Kima Review: Rise of the Argonauts

Generally speaking, I liked this game. I enjoyed the story for the most part, I enjoyed the gameplay for the most part, and I enjoyed the characters for the most part. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't have stuff to rip it about.

The basic premise is that you are Jason, King of Iolcus, and your wife-to-be gets sniped during your wedding vows. Naturally, you are pissed, and so you set off to find some way to bring your wife back from the dead... the means, naturally, is the main thing mythic Jason is known for... the Golden Fleece. So off you go to grab your gear, gather a few good men and women, hop aboard your steampunk trireme "Argo", and find that shiny divine ramskin.

First things first, though. Let's meet the blatant antagonist relative, who's villanious betrayal can be foreseen from the moment you first see him. Next, you encounter Medea, a former Blacktongue witch who plays an important part later on. In case you are wondering, Medea ISN'T Jason's wife this time around; instead, we have some random princess of Mycenae named Alceme... whoever the heck that is supposed to be.

Also, I suppose I should explain who these Blacktongue guys are. An original creation for the game, they are a cult of assassins who follow Hecate, the dark Titaness of witchcraft and deceit... feel free to kick their asses for stupidly believing the promises of the MISTRESS OF DECEIT! Oh, and they hire a ton of Ionian mercenaries... being a secretive organization and all, I guess that helps them on the public front.

In addition to all your mortal aid, you also get blessed by your four patron deities of Ares, Hermes, Apollo, and Athena. Your apparent REAL patron, Zeus, is conspiciously absent... probably out banging some woman he shouldn't, like his mom or some hapless mortal who'd give birth to Kratos. Anyhow, moving on.

These gods can be honoured with various deeds (see: achievements) you perform, using them as currency to get various upgrades, both passive and activated. Ares is the powerhouse and master of the mace, and thus the most useful of the four gods. Athena, master of the spear, is more tactical in nature and very good for defensive fighters. Hermes, the sword guy, has more tricky moves, including dodge and dash attacks. Apollo, the shield guy, doesn't have much worthwhile... big shock.

Dialogue can also earn you favour, as most dialogue choices are aligned with each of the four. Ares choices are more aggressive and upfront... kinda reminds me of Baal at times. Hermes has the more witty options, both in terms of humour and sly thinking. Apollo is the most compassionate choice, although it can seem a bit pussy at times. Athena is alternatively wise or judgemental, depending on the situation.

Oh, and speaking of dialogue, the Oracle at Delphi (your very first destination) gives you some rough hints on one of your four future destinations... the arena city of Mycenae, the wild jungle of Saria, the haunted swamps of Kythra, or your journey home afterwards. DO NOT CHOSE THE LAST ONE! It's spoilerific to the max!

At different locations, you pick up various Argonauts, both passive (like Medea) or active (like Hercules). The active ones actually go out with you on missions, but you can only take two at a time. There is the aforementioned Hercules, who's built like the Hulk, and apparently likes bearhugging Tartarian slime zombies. Achilles joins you on Mycenae and is one of the more entertaining Argonauts... again, like Ares, he vaguely reminds me of Baal. Atalanta, the wild girl from Saria, is blunt, straightforward, and apparantly swears a lot (in Centaur). Lastly, there is Pan, who is without a doubt the most awesome character in the whole game.

There are a few characters who stand out among the minors, including one particular guy named Sinon. I didn't like this guy... along your encounters with this running pain-in-the-ass, he comes across as (in order) impudent, idiotic, a pussy, and "How come YOU survived and all the people I LIKED here died?" Conversely, there are some much more likable minor characters, such as the inventor Daedalus who you can recruit.

Speaking of which, this game takes a fair amount of creative liberties. Let me elaborate some of the more standout moments for me...
- Since WHEN are Perseus and Medusa TWIN SIBLINGS?!? Ah, whatever. This story is supposed to focus on Jason anyway, so I guess we can't have Perseus killing off the boss who YOU are supposed to fight... although it would be just as unexpected.
- Perseus and Medusa are descendants of Athena... wha? I thought Athena was supposed to be a VIRGIN! How can she have descendants? ...Oh, blood transfusion to a mortal? One of the more creative ways to spread a divine bloodline, I'll admit.
- Daedalus plans to shake off his pursuers by tricking them into believing he was on his way to Alexandria. Wait, wait, wait! ALEXANDRIA? As in the Egyptian city named after Alexander the Great? Alexandria, in MYTHIC GREECE?!? THAT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE... AT ALL!!!

Anyhow, I suppose I should talk a bit more on actual gameplay before I wrap this up. Controls worked well for the most part, although it can be a bit clunky at times. I also seemed to encounter a number of glitches, including a spordically rough framerate, sometimes choppy music, a brief load-screen freeze (thank Athena for autosave), and two cases of dialogue failing to be spoken, prompting me to turn on subtitles.

Oh... one final point. This game is suprisingly easy. I played this game on Hero (Medium) difficulty the whole time and I didn't even realize it until I went to turn on the subtitles. Considering how I'm a pussy and almost always play on the easiest difficulty, and how I didn't die very much (I think only four times in total), either I'm better than I think or this game has a subpar difficulty scale. I might try a harder difficulty when I play it next.

Well, that's my review of "Rise of the Argonauts". I hope you enjoyed it.

i been debating getting this

its dirt cheap and looks pretty good

thanks for the review