Rise of the Argonauts Preview

Eurogamer has put together another two-page preview of Rise of the Argonauts, which looks to be based on a near-final build of the action RPG.

The mechanics are straightforward: you have a light attack, a heavy attack, and a shield barge that can be used to shove enemies away from you. You can combo attacks together, switch weapons mid-string, and apply modifiers to your attacks for special moves. The range of offensive interactions is adequate to start with, if not generous, and while the combat is fast and fluid and the gore designed to shock, there’s really nothing here we haven’t seen before. So far, so Conan.

When you finally reach Alceme’s killer, and either pause to let him utter his final words or break his face and let the life drain through the wound (your choice), there’s a clue that this is an action-RPG with a slight difference. Text, subtle text, flashes up on screen: ‘You drove the Ionians from your palace in Ioclus’, and then ‘You avenged Alceme’s death by killing Ephoros’. The proclamation of these deeds is more than mere narrative underscoring. In Rise of the Argonauts, deeds are the currency by which you grow stronger, not only in terms of the plot but also in terms of your power as an interactive entity.