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The Devil's Grid: 'Apotheon' beautifully slays gods

(Photo courtesy of AlienTrap Games)
(Photo courtesy of AlienTrap Games)

The Devils Grid

When we think of Greece or Rome in video games, we tend to immediately think of the more action-based hack and slash affairs like "God of War," or even more recently, "Ryse: Son of Rome." That of course says nothing about the various strategy games that these countries have popped up in as well, but action games are the more concurrent thought.

“Apotheon” takes a 2-D side-scrolling approach to Roman/Grecian action, and the payoff is a beautiful and fun way to do some god killing.

The story follows Nikandreos, a man called by Zeus’s wife Hera to strike down her husband and the other gods for separating themselves from the mortals of Earth, leading to people dying, crops ruined and other bad things.

It’s another “kill the gods for revenge” framing device that leads to an otherwise bland plot throughout the game. It’s disappointing because the game’s voice acting, while at times campy, is quite decent throughout, save for Nikandreos doing the silent protagonist bit.

However, beyond the simple tale is an addicting and enjoyable romp through Mount Olympus. Taking a cue from history, the game borrows art from the clay Greco-Roman pots of the era and stretches them out over various and vibrantly colorful areas. Anywhere from Hades to Athena's forest is fair game, and the elements within each area are gorgeous.

(Photo courtesy of AlienTrap Games) (Photo courtesy of AlienTrap Games)

The best way I can describe “Apotheon’s” overall look is if you were able to plug a controller into those old clay pots from Roman times and play from there. To complete the style, a spotlight in the background highlights divots and cracks in the clay, as if one was seeing the art come to life on an old cavern somewhere. It’s amazing.

The game’s combat adds to the fun, eschewing combination-based attacks for timing and precision. Each encounter has you watching baddies for an opening between their attacks and finding a chance to strike. It may sound slow, and you’d be right to a point, if not for the amount of weapons and varying speeds. There’s always a way out of a hairy situation, even if you’re locked into the room. This leads to some exciting fights, especially with the boss battles against the gods.

Because the areas are sprawling, there's a lot of exploration at hand, with hidden areas housing gold and new weapons. It's always a treat to find these rooms even on accident, but they're pretty easy to get inside. Often times there’s a switch or wall that needs to be blown up. Other times you'll need a lock pick to get in, but those are hardly scarce. The tradeoff to this easiness is that there’s a ton of secrets to dig up, and it's likely you won't finish in the first run.

Apotheon is a great game, and a great sophomore effort from Alien Trap Games. While the story is simple and by the numbers, it's outweighed by an inventive art style, addictive combat and is supported by some entertaining exploration. Yes, you're killing the gods once more, but it's a fresh take on the method that should please action fans all around.

Reach the reporter at djulienr@asu.edu or follow @legendpenguin on Twitter

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