Achilles: Legends Untold, released in 2023, introduced us to a new developer with great potential. Sure, several aspects of the game were certainly rough around the edges, but there was enough quality gaming to be had in this action RPG to suggest Dark Point Game had what it took to release an absolute banger. Their follow-up game, Achilles Survivor, is the realisation of that potential, offering one of the most-compelling and thrilling experiences available in the embryotic bullet heaven genre.
Smartly reusing many of their gorgeous visual assets from Achilles: Legends Untold, Achilles Survivor bears an uncanny resemblance to its forbear. Played from a top-down perspective, Achilles or one of many other unlockable mythological characters, must survive for either ten or twenty minutes against an unending horde of monsters. This being a twist on Vampire Survivors, you do that with only one controller input: movement. You steer your character around the small, enclosed environment, dodging hordes of enemies, or smashing headlong through the smallest pack of them to break free.
Combat is automated, with each of your attacks auto-targeting foes on a repeating cycle. As you kill monsters, ranging from Ray Harryhausen style skeletons, to Cyclopes, and unpleasantly animated giant spiders, you quickly level-up. Doing so is crucial, as each incremental level provides you with a selection of additional attack powers or heightened abilities to choose from. Soon, you become the bullet hell, spewing out a multitude of deadly blades, a plume of poisoned griffin talons, and a parade of marching giants. It’s up to you to position and move your character just right to ensure you hit as many of your enemies as possible, whilst still being able to nimbly dodge their attacks.
One aspect that sets Achilles Survivor apart from many of its bullet heaven brethren is the rather neat building mechanic, which adds a lashing of strategy and consideration to your actions. As your survivor explorers the environment they’ll fine stone mines. Hang out around the perimeter of the mine and you’ll gradually accrue stone – this in and of itself adds to the tension, as gathering resources whilst a horde of enemies lumber towards you is quite the thrill – this can then be used to build defences at specific locations marked by a flag. You’ll get a random selection of four structures to choose from, some with offensive properties and others defensive in nature.
Defence types are varied, from flame thrower turrets and healing stations to poison emitting fountains and friendly warrior spawning Trojan Horses. Some defences only activate whilst you remain beside them, forcing you to bravely lure the enemies towards you before frantically fleeing at the last moment, while others work better in combination, such as a device that blasts enemies away so that they land in the spikey embrace of a nearby spear turret. Experimenting with different combinations to best thin the numbers of the enemy is all part of Achilles Survivor’s appeal.
There are various challenges to take on in each level that helps keeps things fresh. You can open up portals to add to the enemy count and ultimately be rewarded with some powerful loot, or close enemy spawn points by seeing off a set number of extra-powerful beasties. There are zones that if you remain within whilst killing enough baddies you’ll get a tasty bonus ability and treasure chests that can be peeked inside if you can just get past the veritable army blocking your way.
It all adds up to a ridiculously fun gameplay loop, satisfying and accessible, and one in which anyone could pick up a controller and have a riotous blast. Pacing is perfect, the volume of enemies gradually increasing until there are hundreds of the blighters on screen, as you desperately attempt to flank them before they close off your escape route, whilst the final remaining seconds on the clock tick down.
After each run, your character gains permanent upgrades, and also class specific bonuses which impact any other character you choose too. There’s always something cool to unlock, fostering that ‘just one more go’ mentality, be it new abilities, spells, buildings, characters, or levels. It’s intoxicatingly addictive, and before you know it hours of your life have gone by, as you sat with a glazed expression, slightly drooling from the ridiculous grin plastered on your face as you finally make it through a particularly challenging level.
My only complaint? Well, the bosses are a drag. They pop up infrequently but when they do, they often overstay their welcome. It’s not like they are particularly challenging – their area attacks can be easily dodged – it’s just that they are ridiculous bullet sponges who absorb a stupendous amount of damage. As such, the precise pacing and rhythm of the game is lost when the bosses turn up, turning proceedings into a slog until you finally whittle down their expansive health bar. One ten-minute level was doubled in length after a particularly gruelling battle with Paris – not the city, but the irritating prat from Troy. With any luck, a patch or two will refine the boss experience. Either way, bosses or not, Achilles Survivor staunchly remains one of the best examples of its genre currently available.
