Last week we were invited to a hands-off presentation for the upcoming first person title immortals of Aveum, and to be honest we didn’t quite know what to expect. Outside of a very brief Game Awards teaser, it was a mystery as to what the game actually was. Thankfully, we can now say we are very excited, and think many others will be as well once they learn a bit more about the design and philosophy Ascendant Studios is putting into the concept and gameplay in their magically inspired FPS, Immortals of Aveum.
To first know more about Immortals of Aveum, you need to know a bit more about the team putting it together. Despite this being Ascendant Studios first major title, they’re not a two-man indie team making their first game. Ascendant Studios is lead by Bret Robbins, a veteran who has directed some great games over the years. Small hits you may have heard of, such as Call of Duty, Dead Space, Blood omen: Legacy of Kain, and others.
His team consists of industry veterans, who all share impressive resumes that absolutely comes across as soon as you catch a glimpse of Immortals of Aveum in motion. Their vision during the briefing was simple, but effective, what if, instead of a helicopter, it was a dragon? Instead of a gun, what if it was magic? The answer is a visually stunning display of ambitious gameplay that is looking to shift a genre that has become a bit stale and one note in the last few years.
Immortals takes place in a fantasy world called Aveum, which consists of competing factions warring over magic, as it’s a valuable resource. Jak is the main hero, and is known as an Unforeseen, gifted with magical abilities and caught in the middle of a war that is too big for one person to end, but he doesn’t have to. He leads a group called the Immortals, a band of allies, in order to save the world and keep it from being destroyed by a long and brutal war.
So, on the surface, nothing about the synopsis outside the magical flair immediately stands out as brand new, or innovative, but not everything has to be. What was innovative was Jaks control of magic, and the in depth swapping between three different styles of combat. Force, Chaos, and Life are three distinct schools of magic that allows players to seamlessly swap back and forth to create great looking and effective combinations during large combat sequences.
It may sound a bit confusing at first, but as soon as you see it all in motion, it becomes much more clear. Immortals doesn’t look or feel like Call of Duty with spells. The movement Jak is capable of, plus the free-form nature of the magic powers and spells, looks like Doom Eternal dialed to eleven. Players will be able to customize Jak’s arsenal with a large set of talents that allow for creative freedom rarely seen in scripted first-person shooters.
Beyond the gameplay implications, the other standout feature of our preview event were the astounding visuals themselves. Each location, cutscene and combat sequence was absolutely stunning. Immortals of Aveum is launching exclusively on current platforms and PC, and once glimpse of the game’s set pieces will sell you on the visual design. Immortals also puts the focus on your party members as a strong supporting cast in the narrative and in combat as well.
My overall impressions from the entire presentation were very positive. We weren’t able to go hands-on, but the game’s design philosophy was backed up by the visuals, story telling and combat sequences on display. Immortals of Aveum is a single player, story driven shooter, and the laser focus comes across with the level of polish on display. Furthermore, despite the Call of Duty background, my lasting thoughts on the entirety of the game resembled an older, but beloved EA classic.
After watching the trailer and seeing it in motion, Ascendant Studios is on to something with big potential. We will all find out for ourselves when immortals of Aveum launches July 20th.
