Immortals of Aveum has been on my radar longer than I’d like to admit. I am all too familiar with magic-wielding, but I am usually slinging elemental magic side by side with a sword or dagger, like in games like Skyrim or Elder Scrolls Online. Luckily, I got to go hands-on with Immortals of Aveum at Summer Game Fest last month, and it’s safe to say I’m still very interested, but I’m also cautious about the title.
I was only allotted a short playthrough, where your character is essentially racing through ruins to reach the forward bastion after an attack. After walking and talking with General Kirkan—a badass boss who has me riled up every time she gives a speech, played by the flawless Gina Torres—you’re tagged into battle with “You help us win this, I’ll know you’re ready” being her last piece of advice. From here, you get a taste of traversing the land and combat mechanics, and it was a wild ride.
Firstly, when I see red, green, and blue magic, my brain ultimately goes to element-like damage. In hindsight, it doesn’t entirely make sense since frost and shock would both be blue, but earth, fire, and lightning are automatically what I assumed. The first thing I was taught when diving into Immortals of Aveum was to think of the magic more like different kinds of guns than different elements.
Immortals of Aveum Is Not at All What I Thought It Would Be, but That Isn’t Entirely a Bad Thing
After all, we are looking at a “single-player, first-person, magic shooter.” Gotta shoot something, magic it is! Playing as Jak (Darren Barnet, who you’ll see in Gran Turismo soon), you can focus your magic in order to use it. Your red magic acts like a shotgun, best for close-quarters combat. Your blutomore is like an AR, allowing you to shoot further. Then your green magic is similar to an SMG, though it has a slightly further ranger than a standard SMG. Strangely enough, I found this new take on magic use exhilarating—refreshing compared to the games I usually play.
What I didn’t like, however, was the way you recharge your Fury Spells, which are your more powerful special attacks. I had access to Shatter, which essentially pulls rocks from the ground, forming walls, breaking shields, and knocking enemies. Great spell, but you need to find and crush mana crystals to refill the bar that allows you to use them.
In other games, this would fill up based on combat, but instead, it’s more like needing to use potions like with health, etc. I’m unsure how it will play out, depending on how often you can find them on the broader game. There is also no lock on target and combat—both yourself and enemies—moves fast. It was probably the most exasperated I had been during all my previews at Summer Game Fest.
I also had some issues with the map markers. They were inconsistent at best, not always showing on the screen or the compass marker on the screen, sometimes showing completely different directions. It made it incredibly hard to navigate when down in ruins, though I’m not sure what it would be like outside of this. The dev supervising said, “They’re a bit squirrely sometimes. They tend to get confused,” noting that there was an issue with it, and they are aware, so hopefully, that will be dealt with by release. They recommend I follow the dots on the screen as the compass is a more general direction.
There Are Inconsistencies With My Preview Build, but the Potential Is There
I spent some time listening to my playthrough before writing this, and multiple times I mention General Kirkan, how powerful she is, and how great Gina Torres handles the role. It is great to see a woman in a leadership role in a game, especially an FPS. However, I also noted no opportunity to play as a woman. Playing as Jak, that’s it, that’s who you get. But many games, like Mass Effect, have a named main character but give you the freedom to choose which you’d like to play, even if it isn’t a character creation situation. It seems like a missed opportunity in Immortals of Aveum.
I also found a lack of instruction in the game. We did skip the tutorial section, so I missed the opportunity to get used to the controls. Still, I believe that seeing which button did what, what spell I would be switching to when I hit Y, what up on the d-pad would do, etc., would be helpful to have on-screen throughout the game. Without this, it left me feeling very lost many times, especially since I’d just come from a Final Fantasy XVI preview where everything is nicely laid out in front of you.
However, what was not lost on me was how gorgeous Immortals of Aveum is. The vast landscapes full of color are breathtaking. The characters on the screen are full of emotion and power. The combat feels so fluid and smooth. This may very well be one of the most beautiful games of the year.
Immortals of Aveum is a brand-new concept painted over some old-school game styles. This often frustrated me because I wanted the game to work like other shooters I’ve played. I feel that this game would be better suited for longer play sessions and that my short period may have soured the game for me a bit. That being said, I think having one-on-one time with Immortals of Aveum, where I really have time to get settled in and comfortable, would change that. It has the potential to be a great new game, and I’m eager to find out for sure.
