Apotheon Review- Greek Mythology Greatness

Review by Jason T. Smith

(Victor Valley)—As a part of February’s PlayStation Plus free games for the PlayStation 4, I was happy to see Apotheon- a game which I knew little about. Just by the screen shots I saw, I figured it was worth a shot- what I found was one of the most enjoyable side scroller games in recent memory.

From Alientrap and available on the PlayStation 4, PC, Mac and GNU/Linux, Apotheon is a 2D side scroller set in the world of Greek Mythology. Not only that, but the game is designed in the art style of the pottery imagery widely known from pottery in Ancient Greece, which told the stories of the heroes, the gods and goddesses. This game takes that style and recreates it masterfully. I can’t get over how simple yet amazing the game looks. It fits perfectly to the side scrolling nature of Apotheon.

The game centers around Nikandreos, a young warrior who right from the start has to defend his lands from raiders. The gods have given up on humanity, as the lands have become barren, the rains have stopped coming down, leaving humanity to struggle for survival. It’s when the young warrior meets Hera that he learns of the gods turning their backs on the human race. Hera tasks him to travel to Mount Olympus and kill the gods, bringing back gift for humanity in the process.

The gameplay is simple enough: armed with a shield and sword, Nikandreos can pick up other weapons and stronger shields as he goes, as well as upgrades to his armor. The game is a throwback to a simpler time of gaming, a time that still has a place in today’s video game market. I haven’t been this impressed in a digital only game in some time, but Apotheon is a legend in the making. I give Apotheon a @@@@ out of FIVE.