Deck 13 is one of my guilty pleasure game developers and publishers. So when their next title Atlas Fallen was announced, it immediately grabbed my interest even though I have a mixed relationship with The Surge. Even though I'm critical of that game, I can't stop raving about its incredible world and gameplay. Atlas Fallen aims to carry that legacy forward. A compelling open and exploratory world, with some fun gameplay, a satisfying combat system and serviceable voice acting, in trailers, attracted eyeballs to Atlas Fallen. But is the game really fun? Are the open world and combat mechanics likeable? Let's find out.

Thanks to an early copy from publisher Focus Entertainment, we've had our hands full with the game for a week. Although it comes with its unique flaws, Atlas Fallen serves up many positives and enjoyable gameplay. So let's look at what I liked and what I didn't in our Atlas Fallen review.

Atlas Fallen follows the story of a player-created character and an amnesiac spirit named Nyaal, who attempts to traverse a world that has turned into a barren desert. Ruled by a merciless sun god, players traverse the harsh environments to help Nyaal regain his memories while upgrading the gauntlet (which houses Nyaal's spirit) to reach Bastinger, where your friends were destined to travel.

The story follows a typical fantasy RPG setting, where a ruthless ruler watches over the inhabitants. As such, the class hierarchy is in place, which isn't heavily touched on outside of the first few hours, where you're treated like dirt due to your nameless status. But even later, the story didn't really interest me much. Throughout my 15-18 hour play session, the plot just confused me, seeing how much information was dumped throughout the game.