Aztech: Forgotten Gods is a new action-adventure game from a small indie studio trying to make it out on their own. It is a noble effort, even in an age where indie games are a dime a dozen. Finding an audience can be challenging, and it might be extra hard for this game.

Right now the aggregate for it, across most consoles, is around the 50s and 60s. That is not good for a game’s launch, however, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. There are good aspects to Aztech: Forgotten Gods that could be considered some of the best gaming has ever seen. What are they, and where does it fall short?

8 Best: Cyberpunk Aztec Society

The idea of Aztech: Forgotten Gods is excellent. The name is a fun pun on the real-life civilization of the Aztecs. It just re-imagines them to be more technologically savvy than they were. They had some amazing cultural improvements, but they weren’t building cybernetic arms or anything like that.

This world is a full-on cyberpunk utopia and it could have been outstanding if not for a few minor annoyances. The idea is a 10/10 though.

7 Worst: The Graphics

One of the things holding Aztech: Forgotten Gods back is the graphics. It looks unfinished. Players may be a bit confused when booting the game up thinking it was an early access title instead.

That might be a bit more demeaning toward early access titles because there is a lot that is practically 80% done when they go online. This game, on the other hand, feels like it is 40% done at best. One of the worst designed things in the game is the NPCs running around the city. They are laughably obtuse.

6 Best: Flying

The game may look bad down below, but players may not even care when they unlock their cybernetic arm. It has dual uses. It can pummel foes into oblivion, and it can also act as a jetpack.

Aztech: Forgotten Gods gives players a lot of energy at the start to play with too. Eventually, the arm will run out of juice, forcing players to land. They can still get a good distance out of it even before any upgrades are added. It is hands down, pun intended, one of the best traversal items in any open-world game.

5 Worst: On The Ground Movement

Moving on the ground is a different story. All effort went into making the cybernetic arm’s rocket capabilities top-notch. Everything else mechanically falters. Walking around indoor areas feels like Aztech: Forgotten Gods, the main character, has bags of sand tied to her legs.

Walking or running around is slow, awkward, and not recommended on any level. Being on the ground also forces players to eyeball the aforementioned less-than-stellar graphics.

4 Best: Bosses

Small enemies are waiting around the city that players can fight. Some of them are random while others are related to side quest fighting arenas. The majority of Aztech: Forgotten Gods is framed around colossal bosses.

The scale of them is fantastic from the first toxic-looking skull demon to the second boss which is a huge sphere. Their designs are great. They can be tricky to fight because the game doesn’t do the best job explaining their strategies. That can be part of the fun for players that love bosses in games.

3 Worst: Combat

The bosses in Aztech: Forgotten Gods might be up there with some of the coolest of 2022 or of all time. However, fighting them is a different story. It’s not because it can be confusing as was previously mentioned.

The game’s combat mechanics are just not well-thought-out. Achtli can punch and that is about it for a good chunk of the game. There is a sort of time-based coordination to landing punches which is something. Unfortunately, this idea isn’t as tight as it could be.

2 Best: New Skins For Achtli

There are two types of currency in Aztech: Forgotten Gods. Yellow coins can be used to upgrade Achtli’s arm. Blue coins can be used for aesthetic changes. Players can buy her new outfits, or they can redo her hair. Once these items are purchased, they can be changed at any point at no extra cost.

A vast majority of games have character customization of some sort. It may not feel Aztech: Forgotten Gods’ choices is huge, because they aren’t, but sometimes it is the little things that can make players happy. The same is true for Photo Mode which was genuinely a surprise to see in a small indie game like this.

1 Worst: The Story

The world of Aztech: Forgotten Gods, again, is unlike anything a video game has seen indie or otherwise. Unfortunately, the story is not as original. It involves Achtli inheriting this cybernetic arm from a tomb within her mother’s lab. She starts to hear gods who start to tell her she is the new guardian.

It is a bit generic but if the characters were better, it could have saved the narrative. There are no voices either, making every scene fall flat. Even the music is lacking except for the boss battles.

Aztech: Forgotten Gods was released on March 10, 2022 and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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