Deck13’s new action RPG differs from their previous titles. Atlas Fallen’s gameplay is a promising combination of expansive exploration, fast-paced action, and combat. Before you head out into the desert on the release date, here are 18 things you want to know about the new title.
The German developer team from Deck13 is known for its solid yet imperfect Souls-like games, Lords of the Fallen, The Surge, and its sequel. But what kind of gameplay awaits you in Atlas Fallen? Let’s shed some light on it.
18 things about Atlas Fallen’s story, setting, and gameplay mechanics you should know
The upcoming action RPG has a heavy load of new things for you to discover and master… Things which you may also have to get used to. But the game will pick you up if you love fast movement and slaying giant beasts.
18. The Story
Atlas Fallen’s narrative centers on Thelos, the sun god, accountable for humanity’s misery. Deprived of homes and names, humans must scavenge magical essence in ruins for the god. You take on the role of an unnamed worker who can free humanity through a special glove. With the new skills, you can soar through the air, glide over sandy dunes and discover new areas.
17. The World of Atlas Fallen
The action RPG is not an open-world game. Still, the developers promise a large and sprawling semi-open desert world called Atlas, which will provide several open areas to discover hidden secrets and mysterious relics. It is an impressive but desolate medieval fantasy world under the control of powerful gods. The devs took a lot of inspiration in advance from iconic worlds from Dune, The Lord of the Rings, and The Witcher. Then they thought about how the whole thing would have to look after millennia of sand influence to give it its visual twist and originality.
16. Choice & Consequences
Even though the choice and consequence mechanics aren’t the main focus in Atlas Fallen, they will still play a role in the overall experience, primarily through dialogue decisions. Some choices can have significant consequences, such as the fate of certain characters. However, Deck13 has made it clear that while your decisions may cause distractions and tonal shifts in the story, the principal and crucial storylines remain unaffected.
15. Combat
Atlas Fallen focuses on speed and style as key elements of gameplay. The most pronounced area reflecting this approach is the combat, where the emphasis lies in seamlessly blending your abilities and swift attacks to execute combos, aerial maneuvers, dodges, and parries during skirmishes. This leads to intense battles that will demand all your strategies and skills to succeed.
14. Find & Combine Essence stones
One critical aspect of the combat system is the Essence Stones scattered all over the game world. These stones grant distinctive passive or active abilities and buffs, and given that there are over a hundred of them available in Atlas, players will enjoy remarkable flexibility in customizing and developing their characters.
13. Build Up Your Momentum
Utilizing Essence Stone’s abilities will intertwine with the momentum mechanic. As you execute attacks and basic combos, your momentum bar gradually fills up, incorporating a unique risk-reward aspect. While a higher filled bar leaves you more vulnerable to incoming attacks, it enables access to more potent Essence abilities. Fill it up to a specific threshold, and you can unleash a unique ability linked to your equipped weapon.
12. Three Weapons to Rule Them All
In Atlas Fallen, you don’t need to carry tons of weapons, but you can create some out of the sand… Thanks to a mighty gauntlet.
With it, you can summon three types of weapons: Cleaver, Whip, and Fist. In the game, they are called Dunecleaver, Sandwhip, and Knuckledust, which you can combine with the countless Essence Stones to create your unique character build.
However, at the beginning of the game, players don’t have immediate access to these weapons. They need to collect shards and catalyst pieces to reforge the gauntlet and unlock the various equipment options for the weapons first.
- The Dunecleaver deals massive damage and can shatter crystallized enemies with a shattering attack. This heavy equipment piece deals much area damage.
- The Sandwhip is a weapon for quick attacks in close and mid-range combat. This one is a good choice for filling up the momentum bar. You can also crystallize enemies, making it a perfect combination with the Dunecleaver, which then can deal a giant final strike to shatter your frozen foes.
- As a quick-hitting weapon, the Knuckledust isn’t an excellent choice for groups of enemies, but for 1v1 battles, such as stronger enemies or mighty boss fights.
You can carry, switch and combine two weapons out of three simultaneously to create devastating attacks.
11. Traversing the Desert
The central aspect of the Atlas Fallen experience lies in navigating the sandy world, offering players an array of distinctive abilities to ensure swift and exhilarating traversal. From air dashing to sand gliding and even the classic double jump, these traversal skills can be upgraded to enhance their effectiveness. Naturally, players can use these abilities in combat scenarios, adding another layer of excitement to their journey.
10. Legendary Creatures
During your traversal, not only Thelos’ followers and smaller enemies will constantly get in your way. There are also giant legendary beasts lurking in the desert world, all with different characteristics and attack styles… Defeating them requires some skill and know-how. You’ll have to find out their movement patterns, weak points and attack them at the right time to beat the house-sized beasts more easily.
9. Raising buried objects
Your exploration involves more than just moving between points A and B; there will still be plenty of that, but you will also encounter buried objects and environmental elements beneath the sands. These can be raised from their graves, unlocking new gameplay opportunities, including new paths and previously hidden areas.
8. Customization & Progression
Being promoted as an RPG, Atlas Fallen significantly emphasizes customization and progression mechanics. Much of this will revolve around the Essence Stones, as previously mentioned, but you can also engage in equipping diverse armor pieces, upgrading gear, and exploring cosmetic customization options. However, it’s important to note that a character creator won’t be available at the start of your adventure.
7. More Freedom & Optional Challenges
Since one of Atlas Fallen’s key aspects revolves around exploration and fast-paced movement, the game world offers a unique design. It deviates from what you would typically expect from Deck13 games. This means you’ll be able to explore and navigate larger, more open areas than you might are used from the devs. They promise that each of these expansive areas will provide hours of gameplay, including some of the most challenging content in the game for those looking for additional difficulty beyond the main quests.
6. Difficulty Levels
In contrast to Deck13’s previous games, Atlas Fallen is taking a broader approach to difficulty. It will be less grueling overall but let you choose from three distinct difficulty levels, providing flexibility to tailor your experience according to your preferences.
5. Playing Time of Atlas Fallen
Undoubtedly, Atlas Fallen seems to offer a wealth of activities, but the question remains: how substantial will the overall experience be? Although Deck13 has not disclosed the exact runtime of the main story, they have mentioned that for those who delve into all of the game’s content, it will span approximately 25 to 30 hours, a respectable length, to say the least. However, the ultimate factor will be the quality and allure of the content, which will determine the game’s overall appeal.
4. Seamless Co-Op Experience
According to Deck13, Atlas Fallen was primarily crafted as a single-player adventure. However, a two-player co-op option is available if you want to embark on the journey with a helping friend. While playing in co-op, you will actively participate in all cutscenes and conversations with NPCs, and receive rewards for your efforts, whether you join someone else’s session or vice versa. Your character progression during co-op will also be saved for further happenings. The game’s difficulty will scale to suit your playstyle, ensuring enjoyable and balanced cooperative gameplay.
3. Performance & Quality Mode
Atlas Fallen is set on harnessing the full potential of more powerful hardware, making it a dedicated title for the current console generation without any cross-gen support. With a focus on the PS5 and Xbox Series X capabilities, the game offers two distinct modes: a performance mode that targets 1440p resolution running at 60 frames per second and a quality mode that delivers 4K resolution at 30 frames per second. Players can expect 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second on the Xbox Series S.
2. PC Requirements
For PC players, Atlas Fallen’s system requirements are pretty manageable, especially on lower settings. For minimum settings, an Intel Core i5 6600K or an AMD Ryzen 3 1200, paired with either a GTX 1050 Ti or an RX 470 with 4GB of VRAM and 8GB of RAM, will suffice. Meanwhile, recommended settings call for an Intel Core i7 9800X or an AMD Ryzen 5 3600, accompanied by a GTX 1070 Ti or an RX 5700 and 16GB of RAM. In either case, approximately 35GB of free storage space will be needed.
1. Pre-purchase in Different Editions
The Atlas Fallen release date is on August 10, 2023. You can pre-order the game in three different editions via the official website. Are you a PC player? Get Atlas Fallen on Steam or for a discount on Kinguin (affiliate link).
- The Signature Edition, comprising concept art and a genuine hand signature, along with the Ruin Rising DLC, had only 100 copies available and has already been sold out for $99.99 unless it restocks.
- The Limited Edition, priced at $79.99, offers the Ruin Rising DLC pack, a steel book, and a metal poster.
- Alternatively, you can choose the Base Edition at $49.99, obviously including the game alone.
That’s it with our details about Atlas Fallen. Did we miss anything important? Let us know in the comments below. We hope all your questions have been answered and you look forward to rising from the dust on August 10.
If you like vast open-world games
You don’t like limitations and want to enjoy complete freedom in the world? Then take a look at our favorite Open World Games on PC.
Right, Atlas Fallen is set in a vast sandy desert. However, if you want real sandbox games, get inspiration in our Best Sandbox Games ranking.
What’s your take on this epic sandy surf adventure? Will you be heading out into the desert alone or with a friend in 2 player coop? Let us know below.
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