the same patterns over and over again (I'm particularly fond of the spear thrust followed by a shield decapitation), and the fighting wears thin after an hour or two of play time. If I had to summarize it, I'd say it lies somewhere between God of War and Dynasty Warriors, equal parts intricate and repetitive.
The leveling and stat progression system is heavily streamlined, giving you more time to focus on the quest for the Golden Fleece itself. You'll spend a minimal amount of time managing Jason's stats, a task which is quite simply performed by assigning skill points in the form of your completed sidequests and story missions. As opposed to a skill tree, you are presented with the concept of devoting any given quest to one of Jason's four patron gods (Apollo, Ares, Athena and Hermes). Each god or goddess enhances different aspects of Jason's combat efficiency, meaning that you have to choose whether or not you want to devote Manslayer IV (this is actually the name of a sidequest) to Ares for more attack power, or to Apollo for fast health regeneration. It's not a complicated system, and with a minimal amount of planning, you'll find yourself in control of a fairly badass Jason by the end of your fourth dungeon. The system works well, and plays into an emphasis on a casual gaming as opposed to RPG level-grinding.
Sound, graphics, camera and play controls, save-and-load and their ilk are all competent to well constructed. Autosave is ever present throughout the main quest. Cutscenes are well animated. Technically speaking Rise of The Argonauts is almost watertight, with only a few hiccups to hold it back. The occasional invisible wall (why can't I go BETWEEN the pillars instead of AROUND them?) and camera spasm (it's having a seizure because I took out my sword!) prevent Argonauts from being called structurally sound, but you'll hardly notice. If you're in the mood, you'll probably spend the majority of your time talking to the dozens of NPCs and looking forward to your next fight, as opposed to bemoaning a few annoying glitches.
It almost seems wrong to devote so much attention to a game that borrows so liberally from other titles. The aforementioned examples (God of War, Mass Effect, Dynasty Warriors) are all obvious examples of previous, successful titles that clearly influenced the <i>Argonauts</i> team as this game was created. You can call it a Mass Effect ripoff all you like, but as I plunged through the jungles of Saria and felled foes by the dozen in Mycenae's arena, a thought occurred to me: <i>Rise of The Argonauts</i> is trying most fervently to be its own game. It fails only because of the many games to come before it that did in a revolutionary way what it does so passively. This is not a soulless cash-in, but rather a sort homage. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Rise of The Argonauts is a love letter.
tAnd besides, if a game based on classic Christian literature can bleed God of War so shamelessly, then I see no reason why Jason and The Argonauts can't take a cue from Captain Shepperd.
