I’m not sure if that’s an official designation for anybody else but for me it calls to mind the original God of War trilogy and buried Xbox 360 era gems like Darksiders – games that deliver fast-paced, button-slamming combat but also reward deliberate, methodical mashing for those willing to engage at a deeper level. With Atlas Fallen, the Frankfurt-based studio is riffing on a whole other flavour of action title, the heady-hack’n’slash.

Makers of the criminally underrated The Surge series, which took Soulslike combat and planted it into a sci-fi dystopia, Deck13 are no strangers to rock-solid action experiences. Serving as both game developers and publishers under Focus Entertainment, Deck13 Interactive has been quietly churning out bangers for the last five years. You know the type, usually something from the AA industry that had a cool cinematic trailer some time ago but has since faded from our collective minds, only jolted back when someone mentions it got a release date. I’m always stoked when a game quietly sneaks up on us.

Download atlas fallen ps4