{"id":5104,"date":"2015-02-18T11:00:05","date_gmt":"2015-02-18T16:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/?p=5104"},"modified":"2020-11-29T18:29:55","modified_gmt":"2020-11-29T23:29:55","slug":"apotheon-the-action-hero-at-the-heart-of-greek-myth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/?p=5104","title":{"rendered":"APOTHEON: The Action Hero at the Heart of Greek Myth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u00a0<\/strong>The hero is he who is immovably centred <\/em><\/p>Ralph Waldo Emerson<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

If I had to explain Apotheon<\/em> to someone who doesn\u2019t play video games, I\u2019d say this: \u201cimagine the figures of ancient Greek vase art, come to life\u2026\u201d This pithy description seems to best fit the game\u2019s concept, and the childlike sense of delight it manages to recreate in the eye of the beholder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apotheon<\/em><\/a> is, of course, something a bit more specific: it\u2019s a video game, produced in the 2D side-scroller metroidvania<\/em><\/a> style, using ancient Greek myth and art as its setting. And the Greek vase idea is more than just a gimmick: Apotheon<\/em> also delivers compelling gameplay with its puppet-like, yet fluid combat mechanics, and its brilliant and imaginative level design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first sight, Apotheon<\/em> (from the Greek apo<\/em> + theon:<\/em> \u2018away from the gods\u2019<\/em>, or \u2018godless<\/em>\u2019) can be seen as one of the many games that reference Greek mythology in their story and gameplay. As such, the game\u2019s backstory is not particularly original. The player is Nikandreos<\/strong>, a prototypical hero of (neo-) Greek mythology, who must save humanity from the wrath of the gods. With the aid of Zeus\u2019 wife Hera, Nikandreos\u2019 ascent (and descent) to the realm of the gods, his trials and tribulations worthy of a Theseus or Herakles, ultimately bring him to confront Zeus, along with the many deities and minions of Greek mythology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A typical promethean<\/em> Hero\u2019s Journey<\/a>, straight from the culture that created so many of its archetypes. So is Apotheon<\/em> offering us the same old mythology wine, with the same new video game bottles?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, but there is much more to Apotheon<\/em> than its backstory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"2015-02-11_00005\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, Apotheon<\/em> keeps a tight leash on the tropes of classical Greek myth. The game successfully blends classical culture with contemporary interactive entertainment, staying true to the constraints of both forms. In this way, Apotheon<\/em> follows in the footsteps of some of the recent indie titles (The Banner Saga<\/em><\/a> and Never Alone<\/em><\/a> come to mind), paying creative tribute to humanity\u2019s ancestral folk wisdom and lore, in the format of a video game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, the way Apotheon<\/em> uses Greek myth, I would argue, tells us something about the nature of video games. The action hero of the video game resembles, in many ways, the action hero of Greek mythology: typically masculine, bereft of psychology, projected into a universe of vivid happenings, quasi-immortal, yet in a perpetual state of existential threat, fighting for redemption. Perched between life and death, the mythical hero exists as an \u201cimmovable centre\u201d, a bridge between immortals and mortals, story and audience, game and player. And in today\u2019s world, machine and man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, I will examine how Apotheon<\/em>‘s tribute to classical Greek art and mythology enhances our understanding of video games. The peculiar blending of archaic and modern cultural forms, as found in Apotheon,<\/em> suggests a new line of questioning: what happens to humanity\u2019s ancestral memory, or mythological past, when it morphs into a play space<\/em>? Can the protean visions of Greek mythology throw some light, across the ages, on the \u201csoul\u201d of today\u2019s gamers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you, Nikandreos, wish to rescue humanity, what must you become? What payments will the gods require of you for your heroic deeds?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"2015-02-10_00004\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Gods of Gameplay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Though it would be tempting to look underneath the hood of Apotheon<\/em> to understand why (for the most part) it works so well, I will leave this task to the many insightful game critics who have reviewed the title<\/a>. Because of the nature of my argument, I will eschew video game criticism per se<\/em>, and shift my focus instead on the overall aesthetic of Apotheon<\/em>, and its wider implications. For in my opinion, Apotheon<\/em> has the unique merit of integrating art style and gameplay, in an experience that reaches beyond the limits of the video game form, and yet remains a fully-realized video game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"2015-02-05_00009\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The best way to examine a game\u2019s \u2018experience design\u2019 (to use a fashionable expression), is to look at it from the developer\u2019s perspective. Apotheon<\/em>, like countless video games, is built on the architecture of a predecessor. Developer Alientrap<\/a>, originally a Saskatoon\/Toronto duo, released its first commercially successful title, Capsized<\/em><\/a>, in 2011. Both Capsized<\/em> and Apotheon<\/em> are 2D side-scrollers, and audiences who have followed the studio can attest to the liberal gameplay borrowings from the former to the latter title. Capsized<\/em> proposed an action-packed side-scrolling space adventure. Apotheon<\/em> does the same, and refines the gameplay and the pacing of the earlier title, replacing space weapons with \u201cauthentic\u201d ancient Greek weaponry and setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apotheon<\/em>\u2019s art concept is also indirectly derived of Alientrap\u2019s previous title<\/a>: the Greek theme emerged from the introduction of quasi-mythological baddies for a cyberpunk sequel to Capsized<\/em>. Recognizing the potential of the Greek vase figure in a 2D side-scrolling format – along with the rich repository of potential game characters contained in Greek mythology – Alientrap decided to produce an exclusively Greek-themed title, built around the Greek action hero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"2015-02-11_00008\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yet, despite the filiation between the two titles, Apotheon<\/em> does not feel like the same old action game with a flashy new paint coating. There is, beyond the obvious criticisms of the game (clich\u00e9d story, conflicting character control schemes) a certain finesse<\/em> with the whole package. The sense of delight attested by many players in discovering the game<\/a>, has to do with the feel<\/em> of the experience, an integrated aesthetic that operates on many simultaneous levels. The initial attraction of the Greek theme and art style pulls the player into the experience. The player quickly discovers that the game is action focussed, and is thrilled to enjoin his hero-puppet into epic combat with the gods, demigods and other creatures of Greek mythology, using authentic period weapons. Finally, the player endeavours to explore the distinct realms of each deity of the Greek pantheon, and take up each unique challenge as it presents itself, with plenty of easter eggs for the hungry and spelunkious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a nutshell, if I were to reverse-engineer Alientrap\u2019s player experience goals<\/em> for Apotheon<\/em>, I would stop at the three following game aesthetic layers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n