Atlas Fallen - Review Thread (67/100 OpenCritic)

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/3760609

Game Information

Game Title: Atlas Fallen

Platforms:

PC (Aug 10, 2023)
PlayStation 5 (Aug 10, 2023)
Xbox Series X/S (Aug 10, 2023)

Trailers:

Developer: Deck13

Publisher: Focus Entertainment

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 67 average - 27% recommended - 58 reviews

Critic Reviews

Destructoid - Steven Mills - 7 / 10

I do think there is reason enough to experience Atlas Fallen. Especially if you are a fan of the action RPG genre. It may not leave a lasting impression once you’ve completed the adventure, but it will be enjoyable enough along the way to hold your interest.

Digital Trends - Tomas Franzese - 2 / 5

Atlas Fallen has some ambitious ideas for a game of its scale, but its poor presentation holds back a promising combat system.

Eurogamer - Kaan Serin - 3 / 5

Atlas Fallen echoes other mid-00s slashers with fun melee combat and cool ideas, trapped in a run-of-the-mill open world.

GamesRadar+ - Jon Bailes - 2.5 / 5

It’s proficient in some respects, adequate in others, and manageable at worst. But that leaves a creative void in its world and the way you interact with it that calls into question the value of the whole endeavour.

Gaming Nexus - Jason Dailey - 7.5 / 10

Atlas Fallen might not make any game of the year lists, but its inventive, refreshing combat is worth checking out. It will require a bit of patience, as the opening and closing acts are a protracted slog, in addition to numerous bugs, but the foundation is set for a sequel that capitalizes on the promise of this new IP.

IGN - Gabriel Moss - 7 / 10

Atlas Fallen is a solid open-world action RPG with plenty of platforming and large monsters to fight with a co-op buddy, so long as neither of you cares about story or is a stickler for high-quality textures.

Kotaku - Ethan Gach - Unscored

Deck13’s latest can’t get off the ground. Like the sandy ruins filling its world, the best parts of Atlas Fallen feel buried beneath the same open-world junk you’ve already done in a bunch of other games.

Metro GameCentral - Nick Gillett - 5 / 10

A combat-heavy action RPG with fun fights and spectacular landscapes, that’s brought down by glitches, fiddly navigation, and an over-reliance on fetch quests.

PCGamesN - Matt Poskitt - 8 / 10

Atlas Fallen’s superb combat, intruiging world, and fluid traversal make up for a play-by-numbers narrative. Thankfully, simple things like surfing the sands of a ginormous desert wasteland and taking on behemoth beasts mean I can enjoy the game for what it is instead of what it could have been.

Press Start - James Wood - 6 / 10

Atlas Fallen layers interesting and engaging combat systems onto a lacklustre world and frustrating camera controls making for an uneven and forgettable fantasy action outing. Deck13 continues its work of innovating the genre in interesting ways but there’s just a little too much going on for Atlas Fallen to ever find solid ground.

Push Square - Liam Croft - 7 / 10

It’s disappointing to come up against a few too many flaws, but when Atlas Fallen is on form, its marriage of movement and fighting shines through.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Ed Thorn - Unscored

An action adventure with endearing six-out-of-ten jank, carried by weighty combat with heaps of style and customisation.

TechRaptor - Rutledge Daugette - 9 / 10

With exploration enhanced by fun traversal, a progression system that doesn’t tie you to levels, and combat that never gets boring with flashy abilities and fast-paced movement - Atlas Fallen is definitely worth your time.

TheSixthAxis - Gareth Chadwick - 5 / 10

Atlas Fallen is at its best when you’re fighting huge enemies with your carefully constructed (by trial and error) build, but when you’re repeatedly fighting the same enemies, when the story falls flat, and the environments blend into one, it starts to get dull and frustrating quickly.

Try Hard Guides - 4 / 10

Atlas Fallen is a game that wants to be so many things, but fails to be any of them. It wants to be the next epic fantasy universe, but lacks the originality or compelling writing to do so. It wants to be an action game akin to its inspirations, but can’t quite deliver on the mechanics it’s inspired by. It wants to be an amazing piece of visual art, but delivers stunning vistas alongside jilted animations and boring enemy designs. It’s a game with deceptive marketing, showing off an inaccurate portrayal of the experience ahead, and one that feels like it had too many teams working on it at once. Unfortunately, it’s also one you should probably give a wide berth.

Worth Playing - Cody Medellin - 7 / 10

Atlas Fallen is fine in parts and frustrating in others. The world seems fascinating, but the characters are the least compelling part of the story. The combat can feel fluid, and the number of powers you can use makes for a good deal of build possibilities. You’ll wish there were more weapons, though. Traversal is fun, but you will need to ignore Nyaal, who often calls out things that are nowhere in the proximity. The development team could’ve used some more time to tighten things up, but ultimately, Atlas Fallen remains a good distraction in between other, more polished action-adventure games.

XboxEra - Jesse Norris - 6.9 / 10

Atlas Fallen is close to being damned good. It is let down by a lack of variety in enemy encounters, poor side quests, and dreadful writing. Still, the combat quickly becomes damned fun and with the option of co-op, it’s well worth checking out if you want some God of Crackdown-style action platforming adventures.