The Atla Archives

Platforms
Graphics
Genres
Labels
Publishers
A-Z

Login with Facebook

The Atla Archives

by Mikhail Apr 4, 2023 | 1 Votes | 41 Played | 0 Reviews

Your vote

7 rate

Genres:

RPG , Adventure

Graphics:

3D

Labels:

Fantasy Setting , Post Apocalyptic , Open World , Futuristic Setting

Platforms:

Publishers:

Elushis The Atla Archives is an epic adventure RPG where you play as a survivor of The Great City that has fallen. Go on an adventure and battle fantastical creatures. Wield a variety of weapons and equipment, and attempt to save Atla from a cyclical calamity. Play Now Similar Games Played Post a Review

People Also Played

Summary Plotline Gameplay Graphics/Sound Conclusion

Summary

There aren’t a lot of first-person adventure games you can play on the Nintendo Switch. After all, it’s not exactly the strongest hardware, and though you can make an exception for Skyrim, note that it’s a game released more than a decade ago.

If you’re looking for an option, then The Atla Archives might be your best bet. This adventure RPG delivers an epic adventure, and though its world isn’t as detailed as most games in the industry, it provides a journey worth undertaking. If you’ve played Minecraft or anything similar, you’ll discover that the interface and visuals are comparable.

So, should you give The Atla Archives a shot? Let’s check out what it has to offer:

Plotline

The Atla Archives’ story centers around The Great City that unfortunately fell due to an unspeakable calamity. Your character is one of the few survivors who found their way to Atla, a town founded by the survivors. Together with your handler, you’re (forcibly) part of a project that has a crucial mission: filling the Fountain of Absence with the Ark of the Covenant.

In addition, Atla faces a cyclical calamity every 28 days, and it’s up to you to help prevent this. By the way, your character has been experimented on in the hopes of saving the city, and, perhaps, the entire continent.

Gameplay

In a nutshell, The Atla Archives is a first-person adventure with visuals and overall controls, and gameplay highly comparable to Minecraft, just without the building. It is an ambitious attempt at a first-person adventure RPG, and although it has style and flair, it doesn’t have the quality of its peers. Regardless, it delivers a unique premise alongside an entertaining gameplay loop and story that will undoubtedly keep you hooked.

The Atla Archives’ gameplay loop centers around you completing quests and sidequests from NPCs across the map. Though its universe is not the largest you’ll ever see in an open-world title, it’s fairly sizable and has lots to explore. Most of these are pretty basic, and you’ll spend a lot of time looking around the map for objectives and NPCs to interact with. Some quests range from taking out monsters, while others are fetch and delivery tasks. Things can get a little tedious, but hey, what are adventure RPGs without fetch quests?

That aside, the main quest makes you gather monster blood to fill your Ark and, in turn, help fill the fountain. You’ll need to do this consistently; failing to do so will unleash a calamity and take out towns and other areas on the map. If you want to ensure that Atla and its surrounding region are in a better state when you finish your journey, you’ll need to get out there and start fighting scorpions, rats, and other enemies.

The Atla Archives’ controls are pretty basic. You’ll move around using the left analog stick, while the right left lets you aim and look around. The others, like attacking, drawing your weapon, and using items, are mapped correctly enough to provide a conducive and relatively smooth gameplay experience. Combat is as simple as taking out your sword and pressing Y to attack, which makes your character produce a slashing motion. Unfortunately, there’s little indication of whether you’ve scored a hit or otherwise, which is a bit puzzling. Taking out enemies not only lets you harvest monster blood but also items. In addition, items are scattered across the map, so keep a keen eye on gold, potions, and treasure chests. As you progress, you’ll also have access to various abilities that will diversify your combat abilities.

Graphics/Sound

The Atla Archives' overall presentation is like a combination of Minecraft and Daggerfall and is comparable to PlayStation 1 game. Unfortunately, it’s safe to say its visuals and character models aren’t exactly its strongest point, yet they’re serviceable. The world design is vibrant, particularly the colors, and feels like a mix between a fantasy world and a futuristic one. For example, there are dungeons featuring enemies you’d see in a fantasy RPG, yet there are robots in a research facility in town.

Plus, the game’s user interface and menus are quite intuitive; you won’t have to look deep and scour for a long time just to access or use an item. It also runs well on the Nintendo Switch; there were no noticeable framerate drops or stability issues when I played it.

Conclusion

The Atla Archives provides a decent open-world adventure in a rather intriguing world. Its gameplay loop feels like it was made in the early 3D console eras, which is rather dated. Though it can barely compete with its peers, it tries its best and is a valid option if you’re looking for a new game to dive into. The game is charming and satisfactory enough to warrant a place in your gaming library.