While Deck13 Interactive is famous for souls-like combat in their games, with Atlas Fallen, they are taking a slightly different direction. The combat will still be challenging however, due to its fast paced nature, it could feel more forgiving as compared to a typical souls-like experience. While explaining the combat and inspirations for Atlas Fallen, Creative Director, Jan Klose said:
I think Atlas Fallen is a wild mix which makes it very unique. At its heart it’s an Action RPG and therefore draws inspiration from recent titles like Horizon Zero Dawn or God of War. But having the “sand magic” powers at its heart, which let you manipulate your weapon and attacks in no time, we wanted to use some fast-paced combat action too, and therefore there’s maybe a bit of Darksiders or Devil May Cry in the mix, too. Finally, coming from our most recent title The Surge 2, we wanted to keep the dynamic skill system and try a new iteration of an energy-based combat system.
We still like challenging combat very much but this time we wanted to open it up a bit more. The speed and agility of the fights required a somewhat more forgiving system which got us moving away from pure Souls like mechanics and more towards the titles mentioned above. To balance that out a bit, we included difficulty modes for the first time, and whereas on normal mode every seasoned gamer should be able to finish the game, the hard mode will offer some tougher challenges.
So the fast paced combat is a mix of Devil May Cry and Darksiders. As for Skills system, it will have more similarities with their own game, The Surge 2.
In Atlas Fallen, the Gauntlet will be players’ main battle equipment. Players will be able to user different attack types through the Gauntlet.
There are three basic weapon styles in the game and each of them can be split into a variety of features. Each type can also be used as either primary or secondary weapon and has at least two different main ways of usage, for example the sand whip can be used in close combat fighting but can also be used as a sort of grappling hook to pierce an enemy and pull yourself towards it. So, there’s a strong variety between these weapons and the different attack modes they can be used with.
So while there won’t be any typical weapons in Atlas Fallen, The Gauntlet will offer different combinations players will be able to use to defeat those enemies. From what we have seen and heard so far, the combat the game appears to be satisfying enough. We will be sure about it once the game releases on August 11, 2023 for PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.
