“What if Call of Duty…but magic” is the kind of game pitch that will either sink or swim. Taking the frenetic, action-heavy moment-to-moment gameplay of a modern FPS and applying those same principles to a dark fantasy world, swapping out guns for spells and assault vehicles for dragons. It’s immensely goofy, but Ascendent Studios is betting on, and leaning hard, into the goof. Helmed by AAA development veteran Bret Robbins, whose work you’ve undoubtedly played in series like BioShock and Dead Space, is leading this ragtag crew of creatives who have set out to create a whole new fantasy world, and reinvigorate a genre not really seen for the better part of a decade. Immortals of Aveum is the fruit of their labour, a single-player, magic FPS that has as many proper nouns as high ambitions.
Earlier this week we had the chance to watch a lengthy, hands-off preview of the game led by the folks over at Ascendant. The presentation offered a substantial look at the core gameplay, a deep dive into the lore and a chance to better understand the intentions behind it. We also heard from the team at EA Originals, continuing its streak of supporting unique games, like Wild Hearts. Immortals of Aveum is a lot to take in though, bouncing between incredible looking combat and some strange world-building choices. It’s impossible to fully render judgement without hands-on but there’s more than enough here to chew on as we head toward the game’s release later this year.
Immortals of Aveum casts you as Jak (I laughed too, it’s okay), an Unforeseen Magnus – effectively a child born without magical abilities who experiences something in life that activates their connection with the Laylines. These lines, represented by enormous glowing veins across the world, are the magical lifeblood of Aveum, a land locked in an Everwar over control of the Laylines. Jak is recruited into the war by his mother figure General Kirkan, who wants to use Jak’s Triac abilities (the means to control all three magic colours in Aveum) to win the war against the advancing tyrant, Sandrakk. There’s also a giant gaping maw in the world called the Wound with a mysterious statue reaching out of it that may or may not point to the end times.
This is why I call Immortals of Aveum a lot. There’s a density of lore and worldbuilding here that speaks to the passion of the creators behind it but also feels somewhat at odds with the quasi-Saturday morning cartoon vibe of the world. The latter is unintentional as far as I can tell, as the game is presented rather straight-faced, even as its components revel in the tropey and strange. Jak is, from what we saw, every video game protagonist ever – a wise-cracking, kinda cute but kinda roguish dude who possesses world-saving abilities and a hot head to boot. Actor Darren Barnett brings a surprising amount of humanity to the role, aided by some terrific mo-cap and animation work, but there’s an inescapable familiarity to the writing around the game’s lead.
Elsewhere, icon Gina Torres will be playing Kirkan, a hardened but kind military leader whose desire to win the Everwar is matched only by her effortless cool energy. It helps that Torres, like Barnett, is bringing a distinct flavour to the character that elevates the archetype, even as the small glimpses of writing we caught raised an eyebrow. At one-point Kirkan explains that “Politics, land, ideology. All of that is secondary to the control of magic”, a rather telling line that encapsulated the only real concern I came away from the presentation with. Aveum is shown to be a land of distinct biomes and colliding levels of civilisation, shifting from Skyrim to Final Fantasy at times, but I rarely got the sense it was a genuinely lived-in space. Which for a game banking this hard on its unique setting and original story, does give me pause.
Gina Torres leads a great cast of Aveum’s Immortals
Fortunately, the gameplay we were shown looks very good so far. If all Aveum ends up being is a nice-looking stage for chaotic magic combat, it could do with far worse systems layered over it. Jak is equipped with three core spell functions – Blue for straight, accurate shots, Red for a shotgun blast equivalent, and Green for rapid-fire, target-seeking shots. These base magic colours each come with their own huge skill trees and spell combinations and can be altered even further through the use of Sygils. For example, a javelin Sygil can alter the rate of fire but increase accuracy; the Sygils pitched to us as different “guns” in a loose sense. Jak also sports a shield spell that slows his movement but provides a strong defence, and conversely, a Blink and Lash spell set for faster movement and whipping foes toward, or away, from him. It all looks solid, complete with immaculate sound design and what seems like impactful hits when your spells make contact.
We got a quick look at the game’s menagerie of items and currencies too, an expected array of rings and bracers for marginal stat boosts and several different types of crystals used to heal, refill your Mana bar and upgrade skills. Jak will also need to use certain spells and quick-thinking during exploration and puzzle-solving; one instance saw him manoeuvring a light-reflection orb with the Lash spell before Blinking onto higher ground to fire off a spell and open a door. We were told that what separates the game from just a shooter with spells are these puzzles and world-exploration moments so I hope to see some creative implementation in the full game.
Combat will hopefully feel as good, and cool, as it looks
Immortals of Aveum is running in Unreal Engine 5.1, the latest iteration that is primed to take advantage of Epic Games’ impressive suite of visual spectacles. Spells are small explosions of gorgeous particle work, and some late-game footage boasted a player-created black hole of sorts that warped the light around it in some truly impressive ways. While I remain unconvinced of the game’s overarching world, especially some of the enemy design that feels like fantasy circa the first Thor film, I’m also impressed by the small details Ascendent have placed in its world. Associate Art Director Julia Lightblau spoke about taking inspiration from endangered, real-world plant life and placing them into the game. Both as means of artistic distinction but also thematic relevance, the game ideally looking to be a warning about natural resources and the plundering efforts of some civilisations.
There’s a lot to appreciate in Immortals of Aveum. Ascendant Studios seems to have its heart in the right place, a collective effort from folks who enjoy the craft of an original world, and with the backing of EA Originals, the magic rippled sky could be the limit here. Combat looks to be a blast, an expressive mix of offensive and defensive spell casting with buttery smooth camera work and some neat puzzles to shake up the pacing of the game. There’s also the raw star power of the game’s cast, but all that charisma and impressive combat will hopefully be in service of a world that has more to say than what we’ve seen so far.
Immortals of Aveum releases for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on July 20, 2023.
