Untold Atlas Indie Game Review

Untold Atlas is an expedition adventure themed romance game developed by indie team, Nochi Studios. This is the team’s third title to date and features a brand new story and character to fall in love with! Join Riya Cross on an expedition with their crew to explore a mysterious island that resurfaced from the depths of the sea and discover the truth of the island’s ancient technology while diving into their own adventure and romances along the way.

Game Details

Adventure | Fantasy | Romance
Available on Android and iOS
Price: Free (in-game purchases)

Play on Android

Play on Ios

Story

Riya Cross is sent on an expedition to explore Aethra, a mysterious island which was once a beacon of ancient technology before being lost to the depths of the sea, then resurfaced back into the world.

Led by Captain Felix Harker, Riya and the rest of their crew which includes loose cannon Eli Ryder, the accomplished Lilith Wren, the contracted scientist Alexei Nova, and the ever-pleasant Aethran guide Claris Io to embark into the mysteries of Aethra and all its regions as they grow closer to the answers behind the true source of the island’s ancient technology while diving into their own adventures and romances along the way.

Characters

In Untold Atlas there are three love interests: Bestie in chaos and fellow adventurer, Eli Ryder; Cool beauty and dedicated officer, Lilith Wren; and the enigmatic researcher, Alexei Nova. Each offers their own unique storylines. For the best enjoyment I recommend playing Eli’s route first, followed by Lilith, and save Alexei for last.

Untold Atlas Review

I’ve been following Nochi Studios for awhile now and they are extremely versatile for an indie studio. There is so much variety in the types of stories they tell, from the wholesome cooking themed, Sifting Thyme to the sci-fi isekai adventure, Somnium Eleven. Now the team is trying their hand at telling a swashbuckling adventure story, with their latest title, Untold Atlas. This new game seems to be a blend of their previous titles, combining an immersive lore rich world with a fun cast and genuine character driven interactions. There is a distinct slice of life vibe to Untold Atlas, especially early on, most of the gameplay involves you traveling around key locations in Aethra to meet up with fellow explorers for short fun interactions.

The main story takes place over the course of eight days, which are divided into three times of day (Morning, Afternoon, and Evening). What you can do (and who you’ll meet) changes depending on the time of day. Like, you can shop for supplies at Argos Luna during the morning and afternoon, but during the evening you can go out for drinks with your fellow adventurers.

Each location offers its own unique interactions and activities to explore. Shopping for supplies at the Argos Luna por. Enjoy cultural performances at the Aethran Agora. Complete tasks (mostly inventory) for Captain Harker at the Fellis Station. Discover new species (and hang with Alexei) at the Field Site. You can visit up to three locations a day, so choose wisely, since some of the characters will only appear in certain locations. Though the game does offer hints to where everyone might be via the Quest window located to the right of the screen (this is a godsend).

The game does have some additional features that offer more interactive gameplay. The chat, where you can read instant messages from your fellow adventurers and some of these are hilarious. There’s also a text based adventure mini game where you use pixel, chibi versions of the characters to complete missions. Most of the situations are easy enough to figure out–a group of grannies need help planting flowers, so you send out Uniform Riya or the team’s jeep breaks down, so you send out the Mechanic to fix it. But, there are others that I got a bit tripped up on and that resulted in a game over for one of my playthroughs. But, I do want to note that Nochi doesn’t go out of their way to punish the player. Also, the mini game is a great way to mine for free coins…

Of course, Untold Atlas is a romance game so there are plenty of sweet lovey dovey moments sprinkled throughout the game. I will admit it’s not as romantic as I was expecting, like Nochi’s previous games the romance is more on the wholesome side, so there aren’t a ton of steamy scenes (though Alexei likes to tease). But, if you’re looking for something lighter, the cute fluffy romantic moments will definitely get your heart fluttering.

When I first played the demo last year I had my eye on Alexei, his teasing and thinly veiled innuendo had me going feral (and trust he delvers in the full game). But, I can’t say I disliked any of the characters. Eli is my soulmate in chaos, and I found myself laughing out loud at some of his and Riya’s antics. But, he’s also so earnest and sweet, I just couldn’t help but love him. Lilith initially comes off as a cool aloof beauty, but the more time I spent with her the more I appreciated having someone level headed and reliable around in some of the more tense situations. Also, I know for a fact folks will love having a female love interest to smooch.

Untold Atlas is a freemium game, so there are optional in-game purchases. Coins and Diamonds can be used to unlock extra characters and items for the mini-game. But, I want to be clear that these are optional! You can get the best endings for the love interests without having to make a payment, so kudos to Nochi for being generous in that regard. And as someone who loathes “free to play” mobile games, I really appreciate Nochi for making a game that you don’t have to shell out tons of cash to enjoy!

The Verdict: Is Untold Atlas worth playing?

Absolutely! It’s a lighter on the romance than I was expecting. But I enjoyed the more casual interactions, they really helped me get a feel of the characters outside of making a love connection. For folks worried about the “freemium” aspect of the game, trust me when I say Nochi is extremely generous and you can definitely get the best ends without having to shell out cash. There is plenty to do in Untold Atlas and I think fans of Nochi will appreciate their special brand of storytelling and the fun little extras baked into the game.