Achilles: Survivor review (PS5)

Achilles: Survivor arrives as a nimble fusion of top-down bullet heaven and strategic base-building, set in a vividly reimagined ancient Greece. Dark Point Games channels mythology and roguelite tension into a well-oiled loop of combat, construction, and progression – especially satisfying if you appreciate running toward the mythic while building defenses under fire.

The premise is straightforward but effective: choose Achilles or one of several mythic survivors, then fight through waves of foes across four handcrafted realms. What sets it apart is the structure-building mechanic. Instead of relying solely on shooting power, you’re able to place turrets, healing shrines, and summoned allies mid-map – a layer of tactical choice that injects long-term strategy into each fast-paced run. Building isn’t just filler; it’s often essential to surviving escalating Overlord challenges.

Combat is fluid and punchy. Physics-based dodge rolls and melee hits sync well with ranged abilities, and you feel the power behind each swing of Achilles or arrow from Paris. The weapon and psychic combos unlock gradually, and managing resource limits becomes a dance between fragile upgrades and necessary risk during high-stakes waves. Occasionally, enemy density overwhelms, revealing UI limits in tracking threats when the battlefield starts to glimmer with projectiles and structures.

Character variety is another strong point – each unlockable hero plays with unique traits, creating more variety under the surface than the runs suggest at first glance. However, the starting roster feels limited until more survivors arrive through longer playtime, and some kits remain under-explored unless you commit to prolonged grinding.

Visually, the game mixes sleek, modern presentation with nods to classical art – temples, ancient coastlines, and ruined fortresses are lovingly designed. The top-down perspective is crisply rendered on PS5, though some texture pop-in lingers when moving between biomes. Audio design complements combat well, with orchestral stings and Greek-myth flavoured motifs that build atmosphere when you’re standing at the edge of Troy or facing your fourth Overlord.

Performance on PlayStation 5 is solid overall, though some missions, especially in endless mode, teeter with frame drops in tighter spaces. The save and quick-reload system helps mitigate frustration, but when paired with tight timing windows for building or dodging, that performance inconsistency can sting. Still, the controls are clean and responsive, mapping smoothly to DualSense triggers and touchpad shortcuts.

Not everything lands perfectly. While structure placement adds urgency, it can sometimes gum up action – poor placement stops you moving freely, and mid-run upgrades don’t always feel intuitive mid-combat. Additionally, the mythological narrative feels perfunctory, more palette than plot: there’s little to explain why you’re fighting through waves other than “because it’s your run”. As a result, the emotional hook weakens after a few hours.

Yet the roguelike loop itself is polished – upgrade paths reset with each run but carry meta-progression via Favors and permanent unlocks, which keeps every death feeling like progress. Three modes – Normal, Short, Endless – cater to both casual and hardcore sessions, and you encounter learnable patterns in Overlord behavior that reward both strategy and timing.

At the end of the day, Achilles: Survivor isn’t a bold reinvention of the genre, but it doesn’t need to be. When it works – when turrets hold back the swarm long enough for your summon to net the kill – it’s thrilling. When it stumbles on balance or performance, it’s a little frustrating – but still never fully crippling. For anyone who wants a Greek myth-flavored action roguelite with a cerebral twist, it offers enough strategic bite to stand as a very good attempt.

Score: 8.0/10