Achilles Survivor Switch Review

Achilles Survivor Switch Review
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch

I got to review Achilles: Legends Untold all the way back in February of this year. It was a solid action RPG with a few rough edges, earning a respectable 72/100 from me. Now, Achilles is back, but this time it’s taken the form of a Survivor-style game, pitting Achilles and friends against hordes of enemies as you fight to survive until the counter runs down. Thankfully, it’s more than just another Survivor clone, introducing some unique gameplay mechanics that help it stand out. What’s It Like? Sharpen your spear, rally your allies, and try to survive as we dive into Achilles Survivor on Nintendo Switch.

Before we begin, I want to thank What’s it Like supporter “Brig” for the recommendation. Much like the Trojan horse at Troy, this one slipped right through my release schedule, so I really appreciate the heads up to check this one out.

As mentioned, Achilles Survivor takes a departure from Legends Untold, placing you in an arena where your goal is to survive until the timer counts down. Every enemy you defeat drops XP, which levels you up to improve a weapon, add a new one to your arsenal, and gain passive skills to help achieve victory. You start as Achilles, but the roster quickly grows as you complete challenges, unlocking more characters, weapons, and abilities along the way. What sets Achilles: Survivor apart is its crafting and defensive systems. You can mine materials to build traps and support structures. Early options are simple, including spike traps to damage enemies, healing buildings, or summoning mermydons to fight alongside you. As you progress, more sophisticated traps and support buildings unlock, giving you greater control over the battlefield. Characters also fall into different classes, from Achilles as the commander to rogues and enchanters, each offering unique playstyles.

At first, Achilles Survivor failed to make much of an impression on me. Early runs felt slow and frustrating, like I was stuck in Hades. The game’s pacing is affected by the limited number of abilities you can stack, which makes early damage feel sluggish. Over time, I began to understand the upgrade system. Each weapon upgrade boosts its power, and every five levels allows you to build a forge to grant a powerful boon. Once I grasped this, the game clicked. I found myself marching into battle with glee, often failing, but then redistributing world and class skill points to improve the next run. Each world contains several levels, and I was eager to unlock new areas until I discovered that progression is gated behind achieving certain gold medal thresholds. This forced me to grind the same desert area for hours to complete optional objectives, which were challenging to say the least. While I don’t mind a tough challenge, this system gradually drained my enthusiasm for the game, especially when I struggled to hit some of the more demanding milestones.

Achilles Survivor uses the same engine as Legends Untold, and as a result, it is susceptible to some of the same issues. Environments don’t have a lot of detail, resolution can appear pixelated, and some textures look washed out. The graphics aren’t bad, they’re simply serviceable, and they don’t really stand out. The colour palette is also a little bland. Many areas rely on muted browns, greys, and dull greens, which can make the world feel flat and repetitive during long runs. While the game occasionally adds visual variety through elemental effects from abilities or enemy attacks, much of the time, the scenery features recycled assets, which makes worlds feel the same.

Characters and enemies are clear enough to distinguish, but the lack of pop in colours or environmental detail can make it harder to feel fully immersed in the mythological setting. That said, the simplicity of the visuals does make it easy to focus on the core gameplay, especially when hordes of enemies are swarming the screen. It’s functional for a Survivor-style game, but it rarely wows or leaves a lasting visual impression. On Switch 2, Achilles Survivor runs smoothly, with no noticeable issues even during large enemy waves. On Switch 1, the game is also fairly well optimised. Performance remains solid for most of the match, but framerate stutters can appear toward the end of longer runs, particularly when enemies start swarming the screen. Overall, the game performs reliably across both Switch models, with Switch 2 offering the smoother experience as expected.

For my Mermydons looking into accessibility, there are no options to speak of in Achilles Survivor. As always, I recommend doing further research to find out if the game suits your needs. At just under $9 AUD, the game won’t break the bank and offers a solid amount of gameplay for the price. There are plenty of challenges and characters to unlock, endless runs to master, and weapon combinations to experiment with, making it a good pick for fans of the genre or anyone looking for a fun, bite-sized survival experience.

Overall, Achilles Survivor is a solid entry in the survivors genre. Sure, it starts off a little slow, and the progression system can feel grindy at times, but once you understand the upgrades and unlocks, it becomes a satisfying loop of experimentation and improvement. The crafting and defensive mechanics add depth that sets it apart from other Survivor-style games, and its mythological theme gives it some personality. Survivor fans will likely enjoy visiting Ancient Greece again, as well as shouting “Hectorrrrrrr” every time he’s on screen.

So What’s It Like? Achilles Survivor is like Legends Untold, crossed with Vampire Survivors.

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