An epic open-world adventure rooted in Greek mythos.
As a typical player of Nintendo games that involve exploration and non-linear gameplay, such as critically acclaimed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Ubisoft’s Immortals Fenyx Rising instantly grabbed my attention as a significant new addition to the console lineup, and it did not disappoint. If you are a big fan of a sense of curious adventure within your games, and free ability to dictate your path through the world and story, Immortals Fenyx Rising will certainly deliver, with a simple yet interesting plot inspired by ancient Greek mythology and visuals that most definitely hold up on the Switch.
The game largely focuses on the player’s own discovery as Fenyx through the picturesque setting of the Golden Isle on a quest to rescue their brother Ligyron from the big bad Typhon. The Golden Isle is split into seven distinct zones ruled by differing ancient Greek deities. In this division, Immortals Fenyx Rising not only maintains a definitive sense of progression for the player in terms of gradual investigation of these sectors, which keeps things satisfying, but allows you to experience the beauty of the game’s landscapes, especially when soaring above them with wings obtained during the tutorial segment.
This also helpfully offers the player the chance to work through the game at their own pace, and scrutiny of each small section of map is always rewarded, with various secrets and treasures such as gear and even rare mountable creatures being discoverable. Immortals is reminiscent of other AAA games of the genre in terms of its consistently impressive appearance, yet also maintains a degree of individuality in the links that each sub-area has to a different mythological tale, which makes the experience even more enjoyable for the well-versed.
In addition to these map sectors, The Hall of the Gods acts as a convenient hotspot for upgrades, and may even allow newer players to seek refuge from the powerful Wraith bosses of fallen heroes that spawn randomly during the journey. Later in the game, the location refreshingly provides light story updates and deepens the player’s knowledge of Fenyx’s relationship with other characters, often minimal when the cheesily comical narration of Prometheus and Zeus is absent during story-free sections.
Though Immortals Fenyx Rising does not place its characters at its centre, opting rather to prioritise the experience of the game as a third-person perspective, these small interactions assist in reinforcing these characters’ differences from our protagonist, which continues to envelop us in the game’s universe in a way that does not construe itself as a boring lore-dump.
Each area also offers a multitude of different types of Myth Challenges, puzzle-based Vaults of Tartaros and opportunities for battles with mythical monsters, which keeps the game a fresh and continuously engaging experience.
The Constellation Challenges in particular provide a suitable test of your skills as you seek to collect and arrange various orbs. Success grants you a small payoff, not only in rewards of Coins of Charon, but tiny mythological links that assist in immersing the player in the world itself alongside Fenyx. The opportunity for freedom within creating the character of Fenyx, and their journey of building strength, emerges from the player’s conscious choices to complete these Myth Challenges and Vaults and so the game feels less restricted to a set framework, and rather entirely devoted to the adventurous spirit and autonomy of the player.
Furthermore, Immortals Fenyx Rising caters to players of various skill levels via its inclusion of different set difficulties, and the consistency of this across all tasks within the game. As an amateur player, choosing the middle-road Normal setting was definitely the right choice when battling monsters in the overworld, though I still felt significantly challenged in the Vaults. Despite this, the gameplay overall was very entertaining, with no compromise in terms of required levels of competency for the chosen difficulty throughout the experience.
Verdict
Immortals Fenyx Rising creates an engaging and whimsical journey for its players. Ubisoft’s effective blend of stunning visuals, energetic battles and thought-provoking puzzles, with a sprinkle of storytelling where necessary, results in a rounded and fulfilling experience lasting for multiple hours, and is a must-play for fans of Breath of the Wild and other similar open-world adventures.
Where to Buy
CDkeys (Digital) - £11.59
Link: https://tidd.ly/3AJHaq1
ShopTo (Physical) - £18.85
Link: https://tidd.ly/3O9IFAB
#AffiliateLinks
Credits
Written by Katie Miles
Edited by Mark McAllister, Jen Griffiths and Paul L. Russell
Review Graphic by Paul L. Russell