Athenian Rhapsody Review
Athenian Rhapsody is a game that borrows a lot from flagship titles that came before it. In honour of this, it’s recommended that you either listen to the hit song from legendary band Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody, prior to reading the review, or listen to an instrumental version while reading it.
Is this a new game? Is this just Undertale?
Human among monsters, do you take their EXP?
Open your eyes, look at the colours and see.
It’s not just a copy, it needs no sympathy.
Because it has many, friends to grow, many jokes, most low brow.
Even though it’s similar, it doesn’t really matter to me, to me.
Horatio, just burned a man.
Gilroy stole a visa, pulled the trigger, now he’s rich.
James, he just wants a friend.
But now he’s in a toxic relationship.
Aerosol, ooh, didn’t mean to make you cry
But I’m not an artist, today or tomorrow.
Carry on, Carry on, cause the picture doesn’t matter.
So quick, the game is over.
Sends a Rhapsody to my friends, get some back from them in turn.
Goodbye, everybody, once was good.
Had fun but one playthrough was enough.
Platform, ooh
It doesn’t matter
It plays well, no matter the console at all.
Would you enjoy if not a fan?
Probably, Probably, Even without playing Undertale.
Pacifist or Genocide, peace is very fun for me.
Toby Fox, Toby Fox, he be mad?
I’m just a critic, nobody cares about me
It’s a game that stands on its own.
Spare them a life of obscurity
But seriously, Athenian Rhapsody is a fun experience that feels familiar but does stand on its own two feet. The battle system is definitely borrowed from Undertale but is a bit more colourful and boisterous. Going the pacifist route means the battle system is a series of mini-games where the character needs to avoid projectiles that get more ridiculous the further you get into the game.
Much of the enjoyment comes from the interactions between the player character and twelve friends that can be found throughout the world. The humour is cute and well written, though sometimes the toilet jokes come a little too often. Each friend has a neat back story and unique personality that leads to some fun hijinks.
At the end of the day, there’s no way to avoid bringing up Undertale with all the similarities between the two. If you’ve never played the former, than the comparison is pointless since Athenian Rhapsody works on its own. It’s not really a question of either or, if you’re a fan of that style of RPG, them you already know that you’ll likely enjoy Athenian Rhapsody.
