Atlas Fallen Is Not a Soulslike; It Was Rather Inspired by Horizon and God of War

At Gamescom 22, German developer Deck13 Interactive announced its next project, Atlas Fallen. While the studio has made its name with Soulslike games so far (the first Lords of the Fallen, The Surge, and The Surge 2), this new game won’t be made from the same ilk.

Speaking to VG247 in Cologne, Design Director Jérémy Hartvick said that the game, described as a semi-open world full of mysteries, should rather be likened to an action RPG like Guerrilla’s Horizon or Sony Santa Monica’s God of War.

Unlike regular Soulslikes, including Deck13’s own The Surge, Atlas Fallen will also feature three selectable difficulty levels: Adventure Mode, Standard Mode, and Hard Mode. As such, it should be more accessible than the studio’s previous titles.

On the PlayStation Blog, Hartvick also described how the combat system will differ from the one seen in The Surge.

While keeping a visceral feel as well as certain moves which were core to The Surge series, Atlas Fallen’s combat is primarily defined by speed and fluidity. We’ve kept ideas like the body part targeting system and the implant system, using a different approach to best support the accentuated RPG aspect. We pushed everything a step further in the direction of advanced character management and moveset customization, so you’ll get to approach combat in your own way. Game feel is our main concern when it comes to designing Atlas Fallen. We’ve let strict constraints of realism aside to focus on giving a thrilling, overpowering feeling to the game. One of the chief design elements to achieve this is Sand Gliding, which is how the hero will move across the vast world of Atlas Fallen. It’s key to the game’s high mobility system, and it brings amazing speed and verticality to the spectacular action of combats. 

Atlas Fallen is targeting a Q1 2023 launch, according to a slide from an investor presentation hosted by Focus Entertainment a few months ago. It will be released for PC and next-generation consoles.