Venture into the unknown as an elite battlemage in Immortals of Aveum.
In a year of one landmark game after another, it is easy to overlook certain new IPs daring to try things. 2023 has been a year in which magic has taken a front seat row for video game releases, from a magic school to an isekai going all the way through magic crystals.
With a genre so crowded in today’s market, attention is constantly moving, and sometimes, some games are missed, which should be the focal point. Immortals of Aveum is one such game that is so confident of its world-building and gameplay that it deserves the spotlight.
Developed by Ascendant Studios and published by EA Arts, Immortals of Aveum is a new fantasy that thrusts you in the middle of an endless war, and it’s up to you to turn the tide of it.
With a team consisting of developers who worked on Call of Duty and Dead Space, the thrilling cinematic aspirations it is trying to achieve are quite clear. You take the role of Jak, a young thief with not much aspirations but a destiny that will intervene and change the world around him.
The mischievous Jak comes from a slumlike, underground city called Seren. Before long, your city is abruptly attacked, and you must turn towards your loved ones in an attempt to save them. Jak’s world is swept away in the blink of an eye, and is only saved by Kirkan.
She’s a strict but soft-hearted military marshall and mentor who conscripts Jak in the current Everwar tormenting the world of Aveum. During Jak’s time as a soldier, he eventually learns he can become an Immortal, a top-of-the-class, more powerful magic user than the rest, and that’s what he works towards for the rest of his time in the war.
For Jak to become an Immortal, he must complete a series of trials known as The Path, a dangerous test where some soldiers might not even make it out of this deadly realm existing in another reality. An exhilarating, alive set of platforms and moving objects that can even attack you, and you must use all your wit and recently learned moves to survive.
Aveum is a world run by magic, and while each of the kingdoms is vying for control over the others, the real stakes lie in the so-called leylines. These leylines are streams of colored light that emanate and circle the world and are where the sorcerers gather their magic.
Immortals of Aveum‘s world feels rugged and lived-in. The ravages of the Everwar, as initially stated, and its havoc are notable throughout your adventure. Fellow soldiers lament the situation, and others fear the end times while others drown their sorrows in the bottle.
Aveum has been thrown into chaos for so long that it does not know what peace is anymore, and it is up to Jak and his team of misfits to solve this conundrum.
Quirky dialogues derived from Jak’s incompetence lend themselves to fun interactions, especially in such serious settings as war and military operations. Sarcastic lines reminiscent of modern-day superhero films are used in most conversations.
Much has been said of this style of writing, but it does work in the context of a young, unserious main character who does not take himself or the world too seriously and, in turn, helps the game have an easygoing tone that is easy to digest for most players.
The basis of Immortals of Aveum‘s combat is its magical first-person shooting, divided into three colored attacks. Red for close quarters, blue for medium-range shots, and green for rapid-fire attacks. Dodge and double jump spice up the movement.
Health and mana crystals maintain your magic and life bars, always in check and safe enough to ensure each combat encounter is fast-paced and the game is bountiful enough to give you enough items to be ready for the next skirmish.
Outside of the main three attacks that Immortals of Aveum revolves around, varied tactical abilities to engage in the battlefield in different ways are also available. A trustworthy shield, a sort of magical string that pulls enemies towards you, and a time-slowing spell are among your arsenal to save Aveum from its untimely demise.
The objective of moving forward in each chapter is a clear dot telling you exactly where to go with no margin of error, and that is quite enticing for many players who usually like to know where to go. For those who do like to stray off the beaten path, Immortals of Aveum also offers other avenues. If you decide to walk outside of the blinking indicator dot, there are many surprises and trials that await you, with treasures galore and hidden, tougher enemies.
Shroudfanes are challenging trials with special rewards and an excellent way to test your magical skills, as Immortals of Aveum‘s relentless combat is much enjoyed in this gauntlet. Fun and challenging platforming sections mixed in with the exhilarating combat make for a very compelling package.
In which you can barely catch a breath and fire, or spell, away at your enemies without blinking an eye. Many of the benefits include increasing your magic or life bar, so these rewards are nothing to scoff at and shouldn’t be ignored to get the full experience.
Once you reach Chapter 4, a crafting area called The Forge is opened up to give Jak the upper hand against his seemingly endless horde of enemies. Here, you can craft, reinforce, or deconstruct your gear with the hard-earned gold and your respective colored essence that you have acquired throughout your journey.
While the RPG elements of Immortals of Aveum are always kept light, the way they’re implemented does not feel tacked on, and as your power level rises, you can palpably feel the improvement in your attacks against your most fearsome enemies.
A skill tree as you level up is divided into three sections for each of the colors of your magic powers. It is up to you whether you would like to speed up the process in which the dodge becomes available, your shield withstands more damage, or a certain color of attack becomes stronger. The flexibility of boosting every one of your abilities lends to a varied gameplay style that can differ greatly from person to person.
A healthy amount of enemy variety is up against Jak and his friends’ quest to save the world from “the Wound.” Foot soldiers, quick archers, strong mini-bosses, and even magical rhinos and dragons will all stand in your way to achieve your goal. Each enemy will have you cycling to your many spells to see what works and results triumphant in each battle.
Regarding difficulty, while there is the usual easy, normal, and hard mode, the damage your enemies deal Jak is quite strong and can reduce your life bar to half, even in the lowest setting. This makes Immortals of Aveum an on-your-toes combat experience that encourages you to always use your arsenal to the best of your abilities.
Green magic pellets called limpets can slow down your enemies or platforms in your vicinity. A powerful spell called Shatter can aggressively create blue spikes from the ground and send enemies flying away. Lash is a magic chain that pulls enemies towards you and is paired with the shotgun-esque red magic strike, and it results in a deadly combo. This is to say that Immortals of Aveum‘s barrage of sorcery and spells can make you feel like the ultimate magician, or Immortal in this case.
Aveum’s fully realized world is so authentic to explore as gear and power-ups are just around the corner in your rummaging of it. Secret passages throughout the levels and new areas that can be unlocked as you progress encourage replayability.
Reminiscing about Middle Earth, the camps you can find, and puzzles that you can solve at the moment or backtracking after progressing in the story lets you feel that there is much more to discover.
Although one of the most mentioned features of the game was that it was being made on Unreal Engine 5, it does not look particularly stunning or next-gen in most areas. But when it does, it has some of the most impressive-looking landscapes in modern gaming. Thanks to its robust art direction that holds nothing back, it feels like every kingdom fighting and character’s culture has its own developed identity.
Jak’s emotional maturity reaches a standstill when the past comes to haunt him, but through the help of his newfound Immortals team and the life-changing quest of trying to save the world, the character that you play in the beginning is not the same as the end. Immortals of Aveum delivers an emotionally charged story and sticks the landing with its lofty, atmospheric ambitions and high-octane gameplay.
