Rise of the Argonauts

PC Games (Germany)

A solid and yet pointless action-rpg that is missing almost everything what made God of War a blast: spectacular bossfights, a thrilling plot, charismatic characters, impressive architecture and design, a fluid combat system and an epic orchestral soundtrack - you won't find any of that in Rise of the Argonauts.

LEVEL (Czech Republic)

A strong and remarkable story of true warriors and leaders is the best example of this blockbuster game. You can spend great weekends with it but NEVER try to learn any historical facts from Argonauts for Zeus’s sake. [Issue#174, Jan 2009]

PC Zone UK

Persevere a little and you'll soon be having a lot of fun. [Apr 2009, p.72]

PC Gamer

Just another half-assed console port. [Mar 2009, p.74]

GameStar

There are some good ideas, the fights look great, but Liquid Entertainment wasted their good concept. The fights turn out to be simple key bashing, there is not enough good dialogue for a RPG and far too much babbling for an action game.

IGN

The problem is how the game's put together – so much has been stripped from what we traditionally think of as an RPG and an action game that the result feels like an awkward, neutered hybrid bloated by hours and hours of static dialogue sequences.

YouGamers

Rise of the Argonauts may be based on some ambitious ideas, but the implementation is terribly uneven and filled with obvious corner-cutting. The "action" and "RPG" elements are both weak and what little gameplay there is feels flat and uninteresting. PC conversion is a rush job with little effort to cater for the platform.

PC Format

Fails to be what it sets out to be – a game. But still manages to be a charming journey for anyone with plenty of patience.

Play (Poland)

Decent visuals, juicy combat system and the interesting character development are the games strong points, but a horde of glaring design errors pushes them aside. And it takes a lot of dedication to suffer through the incredibly boring preparations to the journey. [Feb 2009]

G4 TV

Rise of the Argonauts is an unquestionably flawed game. This should not be taken to mean it's not fun to play. Even with the underwhelming aspects of the game factored in, this is a truly ambitious game. It feels like an A-list title made with a C-list budget, but there is heart to it.

Games Radar (in-house)

Rise of the Argonauts has a nice story and something to offer, but shortcomings like this chip away at the fun and ultimately keep the game from matching its legendary sources of inspiration.

Computer Games Online RO

The developers probably wanted the game to have Action and RPG characteristics in equal doses, but the blend ultimately failed. And I personally regret that the mystifying ancient Greek missed its potential in this title.

Cynamite

Disappointing! Granted, the aggressive argonauts deliver a fresh setting and some good ideas. But when it comes to the basics, the gaming experience is rather weak.

3DJuegos

Innovation in Rise of Argonauts goes in the wrong direction. Although the story is not bad and the epic and mythic world remains interesting, it's gameplay mechanics and technical flaws make the game boring and uninteresting.

GamingExcellence

Not enough story or character for a role playing game, not enough combat for an action game, Rise of the Argonauts must languish in Tartarus, the mythological Greek hell.

Cheat Code Central

If there's an upside to this game, it's that despite the shallow combat system, it's rather amusing to spill blood in battle. That's a small upside for a game that costs $60 and demands you sit through hours of talking just to kill stuff.

Hardcore Gamer Magazine

While Rise of the Argonauts offers lots of hacking and slashing, which is fun for a time, its story, style and sound aren’t enough to atone for its shallowness and elevate this odyssey to the epic heights to which it aspires.

Total Video Games

Bland, unoriginal, buggy, beleaguered with frame-rate issues, filled with visual 'quirks', and featuring combat that's lacking any great sense of satisfaction, Rise of the Argonauts is a truly lacklustre action-RPG experience.

Edge Magazine

Die-hard roleplaying game fans might have shrugged off its technical flaws and turgid combat if only the story had a pay-off. But instead of a tragic hero, Jason’s a dud. [Feb 2009, p.86]