A few weeks ago, I forgot Immortals: Fenyx Rising even existed. In fact, I only really remembered it as Ubisoft’s Gods and Monsters, but now the new, extremely awkward name change appears to be due to some sort of trademark dispute. So now we have a game that sounds like a direct-to-video sequel of Clash of the Titans or something.
But really, I think Immortals: Fenyx Rising is shaping up to be one of the hidden gems of the year, not as flashy as all the new cross-gen releases, not as sprawling as Ubisoft’s own Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, but what it does, it does very well, and that’s thanks to the fact that it is very much emulating one of the best games of the generation.
Yes, absolutely Immortals borrows heavily from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and if you thought Genshin Impact was a BoTW clone, well, Immortals is doubly so. This isn’t like, “illegal,” but the first time you don your Hercules gauntlets and hover a puzzle object over your head, you’ll see how this is far, far more similar than Genshin ever was to BoTW, despite the aesthetic.
This is an impressions piece, not a full review, because I am currently juggling about a half dozen released and unreleased games at the moment, but in short, I have very much enjoyed my time with Immortals and am looking forward to playing more.
I am a bit burned out on Greek mythology these days, and Immortals arrives unfortunately alongside Hades, where the difference in writing is just…not really comparable. Hades is really well done in its informal characterizations of Greek gods and heroes, while I find a lot of Immortals humor to fall flat, with jokes that consist of things like Zeus saying “true dat!” Like, that’s the joke.
I do, however, like my fully voiced lead character, Fenyx, who can be male or female and has the best personality of the bunch from what I’ve found, which is fortunate since you’ll be hearing from him/her often (mine is a her, for the purposes of this article). Immortals, despite some writing mishaps, does have an odd sort of charm to it the further you go.
This is a large open world to explore without it feel too overwhelming and exhausting which frankly, is exactly what I needed right now after a bunch of time spent with Valhalla. One aspect where this is demonstrated is the upgrade system, where yes, you can find a bunch of swords and pieces of armor and yet the currency you acquire will work to upgrade all swords at once or all axes or all chestplates. It feels good and I don’t mind this not being a “loot grind” game.
I have been probably most surprised with how good combat in Immortals feels. It’s much, much better than Godfall, where combat was supposed to be the entire focus of that game, and it’s even more snappy, responsive and intuitive than AC Valhalla itself. You block when you need to block, dodge when you need to dodge instead of any delays for either, and future upgrades allow you to do things like air juggle and call in god powers to aid you. I’ve found combat to be a bit on the easy side, but honestly, I don’t mind it. Oh, and one departure from BoTW here? Like Genshin, no weapon or shield durability. I think everyone, even Nintendo, might understand that was a mistake at this point.
But what is challenging, and before you think this is a game purely for kids, are the puzzles. Immortals is most similar to Breath of the Wild with its many, many world and dungeon puzzles, where I would say 80% are expertly designed and fun to figure out while 20% may be frustrating and had me searching for YouTube guides that are not yet made because this game isn’t even out yet. Sometimes checkpointing makes you start a segment way, way far back in an annoying way, and yet I think the puzzles here are very well done, and many are on par with the ones found in Breath of the Wild.
Simply put, I am finding that Immortals: Fenyx Rising is hitting all the right notes for me in this current moment. An open world that’s fun to explore but not overwhelming. Combat that’s tough to fully master, but arcade-y type fun. Puzzles that are genuinely interesting and only occasionally frustrating. And there are a ton of them to keep you occupied.
I can see Immortals being a sleeper hit, and it’s a big win for a smaller Ubisoft studio that was always going to be overshadowed by the release of Valhalla, and now soon enough, Cyberpunk a week or so after launch here. But of all the games that came out this holiday, this feels like one of the better ones. I’d certainly consider checking it out.
Follow me on Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels Herokiller and Herokiller 2, and read my first series, The Earthborn Trilogy, which is also on audiobook.
