Quest for the Golden Fleece

Published January 13, 2009

For Jason, it was to be his wedding day. He was to take Alceme, beloved daughter of Lycomedes, the warrior-king of Mycenae celebrated for his purging of the devilish Blacktongues, to be his bride.

Jason and two of his Argonauts, Hercules and Atalanta.

All is right on this perfect day, but as Jason reaffirms his love for his bride-to-be, an assassin's arrow whistles through the sun-kissed air and pierces fair Alceme. Consumed with righteous rage, Jason drives back the enemy soldiers and with the help of friend Hercules tracks down and takes his vengeance upon the Blacktongue assassin.

Choked by grief and unable to part permanently from his beautiful Alceme, Jason withholds her last rites, effectively pinning her restless spirit to the mortal realm and preventing her journey to the underworld while he searches for some way, any way, to breathe life into her once more.

For many it will be the story at large and the small
encounters that embroider it that mark their
lasting memory of Rise of the Argonauts.

Codemasters' Mythology
Such is the mythological foundation of Codemasters' action/role-playing game Rise of the Argonauts™ for Xbox 360®. This reimagining of the classic Quest for the Golden Fleece uses that tale as a base for celebrating Greek mythology as a whole, rearranging relationships and introducing new characters to the fold in what amounts to a mythological collage rather than a straightforward retelling of the original story.

Fight alongside Hercules, do battle against and with the lustful but awesome Achilles, attempt to turn back the corruption of Medusa's vanity, match wits with the Oracle of Delphi, slay manticores, ally with centaurs, and much, much more on your quest to find the descendents of the Greek gods Hermes, Apollo, and Ares so that you may gain entrance to the underworld Tartarus and reclaim the Golden Fleece.

Fighting the Mythos
Rise of the Argonauts uses a classic fast attack/strong attack approach to its combat system as Jason faces off against agents of the Blacktongues, Ionian mercenaries, mythological creatures, and more. This basic system has several attack combinations on its own, but it's just that, the base.

Strange beasts abound.

Equally important to weapon attacks is Jason's enormous shield (very similar to the iconic Spartan shields featured in the movie 300), which allows him to block attacks and bash back attackers, and to counterattack when employed at just the right moment.

Of course, there are the weapons themselves to consider, including precision spears, swift swinging swords, and hefty maces. Each offers their own set of strengths and weaknesses and even special moves. You can cover great distances with a sword's dash attack, deal out strikes to multiple opponents with the spear's twirling attack, and send multiple enemies stunned and flying with the mace's thunderous area-effect strike.

Also, unlike other games where you need to stop using one weapon before unsheathing the next, just tap LB or RB mid-combo to seamlessly switch from mace to sword, sword to spear, and spear to mace to finish off a combo. When executed correctly, these weapon swapping attacks look great, and dish out some serious damage.

Constellation Powers
Whether it's eliminating a certain number of creatures, soldiers, or Blacktongues, finishing quests, learning Greek history from Hermes statues, or completing other activities, each completed Feat can be spent to increase your favor with the gods Apollo, Hermes, Athena, or Ares.

Time for shield bash!

Curry enough favor with your Greek deity of choice and you can purchase special abilities like Ares' Stone Armor, making you impervious to damage for a short time, or Apollo's Solar Shield, which inflicts damage whenever you successfully block an attack.

Each Feat you complete is tied to one of twenty Greek-inspired constellations. Complete enough Feats to fill out a constellation, and you'll be awarded with an achievement.

Stories Abound
From the starting point on Iolcus to piecing together the mystery of a petrified citizenry on Athena's Kythra, to exploits in the bloody arena of Mycenae and time spent among the noble Centaurs of Saria, every land you visit will be rife with adventures that extend well beyond your own focused quest for the Golden Fleece.

Dialogue, side plots, and story-related twists and turns play just as vital a role in Rise of the Argonauts as combat does. This mix of action and role-playing is made all the more intriguing because so many of your incidental run-ins tie directly into Greek mythology.

She doesn't look friendly.

Whether it's befriending a refugee Daedalus on the run from King Minos and hearing the tragedy of his son Icarus, fighting against Achilles' wrath and vanity in the arena, or simply listening to the Satyr Pan regale you with myths and legends, the experience is consistently fascinating.

Dialogue of the Gods
Whenever you're engaged in dialogue in Rise of the Argonauts you're given full command of just how Jason will react, usually through four dialogue choices. Almost every dialogue choice is tied to one of the Greek gods that sponsor Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece: Hermes, Apollo, Ares, and Athena. You'll earn favor with whichever god is tied to your dialogue option of choice, making even chatting a tactical opportunity for evolving your character. Also, the dialogue choices work in a similar fashion to Mass Effect™, where the options given reflect your state of mind more than precisely what you'll say.

This approach helps keep you on your toes in every dialogue encounter, and indeed, one the game's most remarkable "boss battles" is almost entirely dialogue-driven. Your debate with the insidious Phaedon, he who despoiled young Medusa of her virtue, is a remarkable encounter made all the more tense for its total unexpectedness, to say nothing of the great voice acting that propels Phaedon's oily arguments.

For many it will be the story at large and the small encounters that embroider it that mark their lasting memory of Rise of the Argonauts, but whether it's that or any one of the game's epic battles, Codemasters has struck a rare balance of action and story in their recreation of Jason, his Argonauts and their Quest for the Golden Fleece.

Article by Ryan Treit