New Roguelike: Achilles: Survivor – Fast-Paced Action & Epic Combat!
0Achilles: Survivor brings fast-paced, hack-and-slash action into the bullet-heaven genre, and while it delivers a solid foundation of fun, it also struggles with performance issues, lackluster upgrades, and limited build diversity. Still, for its price point, it’s an enjoyable experience—if you temper your expectations.
Gameplay & Combat
The core gameplay feels smooth and satisfying, with power-ups that are fun to experiment with. At its best, the game makes you feel like an unstoppable force, cutting through hordes of enemies like a true god of war. However, runs often swing between two extremes: either you’re effortlessly dominating, or you’re getting obliterated in under a minute—there’s little middle ground.
While the game’s moment-to-moment action is entertaining, it lacks the over-the-top chaos of other bullet-heaven titles like Vampire Survivors, Death Must Die, or Scarlet Tower. The level-ups feel somewhat uninspired, primarily offering basic stat increases rather than transformative upgrades that significantly alter gameplay. Abilities often have frustrating cooldowns, forcing players to spend more time dodging than attacking, which detracts from the power fantasy.
Progression & Build Variety
One of the game’s biggest weaknesses is its upgrade system. Instead of exciting, game-changing evolutions, most upgrades just tweak numbers—slightly longer duration, more projectiles but a higher cooldown, or minor damage increases. Compared to titles with deep build-crafting and synergy-driven mechanics, Achilles: Survivor falls short in replayability.
One of the more effective strategies is simply grabbing the shield throw and going full Captain America—a tactic so strong it trivializes most levels. While discovering effective builds is part of the fun, the game would benefit from more varied and experimental power-ups.
A unique addition is the ability to construct structures on the map, offering additional bonuses. This adds an interesting layer of progression, but it’s not quite enough to make up for the otherwise limited build variety.
Performance Issues & Bugs
Unfortunately, the game struggles with performance, particularly in later waves when enemy density increases. Frame rates drop significantly, and noticeable stutters and skips can make the game frustrating to play. Even lowering graphical settings doesn’t seem to help, which suggests optimization issues that need to be addressed in future updates.
There’s also a game-breaking bug where rerolling a set of draws and evolving an ability can cause the game to freeze on a pop-up notification. The game continues running in the background, but the player is left helpless, forced to watch their character die. Hopefully, the developers address this issue soon.
Comparison to Other Titles
If Achilles: Survivor feels familiar, that’s because it shares many mechanics and progression systems with Spell Brigade. While the addition of map structures provides a slight twist, it’s not enough to make the game feel entirely fresh.
Compared to recent releases like Jottunslayer, Achilles: Survivor could take notes on creating more dynamic and exciting upgrade paths. More bombastic evolutions, unique synergies, and playstyle-altering upgrades would go a long way in enhancing the overall experience.
Final Thoughts
Despite its shortcomings, Achilles: Survivor has potential. It’s fun in bursts, and if you enjoy survivor-style games, it’s worth the $5 price tag. However, don’t expect the deep replayability, intricate builds, or polished chaos of genre standouts like Vampire Survivors.
If the developers refine the upgrade system, improve performance, and address core balance issues, this could become a standout in the bullet-heaven genre. For now, it’s a decent but flawed entry that’s worth keeping an eye on as it progresses through Early Access.
Read the latest full patch notes here:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2922410/view/541096269502742947
Achilles: Survivor - Early Access Launched on January 29, 2025!
Platform: PC (Steam) Price: $4.99 USD
Link:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2922410/Achilles_Survivor/
Achilles: Survivor is a dynamic single-player bullet hell game where you face thousands of enemies, build destructive structures, develop your character to return as an even more powerful machine of destruction and survive waves of enemies.
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