Rise of the Argonauts - Preview @ NextGen

NextGen takes a look at the upcoming title Rise of the Argonauts from Codemasters and Liquid Entertainment, and examines its divergence from the usual action RPG format:

When we first saw Rise Of The Argonauts, three distinguishing factors were immediately apparent. It was rooted in the Greek myths. The realtime combat was pivotal and held great promise. And although its classification as action game made perfect sense, the other half of developer Liquid Entertainment’s definition – RPG – could have been a mythologizing flourish rather than a taxonomical aid. The fighting was present and correct, and a strong narrative emphasis was promised, but where were the stats?

Argonauts’ action RPG credentials are lent by the fact that the plot and player attributes are advanced by victory in battle; it’s a genre-bender because there are still no stats. No trading of numbers. No default onscreen furniture – HUD, life bar, lock-on circles.

No experience points, even. In their place, Jason completes ‘deeds’, which he can then redeem with his chosen deity for new attributes. Arguing that the BioWare/Fable model of selecting a good or evil path penalizes the less partisan adventurer with lesser rewards, and that such dualistic extremes don’t fit the nuanced, humanistic morality of ancient Greece, Liquid is instead offering a choice of four gods. Allegiance to each develops a particular fighting style and weapon specialism, and the developer claims its weapon-balancing and fair distribution of spoils means players can roleplay without having to remove themselves from the story to manage the math. The game’s rethinking of action-RPG convention is loving but also blasphemous, and may be its defining feature. It seeks to both honor and improve upon the core components of the genre.