Chris InglisAchilles: Survivor is a single-player bullet hell game by developers Dark Point Games and launched on Steam early access on January 29. has quickly become a new favourite of mine, scratching that itch for fast-paced, horde-mode action with a satisfying progression system. Set in the same universe as Achilles: Legends Untold, it contains an addictive loop of mowing down enemies, upgrading your character, and pushing for that next big milestone. This game truly embraces the core elements of the genre, offering compelling horde-mode survival gameplay with roguelite elements that keep each run fresh and exciting.
You start off playing as the legendary Achilles himself, and as you complete runs and achieve various milestones, you unlock a roster of other playable characters, each with their own unique abilities and playstyles. This adds a ton of replayability and encourages experimentation, allowing you to find a hero that perfectly matches your preferred approach. The game also opens up new areas with varied map locations as you progress, keeping the environments fresh and challenging. These diverse environments also come with unique enemy types and environmental hazards, demanding strategic adaptation as you learn the land and erect buildings to help you survive.
The core gameplay loop is incredibly compelling. Waves of enemies relentlessly assault you, demanding quick reflexes. As you kill monsters, they drop XP orbs which you run around to collect and as you level up, you are given a choice of bonus to select which can enhance your character or make your powers stronger with extra speed, damage and more. As you gain levels, you will unlock choices of more skills to add to your toolset. I find anything area of effect had the best benefit as directional skills were more difficult to aim properly as you madly try to avoid the oncoming hordes.
At times it is announced that an elite mob is headed your way. In previous survivor games like Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, you can see a map icon for the approaching elite. This gives you a chance to set up a kill zone, or to retreat to a better position if you were cornered into a map area. However, and likely due to early access, there is no map icon for these elites, so you don’t know where they are coming from until they are on you. They are not difficult to destroy, especially if you can get them to follow you around an offensive building like the flames or spikes variants.
There are also treasure chests that will randomly spawn, as well as rifts that you will want to close as quick as you can. These are particularly difficult as they spawn exploding mobs and the only way to close the rift is to stay in its circle of influence. By this stage of the run, there are hundreds of monsters in your vicinity and the game’s performance starts to suffer as a result with stuttering and frame rate drops.
Visually, Achilles: Survivor is a treat. It boasts excellent graphics quality, reminiscent of the action RPG Achilles: Legends Untold. The character models are detailed, the environments are well-crafted, and the special effects are flashy and satisfying. However, being an early access title, it does suffer from some visual performance drops. It’s noticeable, and hopefully, the developers will be able to optimise this during the early access period. It’s the only real blemish on an otherwise visually impressive game.
You earn points during each run which can then be spent on unlocking character abilities and upgrading your base camp buildings. This persistent progression system makes every run feel meaningful, even if you don’t quite make it to your goal. The constant sense of advancement, whether it’s unlocking new characters, upgrading your abilities, or improving your building capabilities, is a huge part of what makes the game so addictive.
Overall, Achilles: Survivor is highly engaging and addictive despite the occasional performance hiccup. The core gameplay is incredibly fun, the progression system is rewarding, and the visual presentation (aside from the performance issues) is top-notch. If you’re a fan of horde-mode survival games with a touch of roguelite elements, this one is worth checking out.
This early access review utilised a Steam key provided by Evolve PR and Achilles: Survivor is out now on Steam early access.
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