Achilles Survivor Review

The Roguelike Bullet Hell/Heaven genre doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. After reviewing several titles in the genre recently, another seems to appear just as I put the last one down. Achilles Survivor is the latest addition from Dark Point Games and comes as a spin-off from one of their other fantastic games, Achilles Legends Untold. With a low price point of just £5.79 and available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Playstation 4|5, Nintendo Switch 1|2 and PC via Steam, you can play pretty much anywhere.

Fight The Hordes

Following the same premise as other “Survivors” games, you’ll be diving into 10 or 20-minute runs. The objective is pretty simple, and that is to stay alive and fight off the waves of enemies that come towards you. Each run starts with a basic attack, and as you level up, you can choose from four active abilities. I found four a bit repetitive after a few hours, as the range of abilities is quite limited. But the game makes up for it by providing buffs and upgrades.

The unique aspect of Achilles Survivor is the opportunity to build structures. This is carried out by gathering resources scattered around the map, usually by breaking mounds or standing in a certain zone and accumulating stone. You’ll then be able to build turrets, traps and even healing zones to assist you in slaying off the hordes. I enjoyed the strategic side of figuring out when I was going to place a structure, and it becomes satisfying when you drop something like a flame turret that essentially saves you from certain death.

Plenty To Unlock

You start Achilles Survivor with just a couple of characters to choose from, but as you progress and complete in-game challenges, you’ll access even more. You’ll earn currency, which can then be used to unlock permanent upgrades that will assist you on further runs. Similar to other games, it’ll be upgrading health, damage, and so on; there are also some for structure building. If you’re a completionist like me, then you’ll find tens of hours of enjoyment in unlocking everything this game has to offer.

Visuals & Audio

The presentation throughout Achilles Survivor is impressive for its low asking price. Those who played Achilles Legends Untold will see the similarities in the game’s visuals. During my review, I did experience a few framerate issues, especially when things got a little busy on screen. That said, nothing that can’t be fixed with a future update.

Character design seems fairly decent, along with the abilities they possess. The map design was pretty generic and nothing special. Menus, the HUD, and everything else were well-designed and simple to navigate. Sound effects are punchy with all abilities and traps/structures dealing devastating damage to enemies. The soundtrack blends well with the mythological setting and atmosphere.

Final Thoughts

Achilles Survivor is an exceptionally polished and moreish title that nestles in with the likes of Vampire Survivors and other popular roguelikes in the genre. This one has some unique aspects, including building structures that assist you in the heat of battle. It blends tower defence strategy with fighting hordes, which I haven’t yet seen with any other similar experiences. For the same price as the average pint of beer here in the UK, it is well worth a punt for several hours of fun.