At a time when development times are getting longer, when announced games often only see the light of day years later, the communication aroundImmortals of Aveum It already makes a difference. First unveiled at the Game Awards last December, Electronic Arts’ new game will now be available for consoles and PC on July 20.
But do not think that the game is sloppy. Rather, it took its time to see the light of day and the Ascendant studio refined everything with the utmost discretion after years of work.
“We have been working on Immortals of Aveum”admits Bret Robbins, studio founder and head, former Crystal Dynamics spawn (Kain’s Legacy, Gex) and Visceral Games. In particular, he surrounded himself with industry veterans who got their start in Call of Duty, Bioshock, Halo either borderlands.
Paradoxically, these experts in multiplayer shooters have decided to design a title that is played alone and where the hero is unarmed. But not without defense. Because in Immortals of Aveum, Jak, the main character, and his acolytes are warrior wizards who therefore use magic to defeat their enemies. Guns are for bad guys.
The return of a forgotten style of play
The game does not hide its inspiration by writing on the side of dead space (without the horrible look) or Obligations (without artillery) for large combat scenes.
Ascendant Studios’ debut game makes a promising and beautiful return (it was designed using the new, next-gen Unreal Engine 5), for a genre that’s getting weirder and weirder: the shoot Narrative Magic, a magical shooter with a true story.
The story takes place in a fantastic and magical universe, the world of Aveum. Mages of the Order of Immortals draw their powers from three colors of magic (red, blue, and green) that allow them to chain attacks and fend off a strange threat. The hero begins the epic of him as a being devoid of all talent and power, before becoming a war mage capable of mastering the flow of magic and becoming a true leader.
An ambitious cinematic fresco
Electronic Arts presented the first images of the game in Immortals of Aveum in a trailer and allowed Tech&Co to view some gameplay sequences in parallel. The chance to see wizards hovering in the air, over vast game areas to be explored, but not in the open world, and where the fights are twitchy, fast and fluid.
The warrior mages we see aim at the creatures with the tips of their arms, as if they had weapons, with different cadences and ranges of magical fire depending on the color. Everything gives a strong cinematographic impression, with visual marks like this giant and mysterious fault at the crossroads of kingdoms, “desired by the team”, emphasizes Bret Robbins who insists on the “narrative” aspect of his story.
And to reinforce everything, Ascendant Studios summoned actors already seen in series: Jak has the features of Darren Barnet (my first times on Netflix). She is accompanied by Gina Torres (Suits, Matrix Reloaded) or Steven Brand (Saw Xthe Serie teen wolf).
EA seems to want to do this Immortals of Aveum an ambitious solo game with an epic breath, going against the grain of the most common shooters (call of duty, halo, battlefield). The futuristic apocalyptic visual environment is quite attractive, as is the idea of using magic to defeat the large opposing armies. A bit of freshness that has something to arouse curiosity.
IMMORTALS OF AVEUM – Game available on July 20, 2023 on PS5, Xbox X⎜S and PC.
Source: BFM TV
