⭐⭐⭐.5
Developer (Platform): Ascendant Studios (Xbox Series X)
Publisher (Release): Electronic Arts (2023)
Length: 20-25 hours
Genres: Fantasy; Action; First-Person Shooter; Platformer
❗️Disclaimers❗️:
moderate flashing lights warning
this review contains low-level spoilers
recommendation: vibe check before playing and buy on sale
👍 Pros 👍
Fantastic world with a rich history
Combat, platforming, and puzzles are tightly tied to varied magic abilities
Gorgeous graphics and lighting
👎 Cons 👎
Plot is poorly paced and predictable
Characters toe the line between witty and cringe a tad too much in the latter’s favour
Inconsistent performance, specifically in the game’s FPS
👀 Synopsis & Trailer 👀
The Everwar…
An endless conflict that ravages the kingdoms of Aveum as human greed vies for the control of magic. When the battle lands on Jak’s doorstep, the orphan is thrust to the front lines, discovering power that even the most battle-hardened battlemages fear.
Consumed by war, Aveum faces more than just the dead left from battle as the earth itself corrupts and disappears into a bottomless pit known as The Wound. Jak has no option but to fight the fight in front of him, but will the war be won in time…or will the land swallow it all whole?
🛎️ Introduction 🛎️
Immortals of Aveum came and went with a surprising lack of gumption. With a release window pitting it against big hitters like Starfield and a, from what I can tell, poor marketing push, I wouldn’t be surprised if many a potential fan missed it completely, and that’s a shame. Immortals is missing something, for sure, but it’s a beautiful first-person shooter that replaces traditional gunplay with colourful magics and scenic spectacles.
🧩 Plots 🧩
Blasting off strong, Immortals of Aveum brings the never-ending Everwar to protagonist Jak’s magic-free life, giving the player a crash course in Aveum’s history that has a surprising amount of depth and emotion invested in it. It’s a shame that, from there, the plot faces a bumpy ride.
A battlefield aflame
Predictable and a little silly, Immortals has a tendency to create drama for the sake of drama, crafting angst out of nowhere with the flimsiest of motivations as support. There are plenty of heart-pounding moments, but a lack of consistent payoff and repetition of plot points lessens the very little the story tries to say.
Immortals houses a vibrant world
Bafflingly, the finale does pull together all the game’s disparate threads into a cohesive conclusion that finally delivers on its constant promise of epicness. Satisfaction aside, there are no surprises to spice the story up, but the fabric of Aveum and its people is still incredibly rich, and the foundations for a solid franchise world are there.
Immortals has a tendency to create drama for the sake of drama…
🎭 Characters 🎭
Characters, like the story, travel a bumpy path. Our gung-ho protagonist Jak overdoes the chipper wisecracker persona despite a strong performance from actor Darren Barnet. It kept me in a constant middle ground, unable to like or dislike the very character whose shoes I was supposed to fill. Inconsistent development that can appear out of nowhere doesn’t help, making Jak’s ‘specialness’ a bit of an enigma.
I’m a sucker for a handsome protagonist…most of the time
Supporting him are some tremendous talents ranging from Gina Torres’s Grand Magnus Kirkan to Lily Cowle’s Zendara (two of my favourites in the game). Interactions try a little too hard to be light and funny but often find themselves weighed down by topics like prejudice and genocide, casting a mismatched tone.
Collosal magic robots!?
Individually, each character benefits from the game’s strong world-building, coming from diverse and intricate backgrounds that shape their personalities. Performances hit the best they can with what the script allows and there are odd moments where a scene nails the emotion it wants that paint when it fails in a starker light.
…some tremendous talents…
👾 Gameplay and Graphics 👾
Immortals, for the most part, is least inconsistent with its undeniably diverse mechanics. A first-person platformer at heart, a fun array of abilities are gifted to the player and purposefully utilised with varied enemy types and puzzle configurations nudging them to try out new tactics. Traversal is slick and satisfying, with secret nuggets and side content scattered throughout Aveum for the player to discover.
It looks chaotic but the reality is it slaps
While adventuring, players will be treated to a colourful marvel. Immortals is gorgeous and the lighting deserves a very big shout-out. Sprawling setpieces showcase scale and magical animations scintillate the senses. Sadly, with the good comes the bad, and the bad comes in the form of poor performance. Immortals stutters frequently and its choice to have scripted scenes bounce between first and third-person contributes to a choppy overall experience.
Why does this tree look so familiar?
A first-person platformer at heart…
🧠 Final Thoughts 🧠
Immortals of Aveum is a fun if inconsistent first-person shooter that, arguably, was thrown out against bigger titles and, predictably, lost. An uninspired story can’t sell the epic vistas the game delivers with its beautiful graphics, and characters only survive the poor balance of snark and emotion thanks to competent world-building. Thankfully, the game does nail what any game should: it feels great to play. A fantastic array of magic powers are expertly utilised and paced, tying combat, platforming, and puzzles into a tight landscape the player will return to over and over to try and find new hidey-holes to explore.
The Phoenix Project 