Rise of the Argonauts (with Screenshots)

From the sounds of the buzz at E3, Rise of the Argonauts–developed by Codemasters and Liquid Entertainment–is not your everyday, run-of-the-mill RPG. The game is based on the Greek myth of Jason, King of Iolcus. Long story short: When an assassin kills his wife, Princess Alceme, Jason exacts his revenge. But he doesn’t stop there. He then seeks out the powers of resurrection found in the Golden Fleece to bring back his beloved. But can it deliver?

You take control of Jason, King of Iolcus and leader of the legendary Argonauts, including Achilles, Atalanta, Hercules, and Pan. You don’t start off weak and puny, and have to level up through mediocre weapons. No, you’re a king. You start off with a full arsenal: a sword, mace, spear, shield and the urge to brutally mutilate your foes.

There’s no health or mana bar either, since the gameplay strives for realism. Thus the game becomes part action, as you have full control over the character’s movements–not a 2-D RPG where you keep pressing the A button. Plus, you can actually see the damage you deal to opponents as their limbs fly off, not a passive read through dialogue.

This game is all about choice. Like all RPGs, the gameplay is highly tied in with the story. However, your actions and responses in dialogue have very real and lasting effects. Think Fable. But instead of choosing between good or evil, you choose between four different gods who bestow unto you their powers and “Favour.” There’s Ares, god of war; Athena, goddess of wisdom; Apollo, god of healing and medicine; and Hermes, god of speed and travel.

To level up, you carry out “deeds” as a tribute to the god of your choice, as well as obtaining “favour” from the gods to unlock special powers and abilities. There are deeds such as killing a foe without getting hit, saving a man from certain death, and so on. Gone are the days of experience points and mere grinding; now, meaningful choices made throughout your character’s life.

With all that said, I myself hope this game isn’t all hype. It’s a “what you see is what you get” kind of game, so I look forward to seeing if this game lives up to all the buzz. The new screenshots released (available below) are even more promising. But we’ll see soon enough when Rise of the Argonauts comes out for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 Fall 2008.