Hello everyone, we are Sven Hammer from Deck13, lead technical designer, and Lila Grimaldi, narrative designer. We bring you Atlas Fallen on May 16, an epic and explosive action-RPG where you play as a hero who stands against the reign of a tyrannical god. You will explore a semi-open world covered in sand called Atlas and face mythical creatures. Your heroic abilities come from a magical artifact, and we’re here to tell you about its history and mechanics!
The essence of Atlas
In the world of Atlas, Essence is at the heart of everything. All organic things and every particle of its sand-covered surface are made of it. An ancient form of magic built its powers on the Essence, but its knowledge was long lost. One day, our hero stumbles across the remnants of that magic in the form of an age-old artifact: the Gauntlet.
The Gauntlet gives its wearer control over the Essence present in its environment. Thus, they can manipulate the grains of Essence found in objects, structures, elements, and modify their structural integrity, reassemble them or destroy them. Our hero will use it to shape the sand around him into various weapons during combat. The gauntlet’s ability to manipulate its environment allows players to propel themselves through the air for epic vertical movements and rapid traversal while gliding across the sands of the Atlas Mountains. The Gauntlet is a very versatile tool!
Reforge the Gauntlet
Unfortunately for our hero, they find a malfunction in the Gauntlet. Forged by a mysterious being, it was dismantled shortly after its creation to prevent anyone from using its magic again. Two essential components are needed: the catalyst and the shards.
The more Essence comes into play, the harder it is to control. The role of the Catalyst is to gather the Essence and channel it into himself, increasing his raw power tenfold. This component has been split into three fragments called “Catalyst Pieces”, which you will need to find and piece together. Collecting a new Catalyst Part allows you to reforge part of the Gauntlet, unlocking a powerful new ability. Each Catalyst Piece must be completed with specific Essence-infused items called “Shards”, which enhance the hero’s control over the Essence.
Throughout your journey in the world of Atlas, you will come across these Catalyst Parts and Fragments, and can gradually increase your Gauntlet’s abilities and progress further in the game.
The shape-shifting weapon
Once you have the power to manipulate Essence, you can shape the sand around you into various weapons. To do this, you need to find the corresponding weapon souvenir. Three weapons can be found throughout your journey: the Dunecleaver, the Sandwhip, and the Knuckledust. They all become more massive and powerful as you gather Essence during combat, this process is called gaining momentum.
THE dune cutter is a heavy weapon that works wonders when it comes to dealing high impact area of effect damage to your enemies. Depending on the attacks you perform, it will take one of two different forms. One of them is an axe, ideal for performing large sweeps that deal a good amount of damage while destabilizing your target; the other is a hammer – specializing in crowd control, it creates large areas of damage when thrown into the ground.
THE sand whip combines the swift strokes of a sword with the broad strokes of a whip. It’s your fastest and most effective weapon for building momentum and offers a wide variety of mobility options. A good example of this is the Sandwhip Hook: a move that allows you to hook onto your target and pull yourself towards it. This makes the Sandwhip a very versatile weapon in that you can either use it to keep enemies at a safe distance while building momentum, or use its high mobility to get in and out of a fight quickly. allowing you to land devastating melee stabs that consume Momentum over time.
Finally, the Knuckledust is a handgun that covers both forearms and transforms into extra pairs of arms as your Momentum builds up. The Knuckledust shines by dealing high damage per second on single targets, making it a perfect choice for quickly taking down selected threats.
You’ll be able to wield two weapons at once, allowing you to create a unique loadout with your favorite moves. In addition to these weapons, your combat abilities will be greatly enhanced by the use of Essence Stones. These will allow you to perform unique and powerful attacks, customizable to your preferred playstyle.
Sand Taming Abilities Outside of Combat
The sand taming abilities granted by the Gauntlet are not limited to its shapeshifting qualities. Here are three abilities you’ll also rely on, letting you traverse the world of Atlas with speed and power, and interact with specific objects and structures.
Aerial Dashboard can be used while flying, channeling Essence around you to propel you forward and dash through the air. With this ability, you can easily hit a specific target, reach the next structure to land on, overcome large chasms, and quickly cover large distances.
Increase allows to lift imposing structures and objects buried in the ground thanks to the Essence in the sand. This ability is crucial in allowing you to discover hidden treasures and sunken ruins, as well as creating new paths on elevated structures and even revealing long-forgotten paths.
Crush gives you the ability to tear seals and magical chains, which will allow you to access forbidden lands, a necessary step to progress in your journey and change the course of Atlas history.
We hope you enjoyed this introduction to the epic fun you’ll have taming the sand in Atlas Fallen, releasing May 16 on PlayStation 5. Pre-order it now to get the Ruin Rising DLC bonus pack!
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