Arkheron Preview
I’ve said it often: genre-bending-and-blending games are cool. Assuming, that is, that the genres are compatible, and that the sum ends up being greater than the parts. Arkheron’s mashup includes the isometric hack-and-slash combat of Diablo, a bit of MOBA strategizing, and the ticking clock of a battle royale. After playing the closed beta test, it’s clear that developer Bonfire Studios has a game with real potential on their hands. There’s work to be done for sure, but the bones are there.
Tower of Power
The narrative premise of Arkheron is that the player — called an Echo — and their team members are trying to escape a supernaturally tainted world called The Tower. Made up of memories and monsters, the path to transcendence pushes the 3-member teams upwards, fighting both enemies (like in a MOBA) and other teams. The final, top-of-the-Tower battle is a 3v3 match.
Currently, there are two main modes. The default mode is Ascension, which is a large-scale battle royale with 15 starting teams (45 players). Spires is an arena mode with 3v3 deathmatch combat and 10 floors. There is also a training mode with bots, which is useful for new players. Unlike many popular battle royale games, there is no solo mode (aside from the bot matches). Players are matched in groups of three, which is always a bit of a crapshoot when dealing with random players.
Arkhenon Has No Class(es)
Sticking to the explicitly stated philosophy that in Arkhenon, the gear — weapons and Relics, etc — are the heroes, players do not level up. Every match begins as a clean slate. Players open chests as they fight through the tower. Since the loot is randomized, it’s possible to get high level equipment early on. Aside from cosmetics, there are no persistent abilities or player levels that carry over between matches.
While there are no starting classes, there are a dozen or so archetypes called Eternals. Players collect Relics belonging to specific Eternals. Equipping two Relics unlocks a passive bonus tied to that Eternal. Equipping four Relics in a set literally turns the player into that Eternal for the rest of the match, and adds an additional and unique ultimate ability. Teams can restock consumables at Shrines, found during combat or placed by a team member via a consumable item.
While becoming an Eternal is one powerful tactic, it’s also possible to create a “Shattered” build using the synergies between random Relics. This system makes crafting a character extremely flexible, even in the beta version.
Mind-Bender and Reflex-Challenger
While the basics of Arkheron seem pretty accessible, in reality the moment-to-moment gameplay can be highly rewarding, or incredibly stressful or frustrating. The pace of the matches, the complexity of the map, strategies, synergies and coordination around Relics and gear — all require intense teamwork and communication. Three lone-wolf players are likely doomed. There are few decisions that players can make that don’t impact the team’s success. And all that doesn’t even include how skilled a player is in combat and using weapons and abilities effectively. Arkheron supports in-game voice chat and text, but I can’t imagine pausing the action long enough to write.
Arkhenon’s Spires mode is a little more forgiving, giving squads three chances to make it through each of the Tower’s 10 levels. Being a smaller-scale and team deathmatch-focused, Spires is pretty much required playing before diving into Ascension. Like any other squad-based multiplayer game, when everything’s clicking, playing Arkheron is like supercharged Diablo married to Fortnite. But it can be overwhelming and chaotic, too.
At this point in development, Arkheron shows a lot of promise. It looks great and is technically pretty polished. My wish list would include the usual balancing tweaks and a legit solo mode. Right now — and maybe forever — Arkheron is built for a pretty specific audience, which is totally fine. But for anyone who has logistical challenges in finding likeminded friends or doesn’t enjoy teaming with random players, it might be a harder sell.
