Review - Immortals Fenyx Rising
Immortals Fenyx Rising caught my eye the first time it was shown off at E3 2019 as Gods and Monsters. I preferred the original name at first, but having spent time in this world and watched my own version of Fenyx rise, I understand the change. Whatever the name is, this game is absolutely fantastic and a franchise that I hope will continue over the coming years.
On first glance, Immortals seems like it could simply be Ubisoft’s knockoff version of Breath of the Wild. Take one part Assassin’s Creed, add a dash of colour, a sprinkle of Pixar, mix, and release. That was my take, at least, but I was super in to it. Breath of the Wild is one of my favourite games ever made, so anything that can match even a fraction of that shouldn’t be missed. However, Immortals offers much more than a simple cartoon skin on top of an Assassin’s Creed game, and is absolutely not a simple Zelda clone or knock off. This game oozes with its own unique personality from the very first frame, and captured my attention more than any Assassin’s Creed game has in years (and I love Assassin’s Creed!)
The game absolutely SHINES on the Xbox Series X!
You play as Fenyx, a nobody with a famous warrior brother, stranded on an island after a shipwreck that turned the rest of your crew to stone. Why aren’t you stone as well? What can you do to help? You’ll uncover that story as you continue through the bright, lively world! Fenyx is your character to create and make your own. There are plenty of customization options, voices, skin tones and hair styles to pick from. You’ll unlock more clothing and weapons as you go too, so your Fenyx is always evolving. You can also change your character at any moment once you pass a point fairly early on in the game, so don’t worry about your choices being locked in. Everything is made to allow you to play this game the way you want to. Like a weapon’s stats but hate the way it looks? Change the appearance but keep the perks! Want the perks of wearing a helmet without covering up your beautifully detailed and expressive character’s face? Hide the helmet! This is perfect customization, and I hope more games take note and use this as an example going forward.
It doesn’t look too bad on Switch either!
It’s not just Fenyx that you’ll be following through this journey though. The real charm of the game comes from the amazing cast of characters you meet throughout the land. Zeus and Prometheus lend their commentary throughout your adventure, narrating important scenes and events like omnipotent versions of Statler and Waldorf from The Muppets. Their banter is truly hilarious at times, giving me more genuine laughs than I’ve had playing a video game in a long time. The rest of the characters are hilarious versions of Greek Gods and heroes who may help you or get in your way, but add so much depth to the world that you’ll want to go read up on Greek mythology the second you put down the controller. For people that already know a bit of Greek mythology, there are inside jokes and one-liners thrown in that make the experience even more enjoyable.
One of the many Gods you will meet and get to know some… interesting… Greek mythology
Gameplay is fairly straightforward, with light and heavy attacks, as well as ranged weapons, but there’s a depth of combos and unlock able upgrades that make things much more complex than simply mashing a couple of buttons over and over again. This, combined with some truly challenging enemies, had me dialling the difficulty back a bit at first so I could make it though the story without getting hindered. It’s a tough balance, but to me, this demonstrates just how great the story is. I don’t mind a tough game, but I found myself wanting to know more about these characters and where the story was going, rather than ‘getting good’ and challenging myself with the game mechanics. It’s not Dark Souls, but don’t let the cartoon paint job fool you, Immortals Fenyx Rising will kick your ass if you let your guard down.
Don’t let the colours fool you! This game will kick your ass!
Through exploration, story (both narrative and in-world experiences), and a challenging gameplay loop, Immortals Fenyx Rising has plenty to offer to people looking for something different. This is one of my favourite new franchises in a long time, a fantastic new IP, and with a ton of DLC available and upcoming, it seems like we’ll be enjoying this game for a while. I hope this has legs as a franchise, because I can’t wait to see what this team could tackle in a sequel!