[2] The player controls Nikandreos, a young warrior who, with the help of the goddess Hera, fights against the Olympian gods, using various weapons of the Ancient Greeks.

Zeus, the king of all the Gods, has forced the Olympians to stop giving their gifts of life to the Earth, so that all humans are soon deprived of animals, food, and even daylight.

A young warrior named Nikandreos awakens to find his home destroyed and many of the raiders killing Dion's soldiers and citizens.

There are also some gods, like Aphrodite and Dionysus, who secretly oppose Zeus' actions and can provide items to aid Nikandreos if he meets them.

Hera apologizes for her earlier refusal to help, but warns Nikandreos that Zeus has now tasked the remaining powerful gods Poseidon, Ares, and Athena to bring fury and destroy all of humanity.

Descending back to Earth, Nikandreos finds a giant-sized Zeus bragging and roaring of his own victories as a God, refusing to believe in his own defeat by a mere mortal.

The name Apotheon means "exalted to the state of godhood",[4][5] which reflects the deification of Nikandreos, the protagonist, at the end of the game.

In August 2015, Alientrap joined forces with IndieBox, a monthly subscription box service, to produce an exclusive, custom-designed, physical release of Apotheon.

This limited, individually-numbered collector's included a flash-drive with a DRM-free copy of the game, the official soundtrack, an instruction manual and Steam key, and several custom-made collectible items.

[8] Patrick Hancock of Destructoid felt it "more than backs up its aesthetic prowess with rewarding combat and exploration systems in place".

[9] Many reviewers noticed a Metroidvania influence; John-Paul Jones of GameWatcher applauded its "homage to the engrossing Castlevania and Metroid games pioneered back in the 8-bit days".

[12] Philippa Warr of Rock, Paper, Shotgun described Apotheon as "an attractive but shallow game whose more interesting ideas are marred by an unwieldy control system".