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Greetings fellow Lifers! Perusing the PSN store can often yield surprising results, especially in the form of a free game. Normally, free doesn’t mean good which thankfully isn’t the case with APOTHEON, a brutal 2D side scroller set in ancient Greece as the Iron Age is in its decline. The gods of Olympus have decided that humans have run their course. Zeus has ordered a cease and desist on all gifts towards humanity from his fellow deities. Meaning Apollo stopped the sun from shining, Demeter laid waste to the crops and fertile lands, etc, etc… Cast into darkness, with no food, no animals to hunt, humankind spirals into madness and their own inevitable extinction.
Enter Nikandreos, a young warrior from the village Dion, who starts his journey with the discovery that his home was destroyed by a group of raiders. With the village’s citizens and soldiers dead on the streets, Nikandreos immediately arms himself to rid the lands of the invaders. This brings you to a temple, where you run into Hera. She begins to inform you of Zeus’ disdain for mankind and his role in the lack of natural resources that now threatens the longevity of the human race. Hera offers you the chance to return the gifts of the Gods to Earth and it’s inhabitants by storming the gates of Mount Olympus and killing every last one of the Gods who have forsaken man by Zeus’ decree.
Assaulting the Gods in their homes is not easy, nor should it be. You’re given a goddamn arsenal of ancient weapons to use against the divine denizens of Olympus as well as a slew of hidden weapons enchanted with various magical properties. Social status is completely irrelevant. Hell, you don’t even need to be sentient. God, soldier, servant, flora or fauna-nothing is safe from Nikandreos’ onslaught. Which brings me to the player mechanics of APOTHEON; while difficult to master in the early stages of the game, the mechanics utilize both the left and right analog sticks. The left is for your feet, the right for your sword and shield. The movements can sometimes be less than fluid, which is easily the game’s biggest downfall. You cannot afford to be anything less than swift and precise when dealing with your opponent, especially since the combat is so ruthless. You soon realize that anyone with a sword, spear or javelin can put you down, and quick. After all, these are the God’s personal armed forces.
The art in this game is very impressive and just aesthetically pleasing. I remember being totally entranced and thinking “Wow, this art is perfect! How has this style not been utilized in a game prior?” Clearly heavily influenced by Grecian black-figure pottery paintings, the art fits perfectly with the game play of this side scroller. It feels like you could be watching this whole story play out on an ancient urn unearthed from Greek ruins, and it would be just as entertaining honestly. The animation can sometimes seem a bit sluggish, which when coupled with the aforementioned awkward combat schematics can lead to brief moments of trial and error. Those moments luckily are few and far between, needing only a bit of perseverance to overcome any obstacles.
Truly one of the most challenging aspects of this game is the sheer amount of boss battles. Each of the Olympians you’re tasked with confronting will most likely result in a formidable battle of blades or wits, sometimes even both! However there seemed to always be three or four mini-bosses I had to dispatch before I was even able to defy the various wraths of Mt. Olympus. It certainly felt overwhelming when the odds weren’t in my favor, and evening said odds did little to ease my nerves during those challenges. My favorite moment of boss-induced psychosis was definitely fighting Ares, God of War, in his lair filled with lethal traps and flowing rivers of blood while his undead servants chanted “KILL, KILL, KILL FOR ARES!”
APOTHEON is quite the ego-bruiser. Whether forcing you to imbibe your last health potion or watch your shield be destroyed before your very eyes, the game is merciless. In turn however, your victories are that much sweeter. Those moments of triumph where you close your eyes and exhale your breath slowly onto your clenched fist are priceless and whole hearted satisfactory. APOTHEON is an experience that fully rewards the proficient and persistent gamer, while simultaneously humiliating those not up to the herculean challenge of dispatching Zeus and his siblings.
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