There are a couple of indie-crafted RPGs that the EarthBound/Mother series “birthed,” like the highly popular Undertale, as well as underrated gems such as Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass. All of these felt like they were taking part within an imaginary fantasy land hidden inside the mind or psyche of a small child, usually had a pleasant, minimalist retro look, offered a light dose of offbeat humour as well as a dash of darkness, and at the same time focused on humanist themes. The latest entry into that small, quirky family is Atlas Wept, which has pretty much all the elements expected from such a title. It’s a casual friendly but surprisingly emotional tale that will make about 12 hours of your life quite enjoyable, although it does have a couple of issues.
The story is split between two unrelated groups of children living on the world of Secundus. Hal and Lucy reside in Orin, a technologically advanced nation protected by a mysterious energy shield, with these small heroes beginning a journey with a robotic dog named Gigi who needs to recover his lost memories. The other thread begins with a girl named Dezi, who lives a peaceful but extremely monotonous life in the seaside town of Boggleville, where she meets Charlie and encounters eerie beings called the Grins, creatures that seek to destroy all emotion. Initially these parallel narratives feel disconnected, and the lack of early exposition can be somewhat disorienting, even four to five hours in. While this approach can test one’s patience, the stories themselves remain quite interesting, even when the writing gets a bit too cryptic and mysterious.
Following two different teams at the same time who seem to have different goals is a difficult thing to pull off, and while Atlas Wept has plenty of room for improvement the experience mostly leans on the good side of the scale. The whole thing becomes much better (and the head scratches start decreasing) as the party starts learning about the world via scattered notes, especially when these start describing the divine forces that have shaped their world and hold their destinies in their hands. When the two lines finally converge, the payoff is resonant, reframing earlier events and reinforcing the core themes that are explored here. A blend of a surreal fairytale and a sci-fi epic, this deals with emotion, pain, loss, freedom of choice. What it means to live. What it means to die. What it means being human.
The experience can get surprisingly emotive, as Atlas Wept isn’t shy about killing characters, and while it is not a 40-hour-long epic, it is great at using its short run time to present and build its very likable cast of characters, making players care for these small bundles of pixels. Even without the plot itself, this belongs in those RPGs where the joy is partly on the journey itself. This is a linear road trip with a great atmosphere, enhanced by a simple yet distinct art style that paints realms that can be described as mundane, yet at the same time feel weird – and when the party starts exploring the more bizarre corners of the world (usually underground) it gets even better.
Gameplay-wise this is a combination of two halves. The first is the traditional JPRG half, in the sense that there’s a team of characters who explore a world, find items, fight ATB-style turn-based battles, and so on. Super simple, especially for genre fans. The second half is the quirky aspect of it all, which is how almost all combat moves are tied to a mini…err, mini-game. All abilities have you push a button at the right time to deal maximum damage and the same goes for not getting damaged by enemy attacks, which usually involve moving around a circle, trying to avoid projectiles or barriers, with tougher enemies filling the screen in a bullet hell-esque fashion.
While this can safely be considered a casual-friendly deal, it’s important to pay attention to avoiding damage as much as possible, as three or four hits can drain a great portion of the health bar, and spamming the attack button is of no use if foes haven’t been stunned with the game’s version of magic. In terms of pure fun, it might be a bit annoying that every single battle forces one to play these mini-games repeatedly, and it can get super irritating when some attacks are almost unavoidable, but at the same time these keep you on your toes and are surprisingly varied. It’s also nice that there are no random encounters here. Once something is killed it stays dead, allowing the party to keep exploring the world.
Structurally, most chapters centre on exploring an area before meeting up with the boss. There’s some light pathfinding puzzle solving to be done, but maps are never confusing. Optional detours reward players with permanent boosts or new abilities, and the adventure is generous enough that abilities can be rediscovered later on. Sadly, the game-y aspect of Atlas Wept stands in the way of its story, which is undoubtedly its biggest strength. Simply put, gameplay ranges between goodish and flat-out boring. Battles can drag on too long, exploration is…okay, and there are a couple of not-that-exciting “action” segments that have you repeat them upon failure. Even with these issues, you are strongly advised to pay a visit to the world of Secundus and meet the marvellous children that inhabit it. In the words of the game, don’t focus on the shadows, but on the lights that cast them.
