Mytheon Hands-on Preview

CommentApril 20th, 2010 13:41

Recently I caught up with Petroglyph games and I was granted access to the BETA of Mytheon. Mytheon is the hugely anticipated game from Petroglyph coming this year. With so many online games out there, why Mytheon you might ask? Well there are many good reasons it turns out.

Mytheon is an online game, but what makes it unique is the “Power stone” system that Petroglyph have introduced into the PC world. These stones give you powers and the ability to access beings/creatures to help you during fights, healings powers, defensive towers and much much more. These stones are the buildings blocks of what is set to become not only a huge hit, but one of the most addictive games in years. With the launch of the BETA, TGL gained access to the game and the character creation mode where you can choose the type of character you wish to play as. So as with many RPG games you can choose power abilities over magic and vice versa. The “Warcaster” class is an fighting based class, allowing for strong, heavy attacks. The Elementalist class is basically a magic class: they cast powerful and often victory-swaying magicical spells. Finally we have the “Eidolon” class. These guys can be seen as the perfect medium between magic and sheer power. Personally I tend to choose the happy medium so I started my journey as an Eidolon.

When I started the BETA I was treated to some truely wonderful graphics. The opening area/hub is essentially a town, but it is enriched with an almost exhastive history – much like the beloved Elder Scrolls games. With a town mythology about “Jason” fighting the mighty Kraken (during the fight the Kraken tossed Jason’s boat (Argo) into the city before been subdued) is something really magical, romantic and very interesting to behold. Simple additions to the story like this elevate it above and beyond the traditional vision of online games: a simple yet interesting story helps bring a kind of reverance, magic and respect to a virtual world. Aside from this the world (and what I have seen) is beautiful. Thankfully Petroglyph haven’t shied away from colours and the world glows with a really natural feeling to it.

The gameplay plays similar to many PC games with the player needing to right-click to designate the point to move to, casting spells and turning the camera is done very easily with minimal clicking and scrolling needed. This is one of the attractions to Mytheon – it allows anyone to access it and enjoy it. Although the game has real depth, this accessability will attract many “non-PC” gamers. The combat evolves quickly, allowing you to cast multiple stones at once and string together vicious attacks. All of these elements combined can add devastating hitpoints to the enemies and see you take control of key areas that might contain gold, mana fountains and/or other items. Along the way you will encounter shop keepers and merchants willing to sell you armour, weapons, magic and other items to help you but not without the parting of gold so fighting for money is key to upgrading and survival against some of the biggers creatures found.

One thing that really surprised me was the music. Composed by Frank Klepacki, the game offers a sense of “old” from the music: as cheesy as that sounds. It’s almost as if it’s paying homage to such games like Age of Empires II, Rise of Nations and other similar RTS compositions, make no mistake Frank has attempted and successfully created a well-rounded soundtrack here. Although he is well-known for his heavy, drumming beats, he has achieved something very special in Mytheon. From the ambience to the title screen: the music is comforting, mystical and almost hypnotic.

The environments are great as you see yourself going up against gods in “godly” locations. Thankfully these fights aren’t contained to random, meaningless regions but within the realms and worlds that you may envision the gods might live. Gods like Medusa can be found in areas with soldiers that have been turned to stone. Although cool, it’s actually quite scary and intimidating to see. As you work your way towards to end of the “level” you find yourself wondering about the countless “statues” you have passed and the fear of them coming to life increases. With the different regions you will notice a distinct differentiation between styles, cultures and surroundings. Each region is unique.

Mytheon supports friends, 1 vs 1 battles and parties to lead attacks on god strongholds amongst many other things. With such a strong sense of “companionship” in it, Mytheon is destined to succeed as not only a single player experience but as a clan/group/faction game. With more and more online RPG online games emerging, it’s nice to play such a game that isn’t simply run of the mill. Petroglyph have put a lot of time and effort into it and it shows. Stay here for our Mytheon review.

Here’s the press release about Mytheon:

Exciting Online Action-RPG in a Unique Mythological Setting

Mytheon uniquely sets the best elements of the action-RPG genre in an online mythology-based universe. The setting and storyline incorporates well known mythologies from around the world — starting with Greece and Egypt, with expansions into Asian and other mythologies planned.

Defeat the Gods and Create Your Own Myth

Play as one of three distinct classes, each with their own combat and Power Stone specialties. Fight in mankind’s war for independence against the gods and carve out your own epic story along the way.

Strategic Combat Combines with Endlessly Collectible Power Stones

Invoke devastating spells and summon faithful companions through the use of hundreds of unique and highly collectible “Power Stones.”

Imbued with the essence of mythical creatures and earthly elements, they are gifts to humanity from the Fates themselves to help in the battle against the gods. Customize and manage your arsenal of Power Stones in order to develop your own style of play.

Cast Deadly Spells, Summon Mythical Creatures & Powerful Structures

Combat in Mytheon centers around the use of Power Stones. Some stones invoke spells such as searing fireballs or devastating tornadoes. Others summon mythical creatures like the mighty Pegasus to fight for you.

Other stones conjure fantastical structures to guard your flanks or magically enhance your powers.

Craft Rare Power Stones to Enhance Your Arsenal

Gain the upper hand over your adversaries by crafting rare and powerful stones through the use of arcane recipes. Some stones can even be combined into even more powerful versions — it is up to you to discover which ones!