Set to release July 20 on Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, EA's Immortals of Aveum is a brand-new property in a world of well-established IPs and long-running characters. The mystical first-person shooter grants players a number of magical options to dispatch an ever-increasing swarm of enemies, and at its best feels like the story-driven battlemage game players never knew they've always wanted. A chaotic blast for fans of the genre, Immortals of Aveum has the makings of something great -- so long as it can stick the landing.
Immortals of Aveum is set in the mystical realm of Aveum, where magic can be utilized and mastered to change the world. For untold centuries, the realm has been caught in a massive conflict known as the Everwar, caused by the aggressive expansion of the Rasharn empire. Among the final defenders of the nation of Luciumthe are the titular Immortals (a codename for an elite squad of battlemages). Their newest recruit is Jak, who has the unique ability to control all three primary forms of magic and a personal drive to get involved in the conflict. While mastering any of them may prove difficult, this expanded scope of abilities means Jak (and the player) have a lot of options for contending with the dangers of the Rasharn armies.
The Magic of Immortals of Aveum
Jim Ingram, the UI Lead at Immortals of Aveum developer Ascendant noted that the game carries a great deal of FPS history behind it. "One of the big initial driving forces was really -- we've got people from a Call of Duty background. I, myself, come from a background of working on BioShock. Bringing those different types of people together and coming up with something that we hope is a refreshing new experience for the FPS genre [was a primary driving force]."
Gameplay-wise, Immortals of Aveum operates like a traditional first-person shooter, along the lines of DOOM or Call of Duty. After a brief tutorial, players are given three basic forms of firepower, which are divided by color -- red magic (defined by short-range blasts and large explosions), blue magic (more long-range and precise shots), and green magic (rapid-fire bursts of energy). As players explore the world of Aveum, they can find and upgrade other gauntlets of channeling that power to adjust for gameplay styles.
For example, a hidden gauntlet can transform the player's blue magic into a javelin instead of a more basic long-range rifle, or shift red magic from a one-handed shotgun into a magical grenade launcher. There's also a host of defensive spells that players can use to protect themselves from incoming attacks, manipulate the surrounding environment for brief platforming moments, or even drag enemies into their line of fire with a mystically-created lash.
"We worked together to come up with a broad range of spells," Ingram explained, "and then put together different combat scenarios. So it is still pretty varied and interesting. But really, what we wanted is a place that gives the player a lot of freedom, and gives them abilities to go bold, tactical, and bombastic. Really being able to kind of like run the gambit of all this sort of stuff." The game itself is quick to pick up and get used to (especially with the rapid-fire green magic, which can easily become a default approach to hordes of enemies) but learning to thread combat with protective spells, area-of-effect special attacks, and small bursts of levitation make it a fun experience to try and master. It's notably easy to figure out though, as only a few hours of gameplay allowed for unexpected synergy and off-the-cuff improvisation in boss fights.
As Ingram delved into, "Part of it is giving players that wide breadth of stuff to use -- being able to come at things from a distance and be a little bit more tactical about how you approach a scenario, or being able to jump in at any point and get really up close. We've got top-tier effects guys. Being able to work with them, we made sure that everything is kind of like homogenizing together so that we get the amount of feedback that we need. But it still allows people to have that control."
"I really enjoy the lash. Being able to grab enemies -- when we first sort of got to that point where we were experimenting with that, we had an arena with a bunch of lash points. As soon as you're able to kind of grab on it, pull yourself in a different direction while there's a bunch of guys coming after you, it just felt really empowering. Then on top of that, being able to grab and pull enemies towards you and then push away with your red blasts. Having that level of control really does showcase itself in our combat."
Immortals of Aveum Is a First-Person Shooter With a Touch of Magic
Immortals of Aveum's action can be frantic and chaotic, creating a clear divide from the quieter moments where players can explore a larger world. Coupled with some very impressive graphics that illustrate a fantastical world (with just enough sci-fi-esque edges to stand out from the rest of the genre), the game is at its best when it forces players to scramble to handle the massive host of dangers that can quickly surround players. At times, it risks becoming overwhelming -- but as players get a better handle on their abilities, the feeling of being a battlemage really sets in. Taking down dozens of enemies single-handily is a thrill, and at its best can feel reminiscent of the fantastical run-and-gun styling of 2016's DOOM remake.
The story-driven one-player experience and the overall tone -- something of a mix between high-fantasy world-builing and the tenor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's snarky heroes -- provides a nice counter to the non-stop combat and exploration. "We do have a lot of talent from Telltale," Ingram noted. "Telltale is a huge story-driven company. Our lead writer Michael Kirkbride -- the ability to craft that world, he and [Ascendant Studios Chief Executive Bret Robbins] worked really hard on this idea. They had the story from the beginning, and really knew what they wanted to do. The combat melded in well with that, with how we were able to tell that story." This plot sets up all sorts of drama, conflict, and intrigue -- especially surrounding the mysterious forces of Rasharn and their mission to take over the magic of the world.
Ultimately, the game lives and thrives on the gameplay. Fans of FPS-style action-adventures will find a lot to love about Immortals of Aveum. Taking down dragons with well-placed and hard-fought bursts of bright magic is a thrilling experience. There's something inherently fun to the classic styles of FPS games applied to a new mystical setting, and it was easy to fall into the rhythm of the game and discover inventive approaches to combat. Ingram concurred, noting that "my favorite part of the game is definitely the combat. Seeing people really experiencing being able to have fun and feel like it's intuitive, to be able to go around and use all those different spells and stuff like that -- I feel like that's truly unique and different. It's something that I'm super excited for, especially coming from a BioShock world. Really, I look forward to seeing the YouTube videos of people creating weird combinations of spells. Just seeing people playing the game in unique and interesting ways is something that I really look forward to."
Immortals of Aveum releases July 20 on Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S