Aztech: Forgotten Gods is one of the hardest games you will ever have to form an opinion of. On its surface, Aztech is a love letter to the PlayStation 2 era of 3D gaming. Under the hood, it is a beautifully told narrative with imaginative characters and world design. Unfortunately, there are many gameplay design choices that just get in the way of an otherwise fantastic and engaging adventure.
The first moments are the game are like being shot out of a cannon. You head down a chaotic corridor with metal music blasting as you take out some ancient robot looking beasts. It is adrenaline fueled and sets up promising combat mechanics. After you reach the end of the area, and “do the thing” as it were, you are transported forward in time to the bedroom of Achtli, a young and spunky Aztec woman in an alternate future where the Aztecs were still able the thrive. What happens next will likely determine every single opinion you read regarding Aztech. The next two hours will test your patience. The next two hours will feel like an eternity. The next two hours is the biggest glaring issue with Aztech: Forgotten Gods.
Forgotten Action
The next two hours you will find yourself talking to your mother, and learning about the huge mechanical ancient weapon (the same that you had in the opening moments), The Lightkeeper. Then you will talk to your mom again. Then you will end that conversation. Then your HUD will give you your next objective…to talk to Mom…again. No exaggeration; this happens half a dozen times. There was no reason for this not to be one cutscene or conversation, either. You literally fade up from black in the same room and have to walk a few feet to start talking again. I found myself audibly saying “when do I do something?!” and “LET ME USE THE COOL ARM”. About two hours later…the game truly shows what its worth.
The core of Aztech is that it is a 3D traversal combat game where you fight colossal gods – one on one. The scale of the fights is enormous and can be breathtaking. Unfortunately, the controls for Aztech are also a love letter to the PlayStation 2 era, and do nothing to help you during your first real fight. The camera is mind bogglingly un-helpful. Once you get a look around the battle and really understand that this game is more about flight combat than traditional melee brawling – you really start to click. Jumping from launch pad to launch pad, impaling your giant fist into weak points to open up for massive damage feels amazing, too. My favorite moments, besides the actual kick ass battles with the big ass gods, is the in-between.
Remembered Fun
If Lienzo was able to shorten the start of the game to feel a bit more like the pacing between god fights, this whole experience would be much more palatable. You will get to explore the city and see just how much more than a love letter this is to PS2. The city is stunning. The colors are gorgeous. And just moving around the city and finding cosmetic unlocks really shows you how to master movement for your next fight. In your exploration you will also find the area to unlock skills and enhance your attributes. And if there is anything that us nerds here at Duel Screens love…it’s a skill tree.
The skill tree here is simple, but also way fun to mess around with. You will unlock character launching blasts and charged slams. Super jumps and healing abilities. Flying around and doing some challenges in the city to gain more unlock points becomes a great time sink in-between massive boss fights. You will find yourself wanting to complete as many of these small challenged as possible to unlock some fun skills and upgrades.
Thoughts of Gods
Aztech: Forgotten Gods is a flawed call back to gaming’s past. It struggles with early game pacing and some bizarre camera control choices, but nails it in the overall combat. Where Aztech truly succeeds in its incredible world building and attention to detail. Achtli is one of my favorite heroines of recent memory. If you can get through the opening two hours, you will have a blast.
Aztech: Forgotten Gods was provided for review on PlayStation 5.
