There was a time when every ostensibly single-player game had a slapped-on multiplayer mode. Publishers, recognizing the early success of Call of Duty, Halo, and the like, wanted studios to turn everything into competitive or co-op multiplayer, no matter how silly. That time is behind us, thankfully, but Atlas Fallen proves it’s always been possible to make a good co-op experience – you simply have to build your game with it in mind.
Indeed, Atlas Fallen’s co-op mode is more fun than one might expect, and Deck13 has done a fabulous job making it surprisingly seamless. Read on to learn how to make the magic happen.
How To Active Atlas Fallen’s Co-Op
Initiating co-op is as simple as either choosing it from the main menu or even from within the game itself. It’s drop-in/drop-out style, too, which means if something comes up and one of you has to go, the other can keep on keeping on with no downtime.
That said, if you’re wondering whether Atlas Fallen supports local – AKA ‘couch’ – co-op, alas, the answer is no. But for those who enjoy online multi, it really is as easy as hopping into a friend’s active game or letting a friend into yours at any given time.
Once you’re with your co-op partner, the world is your (shared) oyster. Here’s what makes Atlas Fallen excel in this – you can explore together, progress the story together, even tackle separate tasks, all with that seamlessness in mind. Put another way, someone can chat up NPCs while the other player buys items, or engages in cutscenes.
Unlike the vast majority of online-capable adventure games, Atlas Fallen’s cutscenes even recognize the existence of a second player, enhancing the immersion factor. It’s a neat hat trick we’d love to see more developers pull off.
The Battle Benefits Of Online Co-Op
We’ve mentioned it in other guides, but Atlas Fallen is not an easy game. Even on its normal difficulty, enemies can put up quite a fight. There’s a rebalancing involved in co-op that doesn’t quite make you twice as strong, per se, but it does give you a tactical edge, and not just because there’s an extra body hanging around.
When you’re up against elite wraiths and the like, the Momentum Gauge – Atlas Fallen’s push-and-pull-style, high-risk, high-reward meter – is a delicate juggling act. Attack swiftly enough, and enough times, and it’ll climb, and you’ll do much more damage, but you’ll take much more in turn.
With co-op, one player can soak the risks with a high Momentum Gauge whilst the other plays more defensively and attempts to keep the foe’s attention, or both players can go high on the Momentum Gauge but with the benefit of effectively cutting the risk of quickly dying in half since there will be two targets for the enemy AI to handle.
Plus, the sheer amount of Essence Stone combinations in Atlas Fallen will allow a couple of friends to take on entirely separate strategic roles, and the different weapon types only furthers that fun. You’ll never feel like you and your friend are carbon copies, Spartans with Assault Rifles, if you will; you’re capable warriors with a plethora of styles that spring to life all the more so with co-op.