Rise of the Argonauts Updated Hands-On

There's plenty of "oh snap" moments in Codemasters' upcoming Rise of the Argonauts for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and most of them involve using a huge mace to bust a dude's head like a ripe melon. Or impaling him with a spear, lifting him high off of the ground, and then smashing him down to earth. Or slicing him in half with a... Well, you get the idea. The action role-playing game, based loosely on the classic Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts' quest for the Golden Fleece, may be running fast and loose with historical myth, but its controls and combat system--though certainly over-the-top--seem firmly rooted in the real. Yesterday, we had a chance to see the game again and check out a new level for the first time.

The level, which is set in the Greek hell of Tartarus, occurs late in the game as Jason and his Argonaut compatriots are looking for the Golden Fleece. Tartarus is a nasty-looking place, full of dark rock floating in a sea of green ooze that was described to us as the "blood of Prometheus," the mythological Titan who was punished for his role in the creation of mankind. As Jason and his companions began the level, they first reached an open room with rocky islands surrounded by the green slime. Moments later, shambling monsters arose from the slime, and it was time for Jason to get his kill on. The monsters reformed when killed in the slime, so the key to defeating them once and for all was to lure them onto the rocks and then blast them to bits.

Combat in Rise of the Argonauts is lots of fun, thanks mainly to how "physical" the battles feel. Weapon strikes aren't calculated by a behind-the-scenes dice roll; instead, if you connect your sword (or spear, or mace, or shield) with any part of your opponent's body, you're going to damage him or her, sometimes severely. That's part of the reason why you see one-shot kills so often, and it's also why positioning plays a big role in the combat of Rise of the Argonauts. For example, though not all enemies will carry shields, those who do tend to be a bit tougher to take down, simply because you'll need to destroy their shields to get to the fleshy bits. Although the direct approach works, you can also try to maneuver Jason around and get on the opposite side of the shield to take your opponent down.

From a control standpoint, killing things en masse is easy. There are light- and execution-style attacks (with the X and Y buttons, respectively, on the Xbox 360 controller). You can shield-bash a foe (which will open up his or her defense briefly, giving you time to get in with a quick strike) by pushing the A button. Combining attacks is a big part of the game, and you'll even be able to switch between Jason's trio of weapons in midcombo, which is an especially cool touch.

The physical nature of the combat in Rise of the Argonauts was perhaps best shown off in a later portion of the Tartarus level. Here, Jason and his crew were beset upon by five huge minotaurs. One minotaur alone is formidable enough; five is downright dangerous. However, developers from Liquid Entertainment explained to us that an advanced tactic is to use the bulk of the minotaur enemies against them. In their haste to bash the heroes to bits, the minotaurs began accidentally hitting each other, severely weakening their health in the process. By dodging the minotaurs' attacks, Jason and his gang were able to take them down with relative ease.

In addition to the loads of bloody fun that seem to come from combat, Rise of the Argonauts doesn't seem to be light on the role-playing elements. For one thing, you'll have plenty of choices for your Argonaut companions--including familiar names such as Hercules, Achilles, Pan, and Perseus. For another, though character progression isn't handled in a traditional way, it appears to be involving and deep.

In a manner true to the actual Greek myths, finding favor with the gods will play a big role in how Jason improves his abilities. There are four main gods to appease in the game, Athena, Apollo, Ares, and Hermes, each with his or her own personality. To gain abilities, Jason must gain favor with the various gods, either by killing enemies, performing specific deeds, or by speaking with various non-player characters. For example, if Jason has a conversation with an enemy, there will be four possible responses in the dialogue tree, each one tied to a specific god. If you choose the brash, aggressive response, you'll earn favor from Ares; if you choose the more even-handed approach, Athena will be pleased.

Once you've earned enough favor, you can then spend it to add new abilities to Jason by "spending" that favor and unlocking new abilities. These abilities can include anything from being able to revive your fallen Argonaut companions to temporary armor buffs for Jason that will deflect every strike that comes his way. Later in the game, you'll be able to earn upgraded armor and even elite weapons, such as the Fist of Ares mace, which will shatter an enemy shield into a thousand fiery shards when you strike.

By playing fast and loose with Greek mythology and amping up the bloodlust, Rise of the Argonauts looks set to pack a lot of punch, and we like what we've seen of the game so far. The game is still on track for a mid-October release and you can expect to see more on it in the coming weeks.