Ubisoft loves open-world RPGs recently, and with its newest trailers for the game Immortals Fenyx Rising, it seems that it is going to keep loving it. Immortals Fenyx Rising seems like it’s exactly the type of game to take an open world approach — a ton of chests, loot, crafting, puzzles… But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be in that genre. So, is Immortals Fenyx Rising linear or not?
Is Immortals Fenyx Rising Open World?
Yes, Immortals Fenyx Rising is an open world RPG game. You are able to travel wherever you wish, only stopped by environmental hazards, deadly enemies, or impossible puzzles. If you’re prepared enough, and good enough at the game’s combat system, you could hypothetically get anywhere in the world… As long as it doesn’t require an ability.
While the game is technically open world, there are a ton of natural obstacles in the way that keep you from exploring the world entirely. For example, your stamina bar is what holds you back from climbing a mountain, or there might be a massively powerful enemy guarding the path into the next area. So, while the game is strictly open world, there are barricades everywhere to keep you from exploring quite as much as you expect.
That being said, the game does not babysit you with invisible walls or heavy-handed warnings. You learn that an enemy will crush you and keep you from an area after it’s beaten you. And if you want to climb a mountain, you have to get the potions for it. It’s a good way to control player momentum without necessarily locking them down.
However, because you need some upgrades before you can head out into the open world, the game does feel linear after a little while. You need to get the upgrades the game wants you to have, the abilities it wants you to have, and take on the tasks that it wants you to. You’re not quite playing Breath of the Wild; you’re closer to playing a Ubisoft game, where you go from location to location (which you can explore fully) getting stronger.
